new tiny home village set for construction in albuquerque

A plan to build a series of tiny homes for people in Albuquerque who are currently without a home is moving forward.

Last summer members of the Bernalillo County Commission, following up on a site search that initially included more than thirty properties, gave their approval to a lease with the Albuquerque Indian Center that will provide land for the village.

According to the preliminary plans for the project, the thirty homes will go up on a currently vacant 1.3-acre site on the east side of the city and adjacent to the center at Zuni Road SE and Texas Street SE.

Each home will measure around 120 square feet and will include living space, kitchen, pantry, and a bathroom with shower.

The homes will be placed on a cement foundation inside a village that will include landscaping, walking paths, community space, and a separate structure housing additional bathrooms.

Funding for the project is coming primarily from a $2 million general obligation bond approved by Bernalillo County voters in November of 2016. A subsequent $750,000 bond designed to fund the development of a community building at the site was approved in 2018.

The lease between Bernalillo County and the Albuquerque Indian Center is for $800,000 a year for the next 30 years.

According to county documents, the purpose of the village is to provide “dignified, safe, stable and attractive transitional housing for people currently experiencing homelessness.”

The county is now soliciting bids from general contractors for the building of the village.

By Garry Boulard

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