How to Support Pro-Homes Amendments at City Council

Understanding the Proposed IDO Amendments — and How to Support Pro-Homes Changes at City Council

What’s changing, why it matters, and how you can show support for a stronger Albuquerque

The City of Albuquerque is considering important updates to the Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO)—our zoning code. These proposed amendments will soon head to City Council, where elected officials will decide whether to adopt them.

These changes will shape:

• 🏘️ What kinds of homes can be built

• 🚶 How walkable and complete our neighborhoods are

• 💵 What housing costs over time

• 🌱 Whether Albuquerque grows stronger, fairer, and more resilient

Many of these amendments align closely with Strong Towns principles: legalizing gentle, incremental housing, supporting neighborhood-scale businesses, reducing unnecessary costs like parking mandates, and making better use of existing infrastructure.

At this stage, learning about the amendments and showing clear public support, through emails, public comment, and conversations with councilors, is one of the most impactful things residents can do.

About the Proposed Amendments

The proposed IDO amendments focus on legalizing the next, gentle increment of growth across Albuquerque, especially in places where infrastructure, transit, and services already exist.

Together, the changes expand housing choice by allowing more duplexes, townhomes, cottage courts, and casitas in neighborhoods that today are often limited to a single home per lot. They make it easier to convert vacant or underused commercial buildings into housing, support small-scale infill by local builders, and reduce barriers that drive up construction costs.

The amendments also strengthen walkability and neighborhood life by legalizing small, local businesses, like corner bodegas and tienditas, so residents can meet daily needs close to home. They reduce or remove outdated parking mandates, especially along transit corridors like ART, freeing up land and money for homes instead of asphalt.

Finally, the proposals take a more humane and pragmatic approach to housing instability by supporting safe outdoor spaces and small, distributed shelter options, while preserving manufactured housing communities and enabling residents to age in place.

Individually, each amendment is modest. Together, they modernize Albuquerque’s zoning rules in a way that is practical, incremental, and rooted in our city’s historic patterns, helping Albuquerque grow stronger, fairer, and more resilient over time.

These changes matter because zoning rules quietly shape who gets to live here, how much housing costs, and whether neighborhoods can adapt as people’s needs change. By allowing more flexibility, rather than mandating any one outcome, the IDO amendments help Albuquerque respond to real demand while preserving neighborhood character.

Help Move the IDO Amendments Forward — We Need You

The proposed IDO (zoning code) amendments are now headed to City Council, and this is the moment when public support matters most.

These updates would legalize gentle, incremental housing, allow casitas and small multi-unit homes, support walkable neighborhoods with local businesses, and reduce unnecessary costs that drive up housing prices.

Opposition voices are already showing up.
Now we need visible, broad support to match.

Below are the four most effective ways to help right now.

Show Up to the Hearings (This Is Huge)

City Council Hearings — 5:00 PM

• Wednesday, January 14

• Wednesday, January 28

📍 Albuquerque City Council Chambers & via Zoom
🗣️ Public comment will be taken

Speaking respectfully about your housing story, why these changes are important, and how we need them is impactful - even if that's all you say! Simply showing up signals that these pro-homes reforms have real community backing backed by over a year of other input, open-houses, and outreach.

Even a short statement of support helps.

Email City Council (2 Minutes, High Impact)

Emails are one of the most effective tools councilors cite when making decisions. These are citywide changes, it is okay to email all of them! Thank them for when they have led on these issues, too! 

👉 Email all councilors here:
https://www.cabq.gov/council/find-your-councilor/contact-all-councilors

💡 Make it personal if you can.
Personal stories carry more weight than form letters. You might mention:

• Wanting to buy a home someday

• Hoping your kids or family can stay in the neighborhood

• Wanting to downsize or age in place

• Being able to add a casita for family or rental income

• How housing choice helps reduce pressure that contributes to homelessness

Even a sentence or two makes a difference.

Sample email to send to council:

Dear members of the City Council. My name is [your name] and I live in Albuquerque. As a resident who cares about our city's future, I support the IDO changes that make it easier for people to live, work, and belong in our city. These updates open the door for more housing options—duplexes, cottage courts, casitas, and townhomes—so that families of all kinds can find a place to call home. They also make space for local businesses like tienditas and daycares that bring daily life back to our neighborhoods.

Reducing parking mandates and modestly increasing height limits help make housing more affordable. Finally, expanding allowances for safe outdoor spaces and small shelters will help our unhoused neighbors find stability and connection while we continue building the homes our community needs. These are smart, balanced steps toward a more welcoming, resilient Albuquerque.

Sincerely, [your name]

Click at the top or bottom of the document to leave your comment. Make it your own! Add a story, share your housing dreams, and talk about why these changes will make Albuquerque stronger. 

Call a Councilor (Short, Polite = Powerful)

Calls don’t need to be long. A simple message works:

“Hi, my name is ___, and I’m calling to express my support for the proposed IDO amendments. I hope the council will move them forward.”

That’s it. Staff track calls and numbers matter.

Bring One More Person

The single most effective organizing move:

Don’t come alone.

Forward this blog. Invite a friend, neighbor, or coworker.
Ask them to show up, email, or call.

Broad participation helps counter fear-based narratives and shows that support extends well beyond policy wonks.

📣 How to Make a Public Comment in Support of the IDO Amendments

Public comments are one of the most important ways Albuquerque residents can directly influence City Council decisions, especially on zoning and housing policy like the Integrated Development Ordinance (IDO) amendments where councilors are used to hearing from opponents.

City Councilors consistently say that hearing from real residents helps them understand how policies affect real lives and aren't just numbers in a report. Your voice matters, and you don’t need to be an expert to make an impact.

📋 What to Say

When you speak, aim for short, honest, and respectful. Most comments are 1–2 minutes.

Here’s an easy structure you can use:

1. Quick Introduction
• Your name
• Where you live (district or neighborhood)
• That you’re here to support the IDO amendments

Example:

“Good evening. My name is (your name). I live in (your neighborhood/district). I’m here to support the IDO amendments to help expand housing choices and improve affordability in Albuquerque.”

2. One Clear Reason
Pick one thing that matters to you:
• Keeping housing affordable for families and workers
• Making our neighborhoods more walkable and lively
• Helping people avoid homelessness
• Strengthening our local economy
• Reducing long commutes and making our city stronger

You don’t need to cover everything — clarity matters more than length.

3. A Personal Touch
A short personal detail makes your comment more relatable:
• “I want to buy my first home here someday.”
• “I take transit and still pay for parking I don’t use.”
• “Lack of housing choices makes it harder to stay in Albuquerque.”

4. End with an Ask
Wrap up with a simple request:

“I respectfully ask you to support and advance the IDO amendments. Thank you for your time.”

🎤 Tips for Public Comments

• Stay calm, forward-looking, and respectful

• Avoid name-calling, attacking others, or questioning motives

• If time is cut short, stick to your intro + one reason + one personal sentence

• Even 30 seconds matters — every voice counts
  
  

📅 Upcoming Opportunity to Speak

Land Use, Planning & Zoning (LUPZ) Committee Hearing
🗓 Wednesday Jan. 28
⏰ 5:00 pm
📍 Attend in person or on Zoom

Sign up to speak and share your perspective. If you’re unsure how to start, we can help you draft and practice your comment.

Sign Up to speak HERE!

This Moment is Important

Peer cities like Las Cruces, Silver City, and Tucson have already modernized their zoning codes. Delaying similar updates only makes it harder for Albuquerque to compete for jobs, retain residents, and remain affordable. These cities have not seen their tax assessments change on residential properties, their neighborhoods are not being bulldozed for skyscrapers, and their roads are not choked in traffic. Instead, they are attracting investment, lowering housing costs, addressing homelessness, and building walkability and access. 

These amendments are modest, incremental, and practical but only if they pass.

Let’s show City Council that Albuquerque is ready for pro-homes, pro-family, people-centered growth.