Final design for new tiny homes village presented
Thirty homes will be built on a vacant lot on Texas SE
While some people had questions about security and safety, no one expressed opposition to the construction of a tiny homes village on the site of the Albuquerque Indian Center during a final design presentation at the center made to about 70 people Thursday evening.
Architect Christine Williams of Baker Architecture and Design and Bernalillo County Commissioner Debbie O’Malley provided answers on an array of subjects related to the village and explained the vision for the project.
The village of 30 tiny homes, each about 120 square feet, will be located on a 1.38-acre vacant lot behind the Albuquerque Indian Center, 105 Texas SE. The village will be arranged around a centrally located village house with bathrooms and showers at the far end of the building, a kitchen, pantry, sitting and gathering space, and more.
A second satellite bathroom facility will be located at the other end of the village. There will be extensive landscaping, outdoor lighting, a community garden, and shady areas for sitting and entertaining.
The tiny homes will ring the perimeter. Each of them will be individualized with paint, stain and a pattern etched into the exposed external side of the insulated structural wood panel walls. The homes will feature a small front porch, an internal fire sprinkler, electricity, a combination heating and cooling unit, clerestory windows, vinyl plank flooring, a built-in desk and storage space, and be big enough to accommodate a queensize bed.
Unlike previous designs, the homes will not be mounted to a chassis or contain wheels. Instead, they will be permanently set atop a block and concrete foundation.
A 7-foot-tall security fence made from concrete block and steel slats will run around the property. There will be one entry point into the village with a guard gate staffed 24 hours.
The Albuquerque Indian Center, which already works with a large homeless population and provides a host of services, will lease the property to the county and will operate the village.
The village is being funded with a $2 million general obligation bond county voters approved in 2016, a $750,000 bond approved in 2018 and $600,000 from the state to provide upgrades to the existing Albuquerque Indian Center building. The estimated per-unit cost of the homes was not available Thursday.
The Bernalillo County Commission on Tuesday is expected to approve a memorandum of understanding between the county and the Indian Center, as well as a lease agreement and an operating agreement, O’Malley said.