albuquerque behavioral health residential building project gets green light

Some 42 residential units are expected to soon see construction in downtown Albuquerque in the wake of a vote by members of the Albuquerque City Council approving the project.

The units, as part of a larger planned village, will go up at 1215 Third Street NW near the St. Martin’s Hospitality Center, and will include one-bedroom apartments built for Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

Each unit will also feature Universal Design Features.

Those units will be built on the main structure’s second and third floors, over a ground level floor housing offices and space for behavioral health and case management services.

The building will also include a central front lobby, maintenance room, and upper level laundry areas.

The project, to be developed by HopeWorks and YES Housing, Incorporated, is expected to cost around $9 million to build, with funding coming from a variety of sources, including the National Housing Trust Fund, and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The project is also receiving $1.3 million from the New Mexico Housing Trust Fund, as well as a combined $4 million from both the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.

What is being called the Hopeworks Village will be specifically geared for homeless individuals contending with behavioral health issues.

Mullen Heller Architecture of Albuquerque is spearheading the design for the project.

By Garry Boulard

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