Breaking Through in Pivotal Times

Over 150 local business and community leaders gathered to hear how the City is making progress on long-term, transformational projects and gaining traction on longstanding challenges. The remarks came from Mayor Tim Keller, who addressed the Economic Forum of Albuquerque on Wednesday, January 8 at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town.  

While acknowledging there is still much work to be done, Mayor Keller contrasted where the city stood facing its challenges in the previous decade, to the breakthroughs Albuquerque is seeing now. From building out comprehensive resource networks for those experiencing homelessness and addiction, to innovative solutions on crime, housing and economic development, generational steps are being made across many fronts, many already making tangible impact. 

Gateways to Hope, Healing, and Housing for the Most Vulnerable 

For the first time in the city’s history, comprehensive substance abuse, mental health, and homelessness services are being built out as pathways to stability for Albuquerque’s most vulnerable. Less than a decade ago, the city could only shelter about 200 people, only at night and only in the winter. Today through the Gateway Network, the City shelters about 1,000 people nightly and continues to build out a support system to connect the unhoused with resources, stable housing and recovery; allowing the City to keep our streets safe and clean for everyone. In previous years, if someone needed help overnight, there was nowhere for them to go and no way to get there. Now, with ACS transport and the First Responder Receiving area at the Gateway Center, people can get a ride to safety, shelter, and their next steps.  

“Ten years ago, the City took care of about 200 people just at night and just during the winter at the old jail on the westside, and that was literally the only thing the city did for unhoused community,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Last night, we had 1,000 people that we were sheltering out of the cold. Now we know the problem is still there, but the difference is the City is drastically scaling up to meet some of these challenges in a very real way.” 

Building More Housing, Faster 

Innovative solutions in planning and private-sector collaboration are creating more housing options than ever before. It is a stark contrast to years passed, when archaic zoning and endless red tape bogged down new construction. In response to the housing crisis, the City has transformed the environment for building housing in a way that did not exist 10 years ago. Modernizing zoning, forward-thinking policy, and streamlining the development process has made it easier and quicker to build. Innovative solutions like hotel and office conversions, casitas, and fast-tracking construction in Metropolitan Redevelopment districts are breaking barriers to closing the housing gap. Since 2018, more than 2,500 new housing units have been built; 4,000 units in the last 10 years, 10 times more than the previous decade. 

Fighting Crime with Modern Technology and Civilian Support 

With investments in crimefighting technology and civilian support, many crime stats are finally moving in the right direction. When the Keller administration began in 2017, it inherited a one-dimensional police department that wasn’t prepared for today’s challenges; squad cars that didn’t have radar, a helicopter that couldn’t fly in the summer, and insufficient tech to support investigations. Morale was low, every stat was headed the wrong way, and the department was almost taken over by the federal government. Today, APD is breaking through many of its longstanding challenges. Old fashioned policework is now enhanced with cutting edge tech like gunshot detection, license plate readers, automated speed enforcement and the Real-Time Crime Center, where 10,000 live feed cams give officers the tools they need to solve crimes and prevent new ones. Through civilianization, everyday citizens support sworn officers with policework and security, allowing them to focus on violent crime; including the Albuquerque Community Safety department (ACS), which has taken over 80,000 calls. Compliance with the DOJ is closing in on 100%. And homicide clearance rates are over 90%; if you shoot someone in Albuquerque, APD officers will find and arrest you. 

“We have transformed the Albuquerque Police Department doing two things; we’re using technology and we’re using civilians to help fight crime,” said Mayor Tim Keller. "Now, if you you shoot someone in Albuquerque, we will catch you and put you in jail.” 

Creating an Economy Where Everyone Can Thrive 

In the past, Albuquerque’s economic outlook relied only on major investments coming in from massive companies; the City was always on waiting for the “big fish.” Now we know those big fish are legend for a reason, and the city has positioned itself to be both an attractive destination for those larger companies while also helping more small and medium sized home-grown companies grow  through things like LEDA, encouraging a diverse array of investments in the film, tech, and energy sectors. The City has added 5,000 jobs across roughly 500 businesses and will continues to grow its economy through investments in infrastructure. Career training through Job Training Albuquerque has created 1,100 new jobs and added $50M in earning power, adding dollars to people’s paychecks. And though signs of resurgence are already springing up in Downtown, a generational change is coming with the TIF (Tax Increment Financing District), worth $200 million over 20 years, which will give Downtown business its power back and allow it to thrive. 

"The story of our city is one of two truths, it's a truth of deep challenge that we see at our doorsteps or next to our car almost every day, but it's also a story of massive generational change that is happening right now,” said Mayor Tim Keller. "The construction that you see at the Rail Yards and the Rail Trail is transforming our city. Now these aren’t new ideas, they have been around for decades, but the difference is we are finally making them happen.” 

This wave of breakthroughs come as the City continues to focus on maximizing quality of life for its residents; modernizing parks, adding multigenerational and community centers, attracting sports tourism, building a film academy with CNM at the Rail Yards, improving Balloon Fiesta Park. Finally, construction is happening now on the Rail Trail, a generational game changer for the city that literally tells the story of Albuquerque. 

See the Mayor’s full address to the Economic Forum of Albuquerque on our YouTube page.