The city of Albuquerque in the U.S. state of New Mexico has outlined plans to convert hotels and motels into permanent housing for at least 1,000 unhoused and lower-income individuals by 2025, according to an article on the platform Smart Cities Dive. The city aims to acquire the first hotel by early 2023, so that a suitable developer can begin conversion work by the middle of the year.
Albuquerque’s so-called Housing Forward ABQ plan aims to add “at least 5,000 housing units beyond what the private housing market will provide by 2025”, writes the article. To meet demand, the city forecasts that Albuquerque needs between 13,000 and 28,000 additional housing units. Its plans also call for commercial office conversions and changes to zoning laws to promote greater housing density and more infill housing in certain areas.
“We need new creative, innovative strategies to quickly and cost-effectively create more housing, and we believe converting motels and hotels into housing is one of those creative strategies,” Lisa Huval, Albuquerque’s deputy director of housing, told Smart Cities Dive in an email.
The Housing Forward ABQ plan will be funded using 20 million US dollars from the city council that is allocated for affordable housing, plus undisclosed federal and state funds. The city claims the budget will cover at least two motel conversions, according to the article.
