A non-profit housing group called Homewise has announced plans to build up to half a dozen affordable townhomes in a historic residential section of Albuquerque.
The project will go up at 119 High Street SW within the Huning Highlands neighborhood, on property that until this spring was the site of a 7,100 square-foot, two-story home that was nearly completely destroyed in a fire.
The fire was most likely not viewed as a tragedy for neighbors who had complained about the condition of the more than century-old building, abandoned and boarded up for the most part of the last decade.
In 2021, Homewise, with offices in both Albuquerque and Santa Fe, purchased the site with plans to repurpose the home, dividing the space into several condominium units.
Now the organization is looking at the potential of a site that measures about a tenth of an acre, exploring the possibility of constructing either 5 or 6 townhomes, depending upon future input from the Albuquerque Landmarks Commission.
The project, if approved, will become reality in a part of town populated with stately brick and wooden structures dating to the 1880s.
Ironically, the affordable housing project will also be going up in a neighborhood where the average rent, according to various sources, is in excess of $1,500.
Homewise was established in 1986 with a mission of providing affordable housing and financing for such housing. According to the group’s latest annual report, it has thus provided $3.5 million in down payment assistance for home purchases, along with building 60 new homes in metro Santa Fe.
By Garry Boulard
