Rehab facility in Albuquerque will be built despite concerns
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – After months of delays, an Albuquerque planning department has given the green light to a rehab center that neighbors tried to block. Developers said the plot of land near Lomas and I-25 would fill a need for the community.
“What this allows, what this facility allows is it allows to free up bed space in these hospitals for more critical space and it’s a rehabilitation center. So this is where you go to get well, you’re not sitting in a hospital for one or twelve days,” said Ronald Bohanna, Tierra West LLC.
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The Environmental Planning Commission originally approved a request for the center in February to change the zoning and allow for a building up to three stories. However, the Santa Barbara-Martineztown Neighborhood Association expressed concerns over traffic and safety. They appealed the approval and won.
On Thursday, those behind the project tried again. The president of the neighborhood association again spoke out against the request. “We live right next door, within the 330ft. We’re here we’re living here and we want something done and this is not a use that is compatible with this neighborhood,” said President Loretta Naranjo Lopez, Santa Barbara-Martineztown Association.
During the meeting, developers said they would alter their original plan and reduce the number of beds from 60 to 48. Despite residents calling for a deferral, commissioners voted in favor of the project.
Commissioners made additions to address residents’ safety concerns. Those additions include requiring a sidewalk and safety measures to be installed at the intersection where the center will be built.
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