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Bernalillo County adopts $150 million housing priority list to speed transitional and family housing
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved a countywide list of transitional and affordable housing priority projects so the county can pursue $150 million in new state funding and accelerate construction of units for families and people experiencing homelessness.
Bernalillo County commissioners on Tuesday adopted an administrative resolution setting priority projects for transitional and affordable housing and directing staff to pursue state funding to accelerate construction and move people from the street into housing.
The commission voted 5-0 to approve AR2025-73 after a staff presentation and public comment from housing developers, nonprofit providers and neighborhood representatives. County Manager Cindy Chavez and Economic Development Director Marcos Gonzalez framed the list as a ‘menu’ the county will send to the governor’s office so officials there can select projects for funding from a $150 million statewide housing pot.
The nut graf: The county assembled a prioritized set of projects — affordable housing developments, preservation purchases, transitional programs and infrastructure investments — it says could create about 2,100 units and help place roughly 1,000 people into housing this year if fully funded. Commissioners emphasized speed: many projects were chosen because they could break ground in 2025.
Chavez told the commission the state legislature allocated $110 million in House Bill 2 and the governor identified another $40 million not yet spent, giving the state roughly $150 million to distribute. The county’s list includes gap financing requests for projects such as Tierra Linda (240 units, $4 million gap) and West Mesa Ridge (128 units, $3.5 million gap) and preservation buys such as Lo Lomas Towers (100 units, seeking $10 million gap). Chavez said proposed income ranges for projects span 30% to 120% of area median income (AMI) to support family housing mix.
Speakers from the development community and nonprofits urged approval. Paula Donovan, representing Family Promise of Albuquerque, described the group’s shelter and rapid rehousing work and said county support would expand services for families. Developer Chris Baca and DBG Properties’ Eric Grodahl described projects on the county’s list and urged rapid funding so projects can proceed before cost escalation further strains budgets.
Commissioners praised the cross-department “tiger team” that assembled the list and emphasized collaboration with the City of Albuquerque and the state. Vice Chair Barboa and Commissioner Barbara Baca called the package a targeted, planned approach to a crisis that requires both transitional services and permanent family housing. Commissioner Frank Buck urged continued emphasis on supportive services and homelessness prevention. Chavez said staff will return in August with a capital-outlay priorities request and further implementation steps, including agreements that allow reimbursement so projects can move forward concurrently rather than sequentially.
The measure authorizes the county manager to negotiate property agreements and award contracts for property management and other services related to projects selected for county funding. The resolution number for the adopted item is AR2025-73. Commissioners said they expect to return with additional projects and a second wave of applications in the fall.
