Stop the exclusionary Upzoning of Mayor Keller and Councilor Fiebelkorn

The Issue

Mayor Keller and Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn support the concept of “Upzoning” which they are trying to implement via biennial IDO updates.

So what is “Upzoning?”

The idea behind this is to be able to change residential zoning to high density to allow for apartments and townhomes. The concept is to flood the market with housing to hopefully bring down the cost of homes.

The problem is in how this is being implemented as there is nothing in writing that could stop a developer from buying up a bunch of homes in a neighborhood and putting in high-cost housing. This wouldn’t allow for impact studies on water use, safety, schools, traffic, and infrastructure. Even worse is that it doesn’t allow for any comment or input from residents or community advocates.

It removes may of the protective guardrails of zoning and allows for no notice or recourse, except filing a lawsuit.

“Upzoning” was previously brought forward as a resolution by Councilor Fiebelkorn at the request of Mayor Keller (R-25-167) but was voted down 4-1 by the Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee (LUPZ) in August.

They are attempting to force this through by questionably amending updates to the City Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO) which is a lengthy document that is difficult to navigate and provide public comment. Within the current process, amendments went to a second Environmental Planning Commission hearing on 11/20 and were passed, with one commission member boldly saying they would like developers to do what they want before removing requests for extra protections for historical sites. Unfortunately, this will proceed to LUPZ for hearings that will start on 1/14/2026 with at least one hearing. Once hearings are complete, it will then be presented to the full city council for a final vote. Full Council votes and review of these kinds of amendments go well into the night with additions and subtractions and changes.

The Mayor and Councilor Fiebelkorn back this under the guise of “affordable housing”. The proposed IDO amendments allocate for no required “affordable housing” and no language against price speculation. The term “affordable housing” itself is problematic and does not speak to housing equity or housing justice (dignified housing). The “urgent need” for more housing is not based in reality. Albuquerque’s population has gone down in recent years based on census data. There is a talking point of needing 50,000 homes over 20 years, but that is for 5 counties and not the city, based on a percentage of growth we are not experiencing. This is a manufactured crisis supported by private equity and developer money who see nothing but dollar signs in untapped residential properties across Albuquerque.

The issue isn’t supply, it is the cost of housing due to the same private equity and developers buying up single family homes and apartment complexes as “investment properties.” The city has done nothing to address this uncontrolled takeover of the housing market. That is why our prices are so inflated. We have high vacancy, but it is expensive.

This is a fast-tracked zoning change that would bypass every piece of proper planning and allow construction across many of the city’s neighborhoods by developers and private equity interests. It is a handout to promote corporate urbanization at the cost of equity, history and identity.

In recent studies it was found that “Upzoning” actually increases the gentrification of communities and even worse, raises the cost of living, and reduces racial diversity. In many ways it ironically has been found to reinforce the history of racist and classist zoning of the past by raising prices on the poorest communities, such as what was recently found in a study about “Upzoning” in Nashville. This also removes social mobility because many first time home owner programs require residential single family zoning, further creating a renter class that will be unable to achieve ownership.

This is all counter to the “YIMBY” or Yes In My Back Yard, progressive talking points supporters of this agenda like to try and justify. YIMBY itself has been hijacked nationally by the likes of the Koch Brothers, BlackRock and corporations like AirBnB. It is the co-opting of progressive language to further the agenda of corporate interests.

“Upzoning” is also supported by national organizations like StrongTowns, with a local chapter in ABQ. They are a supposedly progressive minded group whose messaging has been co-opted by private equity and developer interests to further their cause of build anywhere and everywhere without restrictions. They are very skilled at what they do, being propped up by local political and private equity interests and they will likely show up in your neighborhood or social media to dispute any opposition. They have even gone out to try and “calm down” the rhetoric with marginalized communities against their cause, yet despite being called colonizers to their faces they maintain their agenda and the outreach is only a ploy of damage control to their perception.

Let’s understand and respect that our city is a majority minority. We should listen to communities and lift up the voices of the very people who’ve built this city and lived here for generations, not dismiss them.

Imagine high density luxury housing developments gentrifying communities with zero recourse from the very people who built them. People are going to be angry when you destroy their livelihoods and price them out of their generational homes and paths towards class mobility.

They have every right to be angry.

But then to demonize people and call them “NIMBY” (Not In My Back Yard) to try and destroy their voices in opposition? This is the weaponizing of progressive language against marginalized communities standing up for their homes. It’s colonizing in its methodology of fall in line or be steamrolled.

Ask any marginalized people, be they African American, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, or even LGBTQIA and they will tell you that the erasure of culture and history always happens when monied interests and the government dictate policy.

True public servants want inclusive planning and cooperation with communities to ensure that voices are heard and that changes to neighborhoods are equitable. These IDO changes are excluding the most important part of any city planing, the very people who live here.

Mayor Keller and Councilor Fiebelkorn tout their supposed progressive values, while quietly selling out our entire city to developer and private equity interests that aim to gentrify and price out long time residents. Why? Because they see dollar signs in your homes and communities. In their world, the inequity of Manifest Destiny never ended.

My husband and I created this petition to counter the monied interests, political machines, and nationally backed interests pushing this agenda. It serves as a means for community voices that are being excluded to finally be heard loud and clear.

It all begins with you.

*Please only sign if you reside in Albuquerque to make this petition the most effective

*The opinions of petition signers are purely their own individually.

Cited reference material:

https://rentboard.berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/Anti-Eviction%20Mapping%20Project_UpzoningReport_REV_FINAL_03-22-2022.pdf

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264837721000703

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1051137725000634

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1078087418824672?casa_token=8bYeSQoFrCYAAAAA%3A793SUuoZKPRPR8VdomUg6qnliIwSMiXgLM5vjY-TqHZvWX49_KrNPNj_XCdI7GSkTGlXxD6TTQYu

https://newrepublic.com/article/179147/case-against-yimbyism-yimbytown-2024

https://www.theurbanist.org/2020/12/09/when-upzoning-becomes-a-fools-errand/

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-double-edged-sword-of-upzoning/

https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/housing/what-upzoning-means-for-sf-housing-prices-and-affordability/article_c34b67ab-ad40-4dbc-8b98-7f5e210a20c0.html