Rene’ Horvath has been involved in monitoring West Side development for a long time.

She was quite young the first time she rode down Coors Boulevard, amazed at the magnificent scenery with its majestic mountain and bosque views.  She moved to Taylor Ranch in 1982 and, as a resident, was involved in the effort to preserve the petroglyphs which led to the establishment of Petroglyph National Monument in 1990.  She later became involved in development issues, focusing on the changing development patterns along Coors Boulevard.   She is now the Land Use Director for the West Side Coalition of Neighborhood Associations, (WSCONA), and the Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association, (TRNA).  Rene’ is incredibly knowledgeable about the very difficult and sometimes arcane issues of development.   She is also deeply disturbed about current trends in Albuquerque development, especially on her beloved West Side.

She has seen how unsound decisions can ruin a good community, such as what happened to Roswell in the 1960’s and the Albuquerque downtown in the 1970’s.  Her family moved to Albuquerque from Roswell.  At that time the Roswell community was thriving, but in 1966 a decision was made to close down Walker Air force Base.  One third of the residents were affected by this decision and had to move away.

When she and her family moved to Albuquerque, the Central Avenue/Route 66 corridor and Downtown areas were very active, robust places where people worked, shopped and entertained. Urban renewal unfortunately led to the demolition of many historic buildings, including the Alvarado and Franciscan hotels, despite public outcry. This was the start of the decline of the Downtown area. Changes were also made to the transit system affecting people who used those services to get downtown. Ultimately retail establishments departed and employment declined.  Downtown hasn’t been the same since. That’s why it’s important to recognize what makes a community great before making drastic changes.

Rene’ sees big changes happening again.  Before 2016, development in Albuquerque was directed by sector plans developed in the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s, which provided comprehensive visions for various parts of the city.  The sector plans for the West Side envisioned development that preserved the inherent character of our part of the city, specifically maintaining the views of the mountains and the bosque, ensuring protection of important natural and historic features and retaining the prevailing architectural appearance of the area.  In the sector plan era, neighborhood associations were very much involved, citizen input was sought and appreciated by city planners who looked first at how a development fit into the sector plan vision and then at its adherence to zoning regulations.  This approach helped to maintain the character of Albuquerque’s neighborhoods, and a small-town feel. 

Developments of this era include Montano Plaza and Riverside Plaza just north of the intersection of Montano and Coors.  Both developments followed the vision established by the sector plans in reflecting the prevailing architecture of the area and maintaining and preserving the spectacular views.

As time passed there was turnover of personnel in the planning department.  Rene’ noticed that new city planners paid less attention to the sector plans and relied more on developers for interpretation of the regulations.  During this period, Rene’ said she found herself on occasion explaining the sector plan regulations to city planners.

In 2014, Albuquerque applied for federal funds for the ART project and hired a Denver-based consulting firm to streamline what the city government believed was a broken planning process with too many sector plans and a confusing set of development regulations.  The plan finalized by the consulting firm was presented to Albuquerque citizens in 2016.  The development process was to be guided by a new vision presented in the ABC-Z Comprehensive Plan while the Integrated Development Ordinance, (IDO), contained the revamped zoning regulations. Neighborhood associations were given time to study the new plans and comment before final adoption.  WSCONA, TRNA, and  other neighborhood associations across the city did not support abolishing the old sector plans and replacing them with a citywide vision, nor did they support the new vision for Albuquerque, summarized as “intensity and density,” meaning increased development density and an increase in the scale and height of buildings, especially along transit corridors.  The latter is particularly problematic for the West Side because it would interfere with the preservation of our mountain and bosque views.  In spite of the objections of the neighborhood associations, the plan was signed into law by outgoing Mayor Richard Berry at the end of November 2017. 

There are many problems with the new system.  The goals and vision of the ABC-Z Comp Plan do encourage developments to be compatible with neighborhoods and preserve area assets, but it is a separate document from the IDO zoning regulations. That separation has created an unfortunate circumstance.  There is now more emphasis on meeting the regulation requirements than maintaining the community vision for an area.  Under the old sector plans, both the vision statements and the regulations were placed together in one document making it easier for community members, city planners, and zoning staff to read, understand, and interpret the regulations.  

Adherence to the new plan’s desire for increased housing density will ruin the natural beauty of the West Side as illustrated by the fate of the Poole Property, which consists of 23 acres on the Rio Grande adjacent to the protected Oxbow Open Space.  None of the IDO requirements to build sensitively on lands adjacent to protected areas were adhered to by the development proposal.  Numerous loopholes were used by the project’s proponents to undermine the few protective requirements found in the IDO.  On August 17, after a two-year fight by residents of Albuquerque, the City Council approved construction of a 69-house cluster development on the site.   As a result, twenty of those homes will back to the sensitive Oxbow area with no buffer protection for the wetlands nor the residents.  Citizens are now preparing to take their fight to district court.  Rene’ commented, “If we can’t preserve something as unique as the Poole Property through the good design and building layout promoted by the protective requirements, then what are these plans good for?”

The Environmental Protection Commission, (EPC), is also a part of the development process.  Members of the EPC, who are appointed by the mayor and city councilors, are tasked with reviewing and approving development plans throughout the city.  The EPC definitely leans toward the developers as several of the current members are associated with the development community.  Rene’ believes the EPC needs to have more members without ties to development.  While she thinks a knowledge of the development process would be preferable for an EPC member, a dedication to what makes Albuquerque beautiful and a good place to live is even more important.

Rene’ said that the West Side is in danger of losing its magnificent views and quality of life.  A jumble of new development proposals, consisting of three- and four-story apartment complexes, are driven by the new vision of “intensity and density.” She knows people are unhappy.  Community input is being ignored. Citizens are upset when city officials turn a deaf ear to their complaints about changes which impact their neighborhoods negatively.  The City is more focused on accommodating the development community.  Rene’ stressed that we all must become involved in monitoring development, each of us using our own unique talents to help the community.  The West Side is going to be the center of much of Albuquerque’s future development and unless we make our voices heard, our community will bear the brunt of the emphasis on intensity and density.  Impacts on our schools and transportation infrastructure are being ignored in the name of “economic development.”  The quality of life on the West Side is at stake!