The Albuquerque Journal Editorial Opinion pages feature 5 types of opinion columns submitted for publication: those by the paper’s Editorial Board, those by the paper’s Community Council, those by Syndicated Columnists, those by Local Columnists and those by Local Voices.
“Local Columnists are tasked with carrying a heavy load of responsibility to help readers scrutinize issues impacting them, their community and their country. It is the Journal’s goal to publish columnists from all walks of life and varying political viewpoints to give readers exposure to all sides of local issues.”
On March 22, the Albuquerque Journal published on its Sunday editorial opinion page C3 the below “Local Columnist” opinion column by Pete Dinelli:
JOURNAL HEADLINE: Council Was Correct To Reject Forced Upzoning Council Was Correct To Reject Forced Upzoning
BY PETE DINELLI, LOCAL COLUMNIST
On Feb. 18, the Albuquerque City Council voted 5 to 4 to reject a series of amendments Mayor Tim Keller sought to the city’s zoning laws, mandating upzoning in all established residential areas of the city. The debate highlighted and exposed the public’s tensions between those wanting to increase density to boost housing supply and those concerned about preserving neighborhood character.
Voting to reject were counselors Klarissa Peña, Dan Lewis, Renée Grout, Dan Champine and Brook Bassan. Voting in favor were councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Nichole Rogers, Joaquín Baca and Stephanie Telles. Activists continue with aggressive efforts demanding citywide upzoning by disparaging city councilors who voted to reject upzoning and actively opposing their reelection.
A study by Root Policy Research found that Albuquerque is 13,000 to 28,000 housing units short of meeting the existing housing demand for low-income residents. City Planning claims existing zoning restrictions contribute to exclusionary patterns limiting housing options for lower-income households. The goal is to double or triple the city’s housing inventory of 120,000 homes to increase affordable housing.
The proposed amendments mandated upzoning of all existing residential properties to increase density to allow casita, duplex development, townhouse and apartment development in established neighborhoods. The upzoning would allow existing homes to be converted into retail establishments known as “bodegas,” ignoring the risk that they would be magnets for crime. Parking requirements would be reduced to enable denser occupancy. All existing rights of adjoining property owners or neighborhood associations to prevent upzoning would have been abolished.
The term affordable housing is a false narrative. When the term “affordable housing” is used by elected officials, investors and developers, what they mean is “subsidized government housing.” It is a term often used by politicians, elected officials and developers to promote their own political agendas to secure government funding and support for their development projects.
The proposed amendments by Keller and the four city councilors mandating upzoning were a pathetic attempt to address the city’s “housing crisis.” They argue that “flooding the market” with more housing will result in making more affordable housing available for sale or rent. They argue existing property owners want and can afford to build on their own properties whether they own their home outright or if there is a mortgage. Their arguments are false and misleading. They simply ignore market forces motivated by profits that will only benefit investment developers and that will lead to neighborhood gentrification.
Construction costs are consistent when it comes to building a new house or adding a free-standing casita or converting a residence to a duplex or town home. There is no differentiation between the basic construction costs to construct “affordable housing” and other types of housing. According to the Homebuilders Digest, construction costs covering everything from materials to the actual construction average between $175 to $225 per square foot. To remodel or add 750 square feet would therefore carry a cost of $131,000 to $168,750, amounts only developers and investors can afford.
Under the property tax code, taxable value of a property is 33.3% of the assessed value and may not rise more than 3% per year unless the property changes ownership, is improved or is rezoned. Upzoning would result in the Bernalillo County assessor increasing property values and increasing property taxes.
Upzoning efforts are nothing more than giving investment speculators and developers carte blanche to buy up residential properties to destroy existing neighborhoods by increasing density leading to gentrification. Keller and the City Council need to keep their hands off neighborhoods. They need to seek better and more informed ways to create affordable housing.
Pete Dinelli is a former Albuquerque city councilor, former chief public safety officer and former chief deputy district attorney. You can read his daily news and commentary blog at www.PeteDinelli.com.
The link to read the Albuquerque Journal Dinelli column with photo is here:
https://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/opinion-council-was-correct-to-reject-forced-upzoning/3003029
POSTSCRIPT
All submissions to the Albuquerque Journal by Local Columnist have a word limit submission of 600 words and no more and the rule is strictly enforced. For that reason below is further commentary on City Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn, Nichole Rogers, Joaquín Baca voting in favor of the forced upzoning amendments as well as the conduct of affordable housing advocates.
CITY COUNCILOR TAMMY FIEBELKORN PLAYS RACE CARD; LOBBIES TO STRIP CITY OF ZONING AUTHORITY
Progressive Democrat Albuquerque City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn was the sponsor of the up zoning amendments at the request of Mayor Tim Keller. During the February 18 council debate, Fiebelkorn played the “race card” when she said that the existing zoning codes, when applied incorrectly, segregated people of color and the poor from more affluent residents. Fiebelkorn said this:
“One commenter earlier today made the statement that [single-family residential zoning] was created for a purpose. … And I want to say, ‘Yeah, it really was.’ It was created for the purpose of keeping ‘those people’ out of your neighborhood. There is no other reason to think that you would not want a duplex next door to you.”
It is downright reprehensible that Albuquerque City Councilor Tammy Feibelkorn played the race card in her effort to get the city council to enact her amendments. She did so during the Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee which she was chaired at one time but was removed by the new City Council President Klariss Pena.
Feibelkorn has insulted multi-generational Hispanic New Mexicans implying that they are racist for wanting to protect their homes and their communities by opposing up zoning that would destroy the historical nature of their neighborhoods by developers. Vocal opponents of up zoning include Bianca Encinias, a neighborhood activist with the Historic Neighborhood Alliance and Loretta Naranjo Lopez, who is a representative from Envision Albuquerque and who is also a multi-generational resident from Martineztown. Ms. Loretta Naranjo Lopez is the longtime President of the Martineztown-Santa Barbara Neighborhood Association. She is also a retired from the City of Albuquerque having worked in the Planning Department dealing with city zoning laws and code enforcement.
During the 2026 New Mexico legislature, and attempt was made to eliminate the possibility to reassess property values for tax increases when a property is rezoned. The legislation failed in committee. The 2026 legislature also considered legislation sponsored by Albuquerque area State Senators Moe Maestas and Heather Berghmans that would have removed all zoning authority from city and county governments. That legislation also died in committee. City Councilor Tammy Feiblkkorn actively lobbied for the legislation that would have stripped the city of Albuquerque of all its zoning authority in the interest of creating more “affordable housing”.
COUNCIORS BACA AND ROGERS VOTE YES TO DETRIMENT OF CONSTITUENCY
The two City Council Districts that would have been the most affected by the mandatory up zoning changes would have been District 2 and District 6. District 2 is the city-center district encompassing downtown, old town, and includes the most historical areas of the city, part of the west mesa, and the entire valley east of the river and is represented by City Councilor Joaquin Baca. District 6 includes Albuquerque’s Southeast Heights encompassing the University of New Mexico, and the International District and is represented by City Councilor Nichole Rogers.
Both Districts 2 and 6 have the highest concentration of minorities and lower income residents. It is these two districts that would have been the likely biggest targets by investors, speculators and developers to buy up properties from generational family’s for redevelop leading to gentrification. Both City Councilors voted for the up zoning changes believing the change in law would lead to “affordable housing” when in fact it would have resulted in the displacement of many of their constituents as investors sought to buy up residential properties for high end developments and not affordable or low income housing.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVOATES
Affordable housing activists are continuing with their aggressive efforts demanding city wide up zoning by disparaging on social media the city councilors who voted to reject the up zoing amendments and now targeting those city councilors up for re election in 2027. Affordable housing activists have gone so far as to target City Council President Klarissa Pena on social media with unfounded and vicious attacks on her vote, her integrity and reputation and her 12 years of service as a city councilor. They simply do not like the fact she is a voice or reason as she seeks a viable and reasonable compromise. The affordable housing activists attitude is that it is their way or suffer the risk of being voted out of office.