Where should I build in Albuquerque?

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Permalink Reply by chantal on December 5, 2007 at 7:51am

So you're mainly looking for ideas on infill building?

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Permalink Reply by Justin on December 5, 2007 at 8:24am

Feasibility, opinions, ideas, feelings, attitudes regarding infill development in the Barelas area - specifically near/around the Rail Yards. Is this area destined for mediocrity at best - or will it become the redeeming feature of the downtown area?

Chantal, have you ever been to the area? What did you go there for? How often do you go? What runs through your mind while you're there?

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Permalink Reply by chantal on December 5, 2007 at 8:40am

Actually, I'm a huge fan of Barelas. Love the pedestrian-friendly vibe , proximity to downtown, and the neighborhoodliness of it all. As a perpetual but casual student of urban evolution, it seems to me that Barelas already is on the upswing. In fact, the artist wave is there right now.

The Mountain Road area (near 8th, 12th. etc) is further ahead on that curve, so you might want to sniff around there too.

It'd be interesting to hear some folks weigh in on the sensitivity that sometimes accompanies redevelopment of these neighborhoods. Barelas, for instance, was established 500 years ago and has a very proud cultural tradition.

Community profile of Barelas
Barelas has returned

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Permalink Reply by Ben Roberts on December 5, 2007 at 10:56am

I guess where you should build depends in part on what sort of residence you plan to build, what sort of lifestyle you plan to live, and how you see all those pieces fitting together?

Do you have children or are you planning to have children? If so how important are schools to you? Public or private?
What's your work situation and do you plan to commute? Does where you live bear a relationship to where you work and if so what kind? Where would you shop regularly? Where's the nearest grocery store and do you mind driving that far?
What sort of proximity to the city's cultural and economic amenities do you want you and your family to have? How big a property do you want to have?

As far as Barelas goes, I'm a gringo who only moved here in the early 1990s so I can't comment on its cultural history. Sorry Chantal.:)

But I agree the cultural and historical context of the area is worthy of understanding. What I do know is the Barelas neighborhood as a whole has long been a holdout for traditional families who have been on their properties in some cases for generations, but is now the focus of a lot of development money and "revitalization." In the short term there are going to be a lot of growing pains in the area, as is true for a lot of Albuquerque these days, but in the long term I think it's going to be a great place to live.

Barelas has got good proximity to Downtown, Old Town, City amenities like the BioPark and Tingley Beach (via the back route down Tingley drive) and several public transit corridors on Central, Cesar Chavez and Broadway.

The railyard development is just starting to get underway, but it should provide a significant injection of money and jobs into the area.

I agree with Chantal that you might want to look at the areas North of Downtown around Mountain Road, or possibly the Huning Highland (aka EDO) neighborhood.

For my part I'd love it if you came and built a house in our neighborhood, the University Heights, directly South of UNM. Given our proximity to the University, Nob Hill, grocery store, some of the best public schools in the City, and major transit corridors on Central Avenue, Lomas, and the Big I freeway interchange, it's a pretty sweet part of the city to live in. But I say this as a long time resident and former student. I've been here a long time and its grown on me.

On the down side the University Heights are often referred to as the "student ghetto." People love to talk negatively about the area, but I've lived here for almost 15 years, as a student and now a person with a "real job" and a homeowner.

The University Heights has a large number of college students and some professors as residents, and as a result a lot of rentals. But that's why I'd love it if you built your house there. We love owner occupied homes! Believe it or not there are even a couple vacant lots that to my eyes are just begging to be built on. But our area may not be what you're looking for. :)

My real advice to you though - think about the life you imagine yourself living, both practically and ideally, and see if the area you are moving to matches that lifestyle. Whatever area you are interested in, drive around the neighborhood first to get an idea of what you're looking at. Then spend an hour at least out of your car walking the neighborhood. Look at the houses around where you think you might want to live. Say hi to a few people. Maybe even ask them how they like living there. Check out some of the businesses nearby. How do you feel about walking around the streets of what might be your new neighborhood?

These simple tests as much as anything will tell you if you'll feel comfortable in the area or not, after taking into account the economic and development factors.

And personal comfort goes a long way toward happiness. It's one of the things I love about where I live near the University - I can walk to the grocery store, 5 different coffee shops, half a dozen restaurants, a couple of bookstores, three bike shops, a scooter shop, the two largest hospitals in the city, UNM campus for a variety of events and lectures, Popejoy Hall for Concerts and shows, the Outpost Performance Space for Jazz. Each in under 10 minutes, and most in under 5 minutes, depending which direction I go.

Good luck with your search, Albuquerque is a great city and I hope you'll be happy here.

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Permalink Reply by Scott on December 5, 2007 at 1:51pm

Justin,

I have been a RE broker in ABQ for the past 13 years and work and live in the UNM area. Barelas is a very interesting area, but based on appreciation, it is just not getting the development dollars. What areas/neighborhoods have appreciated and are in high demand or up and coming?

UNM area. North of UNM to 1-40 and East of UNM to San Mateo. Ridgecrest Area (San Mateo to Lead to Carlisle to just south of kathryn). Nob Hill Area( Washington to Girard and go a few blocks North and South of Central). Spruce Park neighborhood (West of UNM to 1-25. Schools are a positive factor for many of my clients who purchase in this area.

Downtown Area. EDO is definitely up and coming and in some cases here. It is a tangent of the Downtown revitalization effort. Mountain Road is an intriguing area. It is up and coming, but has been for sometime. Most businesses are small/ private owned and have been difficult to sustain. That has changed over the past two years and this neighborhood should rise out of mediocrity. Overall, there are a number of nice areas downtown, which stretches from I-25 to the river.

There is some 'urban' development occurring in Uptown, but the majority is occurring in the UNM and Downtown areas.

Good luck Justin!

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Permalink Reply by Barelas Babe on December 5, 2007 at 8:59pm

Hi Justin -

I've been in Barelas for 12 years now, and it is definitely on the upswing. When we bought our 100+ year old adobe house, there was considerably more crime at that time than there is now, or at least it seems that way as our street has become filled with homeowners who are pretty good at keeping an eye out for each other. We've been quite fortunate as far as crime goes - I think about 10 years ago someone stole a potted plant from us (it was outdoors) and that is it. Our place is quite visible from the street and we have vigilant neighbors, which helps. Some of our neighbors
have not been so lucky.

We're part of the artist community there, and we love it. Great proximity to the bosque and Rio Grande bike and walking trails, to the zoo, museums, downtown. Our neighbors are incredibly caring and cool, except for a church nearby that draws a rougher crowd. (There are several churches in Barelas, each with a different kind of congregation.) You may already know this, but lots in Barelas are quite narrow. The other difficulty you may run into is finding some infill land to build on - people are not selling, or they are listing well above the appraisal value. (I've been looking seriously for about 5 years). Many of my senior citizen neighbors are living in homes their grandparents built - so there's not much turnover here.

Do you speak Spanish? Most of the local community events here in Barelas switch between English and Spanish, and it helps to know both languages, or to be open to learning some Spanish.

There are a few odd shaped lots near the railyards that you might want to check out. If you do decide to build here, I hope you will build a place that is in keeping with the local architecture -it is quite different in style than Durham NC.

Feel free to send me a private message if you have more detailed questions. I'm pretty active in the community and can probably direct you to answers if I can't answer them myself.

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Permalink Reply by Ozyman666 on December 6, 2007 at 7:19am

I might suggest a nice lot on the west side (maybe the Volcano Cliffs area).

* ducks and runs out of DCF, just ahead of the pitchforks and torches *

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Permalink Reply by Justin on December 6, 2007 at 11:28am

Wow ! Thank you all for the great dialog. Let me provide a quick response as I take a break from packing (I'm on a plane to Albuquerque tomorrow).

Chantal - You bring up a great point regarding sensitivity and concerns always raised with infill development projects. I believe that all new construction must be in keeping with--and respectful of--the character of the neighborhood. I also believe new projects should strive to do more; to be better. It is important to me that our project will be site specific. It will be built with a respect for the surrounding structures. Have presence and significance. Be built of solid and honest materials. It should look as if it's been there for 100 years and that it can stand another 100. Suffice it to say a lot of thought and reflection will go into this project before construction ever begins.

Ben - Thank you. You ask some important questions. Questions everyone should give themselves time to explore and answer before they decide where to live/build a residence. What I did not say in my original post is that I've asked, answered, and reflected and revised my answers to those questions many times over the course of several years now.

I'll disclose a few items: We're in our early 30's. We are both from NM, were raised on the West side, went to UNM. We moved away in 1998 and lived in Portland, OR (in a wonderful loft we developed from a shell) for 9 years. Just this year we moved to Durham, NC where we live in a 110 year old shoe factory downtown. We've no children and don't expect any, so schools are not important to us. I'll work from a home office, my wife likely near downtown. In Portland we were spoiled and lived 100 yards from a Whole Foods - but we don't mind driving a little to shop (because I work from home, I often look forward to running errands). I'm a gringo too - but my wife is Hispanic and speaks fluent Spanish. This would be the last home we plan to live in - so we have a considerable time to watch a community change and grow. Building somewhere where we can expect quick/great appreciation in property values is of little interest to us.

Scott - I appreciate your comments regarding appreciation - and understand this is an important topic. However, as stated above it just really is not a issue I care about at this point. This may sound strange, but the lack of appreciation is one item which attracts my wife and me to the Barelas area. Thank you for the pointers to other areas (which we will explore) and the well wishes!

Barales Babe - You are the person I had my fingers crossed for. I'm thrilled you chimed in. You describe a budding, stable and diverse area that you obviously Love. And a racially and economically diverse set of neighbors (which is what we really want). I am experiencing some difficulty finding land, despite there being literally hundreds of vacant lots. I know the current zoning prevents building on lots < 40' wide, which is why (or at least one reason) all the 25' wide parcels have sat vacant since the urban renewal program removed many of the homes in the 1970's. I really hope the proposed zoning changes are approved to allow building on the 25' lots. With any luck setbacks will be zero-lot line or very minimal. We will of course build a residence which takes design direction from the local vernacular - however will a respectful modern interpretation. I'll send you a PM and maybe we can arrange to meet for coffee.

Again, thank you all thus far for the excellent comments. I'll be sure to post additional thoughts after my visit.

Justin

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Permalink Reply by shotsie on December 6, 2007 at 4:53pm

Rent for a year, explore the whole area, then buy used and remodel.

I spent almost a year looking for the right house/neighborhood, but we found it - in the Far NE Heights (close to Whole Foods). Yeah, we wanted that acre lot in Corrales, but couldn't quite agree on the right house with the right price. My dream home in the North Valley appeared then disappeared in a flash. But we found a nice, older custom house, with solar panels and south facing windows, brick floors, wisteria covered patio for a lot less than the other locations.

I say you should buy an older home and remodel simply because its a lot cheaper than building from scratch, and you can add all the custom features you want with little hassle. Plus, with the housing market pretty flat, you'd probably find a good deal... Think about it...

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Permalink Reply by jeff on December 6, 2007 at 5:19pm

remodel costs are significantly higher than new construction costs - the calculus can quickly change in favor of new construction provided you can get an empty lot.

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Permalink Reply by JMG on January 3, 2008 at 4:06pm

I agree with the poster who recommended renting a place here for some time before taking others' advice about where to build! That's a pretty personal - and important - decision to make and it will all depend on your sensibilities and priorities.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Roberts on December 6, 2007 at 5:40pm

Not to mention living in a home while you're remodeling it (as a way to distribute the remodel costs over time) can be decidedly ... challenging. As I'm discovering. :)

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