albuquerque residential project secures initial city approval

A project that could see the construction of 76 single-family homes near the banks of the Rio Grande has been approved for development by the City of Albuquerque’s Environmental Planning Commission.
The Overlook at Oxbow, as proposed by the Albuquerque-based Gamma Development, would go up on roughly 23 acres at the east end of Namaste Road NW, next to the protected 40-acre Oxbow Major Public Open Space.
The project, which has been more than a year in the planning and talking stage, has sparked the opposition of neighbors, including the Taylor Ranch Neighborhood Association, worried about an increase in area traffic as well as potential damage to the ecology of the Bosque that runs alongside the river.
Despite the initial green light for the project, it must still win the approval of the city’s Development Review Board.
As proposed, the Overlook at Oxbow would see the construction of homes measuring anywhere from 2,100 to 2,700 square feet on lots measuring 50 to 60 feet wide.
The project would also require the demolition of several existing structures at the site, including a 6,000 square-foot main house.
According to city documents, the Overlook at Oxbow would be a rectangular-shaped development, with some fifty homes, divided by a road, encircling another 26 residences.
Defined as a “cluster development,” the Overlook at Oxbow will also include recreational and open space.

By Garry Boulard

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