Hospital would commercialize Martineztown Santa Barbara
In February 2024, the city of Albuquerque Environmental Planning Commission recommended the approval of a zone map amendment from MX-M to MX-H, a high intensity commercial zone for a physical therapy hospital in the Martineztown Santa Barbara Historic Neighborhood.
The community is a residential single-family neighborhood and did not want this zoning change.
The EPC voting record supports developers and ignores community desires to beautify and to provide a community driven planning approach from the city of Albuquerque.
What does that mean for Martineztown?
The city understands that this request for a MX-M is a spot zone, allowed land use different from the surrounding land use, and the EPC understands spot zones are illegal. EPC also understands that the MX-H zone is not compatible with the historical single-family neighborhood. The uses allowed under this zone are detrimental to any residential neighborhood.
The proposed three-story physical therapy hospital should be on arterials that can accommodate the traffic, noise and air pollution. Mountain Road is an old historical residential two-lane road built before the invention of cars. It is designated as a collector that cannot accommodate any more traffic. This neighborhood is an area of consistency, meaning there should be strong requirements to protect the health, safety and welfare of the residents.
Mountain and the South Frontage Road have the highest fatality rates in all of Albuquerque. The city has done nothing to resolve the issues. There is no crosswalk or light for the Albuquerque High School students at Woodward and Mountain Road NE. There have been requests to make only a left-hand turn on Mountain and the South Frontage Road and there have been no efforts to implement this request.
Another suggestion was to have a refuge island in the middle of Mountain Road to stop 5-ton trucks from entering Mountain Road, and more specifically for safe pedestrian crossing. There has also been a proposal to do a roundabout at Edith and Mountain Road, and again nothing is being done to protect the students at the high school and other pedestrians.
Because of the existing cumulative impacts due to the frontage road, Lomas Boulevard, I-25, I-40, the number of air quality permits issued by the Environmental Health Department and congestion at peak hours on Mountain Road NE; the neighborhood association has requested denial of this zone map amendment to MX-H. The MX-M zone is already considered detrimental to any neighborhood. The MX-H will increase the negative impacts that already exist.
Resolution R-20-75 states the city of Albuquerque is committed to addressing racial and social inequity. The city of Albuquerque ignores this resolution in the Martineztown Santa Barbara Neighborhood. The Housing and Neighborhood Economic Development Fund 2022 Comprehensive Plan (HNDEF Plan) states that while these new developments are exciting for Albuquerque residents, they may create inhospitable economic conditions that produce neighborhood displacement and gentrification. The commercialization of our neighborhood is detrimental to the historical Martineztown neighborhood.
Why does the city not understand that these commercial uses zone for high intensity need to be away from the residential area and on principal arterials? Mountain Road cannot carry any more traffic. The MX-H zoning is not compatible with the historic single-family neighborhood.
Instead of helping outside investors, the city should invest and protect the Martineztown Santa Barbara neighborhood. The city can purchase vacant property in the community and provide for Albuquerque High School and the Career Enrichment Center students. A needed and requested swimming pool would benefit the community and the schools in this area.