ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Bringing life to Downtown and increasing safety, that’s the goal of a new proposal by an Albuquerque city councilor who wants to crack down on vacant buildings.
Boarded up and emptied out: vacant buildings are a common sight in Downtown Albuquerque. One councilor is hoping to change that.
“When things are empty, that’s where you have crime,” said Albuquerque City Councilor Joaquin Baca.
Baca is introducing a bill this week that would impose new fines and regulations for owners of vacant buildings Downtown.
“Here in Albuquerque, Downtown also happens to be Route 66. It happens to be the home of the KiMo Theater. The jewel of Route 66 is right here,” said Baca.
While there are already codes in place that fine building owners, Baca said his bill would create a registry to help the city be more proactive on which vacant buildings need to be inspected. Under the registry, building owners could also be asked to show proof of occupancy.
“Right now, if there’s a code violation, essentially because it’s citywide, and we’re always short personnel. Nothing gets done unless something gets called in, and then city enforcement folks will go there.”
Baca said he plans to have city funding in place for property owners ready to update their buildings and who may need help fixing their vandalized property.
“It’s not just penalizing property owners, it’s also giving them support. If there’s a building that’s dilapidated, and they need help. We’ve got funding for them. We can help them with zoning. We can help in ways to move things forward.”
For those who don’t make changes, they could face fines under the registry depending on how big the building. The overall goal Baca added is to raise the standard Downtown.
“This is our front porch, and right now, it’s not at its best.”
The bill will be introduced to City Council on Wednesday. Baca plans to have a town hall to talk about the bill and some of his other plans on Thursday at Humble Coffee in Downtown Albuquerque.
