Bernalillo County advances plan to use state funds for 1,700 housing units, asks commissioners to authorize purchases and management agreements

County Manager presented an introduction to a slate of prioritized transitional and affordable housing projects and asked the Board of County Commissioners to authorize the county manager to approve purchase agreements and property-management contracts to move projects forward.

The county manager told commissioners, “what you have before you is an introduction of the administrative resolution for the acquisition and construction of transitional and affordable housing priority projects in Bernalillo County,” and said the packet contains projects that could house approximately 1,700 residents in affordable housing and more than 1,000 in transitional housing.

Why it matters: County staff said the state awarded $110 million this year, and the governor’s office combined that with an additional $40 million of previously unspent funds to create roughly $150 million available for near-term investment. The county manager said the governor’s office expects those funds to be invested by June 2026, and asked the commission to move quickly so projects that are “shovel-ready” can close and break ground.

What the county will do: Staff proposed a two-track approach. For “affordable housing” projects the county will prioritize gap financing for developments that already have approvals and can begin construction within weeks, including projects that preserve or expand existing affordable units. For “transitional housing” the county prioritized recently redeveloped buildings with certificates of occupancy that can take residents quickly and be integrated with behavioral-health services to avoid short-term, destabilizing moves.

The county manager described the program objectives this way: to pair housing with services and infrastructure so projects are durable and do not simply house people for short stays. She said the county will work with the city of Albuquerque and state partners on program design, and that some projects will include workforce and family-oriented units. She added, “we’re gonna be looking at broad sectors of affordability,” including units from deep subsidy levels up through 120 percent of area median income to keep buildings financially sustainable.

Commission response and context: Commissioners praised the collaborative work with the city and the state and asked for additional neighborhood outreach as projects are finalized. Commissioner Barbara Baca said the legislation’s success depended on county–city collaboration and legislative advocacy and told staff, “this is a successful day that we are moving forward.” Several commissioners stressed the need to pair housing with transportation and services and to create “good neighbor” arrangements where county-owned projects are sited.

What passed: The commission voted 5–0 to introduce the administrative resolution and authorize the county manager to approve property and purchase agreements and to award property-management solicitations and subsequent amendments as necessary. Staff said final approvals and additional details will return to the commission at subsequent meetings.

What’s next: Staff said they will present specific project-level agreements and would prioritize projects that can break ground rapidly. The county manager and staff also committed to creating neighborhood engagement processes for projects sited in residential areas and to work with behavioral-health providers to build a “pipeline” from transitional housing into permanent housing.

Ending: The commission’s vote begins a compressed timeline to match state funding windows. Staff cautioned that each project will require its own due diligence, legal review and, where applicable, coordination with the state’s funding requirements and developer capital stacks.