The ribbon has been cut at The Commons in Martineztown to celebrate the renovation of 96 affordable housing units that will help benefit seniors, those with disabilities and families in Albuquerque.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, House Majority Floor Leader Javier Martinez and Albuquerque City Council President Isaac Benton were all on hand to celebrate this occasion.
The renovations of the three housing complexes focused on improving energy efficiency, resident comfort, safety, security and indoor air quality.
The creation of accessible common areas and adaptable units for households with disabilities were also added during the renovation period.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, who last month announced the new city program, “Housing Forward” said Martineztown could be an example of how Albuquerque could expand the access to affordable housing as the city is growing for the first time in decades.
“To look at what Matineztown has done, they said yes to urban renewal and what does that mean in really wonkish policy terms? It means zoning that facilitates densier housing. So we’re going to ask the whole city of Albuquerque to do the same thing.”
Part of the funding that made these renovations possible came from the state and a $1.5 million investment in capital outlay funding.
This has been one part of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration’s approach to increasing accessibility to affordable housing across the state.
“Housing is the secret sauce to everything else we need and want. It creates that kind of stability that lowers all kinds of risks in communities and when we do that work and we are, we’re going to see incredible changes statewide for everyone, of every age. I’m so proud of Martineztown and every single other community for standing tough, standing firm and standing up for each other.”
