Just under 210 new units of housing in downtown Albuquerque may soon see construction as the Albuquerque City Council contemplates development documents required for the project.
What is being called The Downtowner will go up on a currently vacant site at 1st Street SW and Silver Avenue SW and will also include 11 additional live-work units as well as a café.
The project is the result of a public-private partnership between the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency and the Albuquerque-based REMBE Urban Design + Development firm.
Long in the talking and planning stage, The Downtowner will go up on land that was formerly the home to a Greyhound Bus Terminal, which was demolished well over a decade ago.
Surrounded by other apartment complexes and across the street from the popular Silver Street Market, the site has long been regarded as a prime property for retail development.
In a statement, Mayor Tim Keller noted that the city is in the throes of a “critical need for more housing units to accommodate the existing and future housing demand at all income levels.”
Keller added that it was his hope that the Downtowner will “bring an influx of development to our downtown core, increasing street-level activity, and creating a safer environment.”
The documents being reviewed by council members include a development and disposition agreement, as well as a redevelopment tax abatement application.
REMBE Urban Design + Development has been extensively involved in a series of urban design and infill projects, including the mixed-use Bricklight Courtyards and Silver Lofts apartments, both in Albuquerque.
By Garry Boulard
