free copy North Valley News
North Valley Coalition
Publisher’s Note: Please Share This IssueNorth Valley News is officially live—and now it’s time to spread the word. If you’ve enjoyed our content, please take a moment to forward this issue to neighbors, friends or anyone who might appreciate our North Valley coverage. That simple act is the most powerful way we grow. Thank you for being a supporter! City Says It Monitors North Valley EncampmentsConcerns involve impacts on businesses, neighborhoods by Damon ScottA proliferation of people living on the street in encampments in the North Valley has grabbed the attention of city officials, including those in law enforcement and the Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) department. The area of particular concern—one that the city considers a hot spot—is bordered by I-40 to the south, Menaul to the north and Second and Fourth streets to the east and west. The largest encampment within those boundaries at the moment is located along Arvada Avenue between Second and Fourth. Many who are living there have substance use disorders and mental health challenges.
The Arvada encampment was one of the topics discussed at an April 17 focus group hosted online by the city’s Near North Valley Community Planning Area (CPA) staff. City officials discussed the public safety challenges for businesses and neighborhoods and also the ways it is responding to the needs of those in encampments. “Homelessness and the encampments are a major problem for us in this area,” Jaime Rascon of the Albuquerque Police Department (APD), who is also the interim deputy commander of the Valley Area Command, said. Rascon said officers in the Valley Area Command have put a lot of effort toward the Arvada encampment for many months. He said APD sends its proactive response teams to the area—small units designed to target crime hotspots and identify repeat offenders; and its high visibility patrols—including bike units, mounted horse patrols and mobile surveillance—to deter crime and increase public safety. “We have directed police activity to that area on multiple occasions,” he said. Rascon said in late 2025 APD conducted a specialized operation at Arvada and Second and made more than 100 arrests.
“We’re constantly doing patrols [and] arresting people in the area,” he said. “I wish we had a long-term solution; they congregate there. That’s where the buses stop; it’s a pickup area for them. We try to do our best with the amount of resources that we have.” The Rock at Noonday on Second Street, which serves the city’s homeless, is a pickup spot for bus transport to the Gateway West shelter. ‘We see a little bit of all of it’Jeffrey Bustamante, ACS’ community outreach manager, said dealing effectively with those in encampments like Arvada’s is complicated. “We see a little bit of all of it. We’ll see potentially a domestic violence victim who felt safer on the streets than they did in their house; we see young adults for any variety of reasons with some of those populations; and we’ll see people with really high-acuity medical issues that have to have stabilization,” he said. Bustamante said the ACS street outreach program—to help stabilize people medically and behaviorally—has had a positive effect. Rascon, meanwhile, said he wished more attention would be directed at the reasons why people end up living in encampments.
“I’ve noticed there’s not a lot of talk about some of the root causes for the unhoused,” he said. “It’s not just the lack of affordable housing, it’s drug addiction and untreated mental illness and some of those who are committing crimes—we’re not holding them accountable.” One idea generated from the focus group was a suggestion that ACS host one of its “Connect to Care” events at Arvada and Second. The pop-up style event brings together ACS staff and its partners, including health care providers who offer resources and street medicine. The next CPA focus group is scheduled for today, April 23 from 10 a.m. to noon. The topics to be covered include parks, community facilities and open spaces in the Near North Valley and North I-25 area. To participate and sign up for notifications, email NearNorth...@cabq.gov. For more information about the CPA, click here.
Sitting Down with Los Ranchos’ Planning and Zoning Directorby Carolyn CarlsonWhen Shanna Schultz took the job as the Village of Los Ranchos’ Planning and Zoning director she came with some indispensable experience. Schultz worked for the City of Albuquerque for about 12 years, with the last year and a half as the policy and government affairs administrator. One of the constants in her career was Albuquerque’s Integrated Development Ordinance, the 700-page city-wide rulebook that combines zoning and subdivision regulations to manage land use, development standards and urban planning. The IDO went into effect in 2018 and gets reviewed and updated every two years. “I hope to offer some expertise to get us something that’s easy but with what people really wanna protect here,” Schultz said of her experience with the IDO.
Schultz has been the Planning and Zoning director since July 2025. She said she’s excited to work for Los Ranchos. “I felt really excited to come lead something in the village and maybe rebuild a bit,” she said. North Valley News sat down with Schultz to clear up a few complicated issues going on in the village such as the future of the Palindrome development, what the deal is with Aldea de Sueños, the subdivision at Guadalupe and Chavez, and what she looks forward to accomplishing in Los Ranchos. Palindrome sagaMost residents of Los Ranchos would agree they are ready to move on from the Trailhead at Chamizal, the initial three phases of the Palindrome development at Fourth and Osuna. But moving on is not always that easy. “There are a lot of pretty complicated legal documents that govern this property,” Schultz said. There was one remaining Palindrome item on the agenda for the Planning and Zoning Commission at their March 10th meeting. Schultz explained that one of the conditions of the court settlement in an open-meetings-violation lawsuit filed against the village over the development was that Palindrome had to redo the permitting process by going back through the process in open meetings. The original permit was administratively approved without a public meeting. “This was Palindrome and the village responding to the court order that they needed to go back through the process the way it’s supposed to be done. There were no changes to the original document; it was copied and pasted exactly as it was approved the first time,” Schultz said. The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved the documents, putting an end to that piece of the Palindrome saga. “I think that was a pretty big milestone getting that done,” she said.
Next steps for the remaining parcels will be determined once Palindrome provides a plan to the village. But how long they have to decide what to do with the remaining parcels is vague, Schultz said. North Valley News asked if Palindrome will have to follow the revised Village Center code or be governed under the code in place when they submitted their original application to develop. “They will have to follow the new rules and I will say for that particular site the Village Center zoning has not changed a whole lot. What really changed was the creation of the new Core Commercial zoning district which governs a lot of the parcels around it.” Aldea de SueñosWe had some questions to clear up confusion on what the conditions were for the subdivision at Guadalupe Trail and Chavez Road. Part of the confusion is that there was a lawsuit filed by Friends of Los Ranchos to stop the development. The lawsuit was dismissed after some tentative settlement agreements were discussed. One of those points of confusion is what will happen to the historic Nat Kaplan homes currently on the property. According to Schultz, the village’s conditions are that the homes remain untouched until the lots they are sitting on are sold, then it is up to the new owner to decide if they want to renovate or demolish in order to rebuild a new home on the lot.
Another question is whether or not there is any archaeological oversight during the construction as the property is located in an archaeological sensitive area of the North Valley. It is near the historic Plaza de Señor de San José de Los Ranchos, which is about where Hartnett Park is today. Schultz said the village does not have any rules regarding oversight of archaeological sites. She said if the construction did yield something of an archaeological significance, then it would be up to the developer to follow state rules. Looking forwardAfter almost one year on the job, Schultz is enjoying being in Los Ranchos and the slower pace. She is looking forward to putting her municipal policy hat on and making some positive changes in the village’s Planning and Zoning Department. “I am excited that in the next year I will get an online portal in place for plan review, code enforcement or business licensing responsibilities,” she said. “I am excited to build something that is solid that can be carried on beyond my time here.” Bernalillo County Offers Neighborhood GrantsNeighborhood associations within Bernalillo County, including the City of Albuquerque, will have an opportunity to apply for grant funding soon. The money—meant for community events and projects that bring neighbors together—can be funded to the tune of $2,500 for small projects and $7,500 for large ones. The application process occurs through an online portal, which opens May 4, and closes June 5. Awardees are notified on July 1, and the money must be spent within one year. To apply visit the Bernco.gov website and click on neighborhood grants. Public Welcome for Science Night at GarfieldJoin Garfield STEM Magnet & Community School on Friday, April 24 for Noche de Ciencias. Working with Sandia Labs, the event will showcase student STEM projects and will celebrate 75 years of Garfield’s service to the community with food and music. The event is free and open to the public. For questions, contact Sabrina Garcia at sabria...@aps.edu.
Thank you for supporting your local news.Questions, comments, corrections? Simply respond to this email. Or contact us through our website.
© 2026 North Valley News
|
--