March Meeting Minutes

6:30pm | Preservation Station | Moises Gonzalez presiding

Here is a summary of the HHHDA meeting on March 6th.

Minutes from the February meeting were reviewed and approved.

Officer Report: 

Deputy Commander Jose Sanchez, Lieutenant Chavez, and 3 other members of APD introduced themselves to the association.  Officer L. Davis has left the force.  They apologized for no members of APD attending our recent association meetings.  If, in future, there exists a lingering issue that has not been resolved by the regular channels of APD communications, Commander Sanchez asks that we contact him at josesanchez@cabq.gov or (505) 252-2589.  They are committed to having a representative at our monthly meetings in the future.

The officers summarized the crime statistics for January 2024, which were minimal.  They advised citizens not to leave firearms in vehicles.  If you must have a gun in your car, they ask that the gun be locked so it cannot easily be used if stolen.  Charging wires, especially those for I-Phones, should be hidden since their existence hints at a phone possibly being in the vehicle.  If you have valuables in your car, please keep them in the trunk.  

Approval of Signatures: 

Elijah Esquivel moved that the association consolidate our two accounts into one account at Bank of America and amend the authorized signers of the account from Sally and Ann to Sally and Moises.  The motion passed unanimously.

I-25 Update:  

Bob Elwood and Bonnie have been invited to an April 10th meeting with the project planners.  There is a public meeting scheduled for April 24th.  Bob and Ben have made contact with the South Broadway Neighborhood Association who were very aware of the project and the impact the project may have on our neighborhoods.  Contact information was exchanged.

Central Overpass Update:  

Howard Dobin reported that he attended a Zoom meeting on the Rail Trail.  He reported that Terry Bruner, who is the spearhead of the project for the City, has noted delays in the completion date of the Central Overpass to Fall 2025 since they have discovered issues during excavation of the Roosevelt Era construction.  Howard also shared that the plans for the Rail Trail itself are incomplete.  The exact path of the Rail Trail is nowhere near finalized, and the only sure routes are those of existing features (the rail tracks along Broadway and Aspen, the Bosque trail, etc.)   He will continue to monitor and update our group.

Jane’s Walk:  

Krista Smith announced that our neighborhood will be participating in the international Jane’s Walk on Sunday May 5th.  Our walk will be posted to the Jane’s Walk website as part of the broader effort to promote Historic Urban walkable neighborhoods.  The assembled thanked Howard for digitizing the complete guide last updated by Ann Carson and her husband.  Ann and her daughter Cindy have taken new pictures to add to the guide.  Krista asked for volunteers to research the descriptions of Tour I, which is the walk to be included for this event.  Over time the Tours II and III are projected to be added.

Social Media:  

Krista shared that Huning Highlands has existing social media accounts.  The individuals who currently run these accounts are exploring the means to transfer control of these accounts to our committee.  If this is not possible or feasible, then Krista and Fiona will establish new accounts for our neighborhood.

Central Development:  

David Blanc, who redeveloped the property that is now The Grove and others downtown and elsewhere, presented the incipient plans to develop two parking lots that are currently on the north side of Central Ave to multi-story, multi-family dwellings that may, over time, also include some street-level retail.  Before demolition, these sites were previously the Pop ‘N’ Taco and the Gaslight Motel.  

David is working with architect Bob Hall and out-of-state designers who specialize in the specific kind of buildings he is endeavoring to develop.  The City wants more density than would exist if townhomes were constructed.  The plans are for 550-600 sq. ft. one-bedroom apartments that would lease at $900-950 monthly.  There are plans for each building to have a rooftop component, and a common open space that may be converted into retail.  The current plans that exist are drawings of the proposed footprint, elevations, and a solar study to protect solar benefits for existing structures.  

The Gaslight Motel site (NE side of Central and Walter) is currently projected to include 50 rental units.  Issues include the height of the proposed building (which is several feet over current limits), a shortage of parking by three to four spaces, setback issues, and landscaping issues.  The Pop ‘N’ Taco site (NE side of Central and Edith) is projected to be 30 units with no retail space.  Issues at this site do not include setback concerns, but they do include a parking shortage and landscaping, with the height issue undetermined.  The drawings are in the embryonic stage with a meeting scheduled this week with the city.

David asked for support in his endeavor to continue enhancing our neighborhood by eliminating vacant space and providing us with functional buildings with interesting design elements.  He invited residents to visit him at his office above The Grove at 600 Central Ave NE with their questions, concerns, and curiosity.

Additional Issues:  

Scott Stine related that the park lights should be on at night going forward.  Ann Carson shared that her house is among those being used for the television show “Duster” in the coming nights.  Shooting starts on March 7th and runs from 8pm to 2am.  Kevin Hillskemper reported that the key fob reader at the Arno Street garage was damaged by arson.  He notes that strangely the City employees denied City ownership of the garage although the City continues to be the entity collecting fees for it.

The meeting was adjourned.  Next meeting will be on Wednesday April 3rd.