Luminaria Apartments affordable senior project underway in Albuquerque. Courtesy/New Mexico Land Office
STATE News:
ALBUQUERQUE — Wednesday, Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard, joined with Luminaria Apartments, the Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership (GAHP), and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller to celebrate the official ribbon cutting at Luminaria Apartments, the new affordable senior project on state trust lands.
The project came to fruition because of calls from the community to address legacy issues on East Central Avenue in Albuquerque, including dilapidated vacant structures and repetitive trespassing. Under the direction of Commissioner Garcia Richard, the State Land Office in January 2020, held an auction for a 1.88 acre parcel of state trust land near Central Avenue and Eubank Boulevard. Luminaria Apartments – a subsidiary of the GAHP – won the auction to develop the area at 10600 Central Avenue SE.
Luminaria will provide on-site social services, walking paths, and flexible fitness spaces, thanks in large part to an $11.4 million tax credit award from the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority. Along with the 92-unit complex, Luminaria agreed to develop sidewalk paths and install a future bus shelter and a water meter. In total, this project will earn $1.7 million over 60 years for the State Land Office and will directly benefit New Mexico’s public schools.
“Providing solutions for long-term affordable housing in New Mexico has been one of our top priorities and today, it became a reality,” Commissioner Garcia Richard said. “New Mexicans, especially our seniors and young people, struggle to find affordable housing and as New Mexico’s leader in land to lease, it is my job to continue to help solve this growing crisis.”
According to the U.S. Census, by 2030 New Mexico will move from 39th in the nation to 4th in the nation in the percentage of the population which is people older than 65. This project will be the only senior living space within half a mile of Albuquerque’s Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center, one of two multigenerational centers in the city.
The Luminaria Senior Community site is located in a city-wide target area for transit-oriented development which encourages development within a quarter mile of Central Avenue, and is in a high opportunity area meeting the City of Albuquerque’s goal to distribute affordable housing into areas with greater access to transportation, services, employment and educational opportunities.
The New Mexico State Land Office is reviewing applications and working on future affordable housing projects on state trust land in Santa Fe County and Dona Ana County. If you know of a need in your community, please let them know by emailing sloinfo@slo.state.nm.us.
Central Eubank affordable senior project underway in Albuquerque. Courtesy/New Mexico Land Office
