ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A need for more housing has a developer eyeing a church near UNM.
“We need more housing; we need more denser housing,” said Don McIver, a resident of Silver Hills neighborhood near the University of New Mexico (UNM) campus.
He’s now facing a big change across the street at Gold and University. That’s where a long-vacant church could soon be replaced, with developers considering a much taller apartment complex on the lot. It comes after the city approved a zoning change for the property last week.
“We’ve lived here for 13 years and watched the property be underutilized and then now kind of rundown,” said McIver.
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However, not everyone is on board with a possible big shift near a historic district. Some neighbors worry the potential 48-foot-tall building will only encourage more large-scale development.
“I am not opposed to higher density. I just don’t think it’s appropriate across the street from this neighborhood,” explained Patricia Wilson, president of the Victory Hills Neighborhood Association.