first tiny home village proposed for albuquerque

A joint effort undertaken by the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County could see the construction of around 35 tiny homes inside a larger defined village.

The 116 square-foot structures will be geared for those who are homeless and designed to serve only as temporary housing.

City and county officials are currently in the process of trying to select a site for the village and have suggested five locations in southeast Albuquerque and one on the west side of the city at 8207 Central Avenue NW.

Funding to the tune of $2 million to build the one-acre village will come out of a $35 million General Obligation bond passed by county voters in 2016.

The homes are expected to cost up to $20,000 to build and will be wired for electricity, with enough room for a bed and storage.

Restrooms, showers and laundry will be offered in a main village communal building.

A recent public hearing on the project revealed anxiety on the part of residents living near several of the proposed sites who wondered if a tiny home village could prove a breeding ground for criminal activity.

Similar villages have recently been built in Michigan, New York, Tennessee, and Washington.

A 2017 article published by U.S. News & World Report observed: “Depending on who you ask, moving homeless people into tiny houses is either a pragmatic means of rescuing them from the street or an alarming shift in urban planning that could pave the way for the creation of shantytowns.”

By Garry Boulard