Silver Hill Neighborhood Association

The December meeting was back at the Heights Community Center.

Board members present: Eva Blaylock, James Montalbano, Tom Ocken, Don Fisher, Judy Hudson

Others present: John Hudson, Daniel Hudak, Lindsay Wood, Chris Burnett and Anjelica Romero (Mayor’s liaison)

Tom Ocken gave a presentation on luminarias for Christmas Eve. We have enough bags on hand but would have to buy about $250 in candles. Sand is free. He has arranged for block captains for most blocks. Christmas Eve is on a Tuesday. Those present expressed support for going forward with the event.

Chris Burnett is a host of the podcast Ten-Drink Minimum, which he has hosted for nearly 20 years, gaining a following not only across Albuquerque but around the world. He lives Downtown and led a conversation about life downtown, touching on such issues as business retention, parking, homelessness and crime. It was a wide-ranging discussion. The podcast airs live from 5 to 7 each Sunday and is available afterward on most podcast platforms.

Lindsay Wood lives in Spruce Park and is visiting area neighborhood associations in anticipation of starting a Nob Hill newsletter, based on the model of Downtown Albuquerque News.

Board members present: Eva Blaylock, James Montalbano, Tom Ocken, Joanne Kuestner
Others present: Jim Satler, Jill Satler, Ellen Cline, Kristelle Siarza Moon

For the second month in a row, because of a holiday closing of the Heights Community Center, the group met at Differential Brewing on Yale.

Luminarias were discussed. There is no funding to hire out the job this year. There was interest in returning to having neighbors set up the luminarias on Christmas Eve this year.

Kristelle Siarza Moon gave a presentation. She is the CEO of the marketing firm Siarza. She talked about ways that residents can work with businesses to strengthen neighborhood bonds, especially as a way of supporting the businesses along Central Avenue in Silver Hill, University Heights and Nob Hill.

Board members present: James Montalbano, Judy Hudson, Thomas Ocken, Eva Blaylock, Joanne Kuestner
Others present: John Hudson, Daniel Hudak, Xochitl Campos Biggs, Joel Hobbs, Claranita Williams

John and Judy Hudson discussed a spate of crime issues on the east end of Silver Avenue

The Board had a detailed discussion about homelessness with Xochitl Campos Biggs, the Chief Policy Adviser for Albuquerque Police Department. A trained social worker, Campos Biggs provided deep insight into the causes of homeless, including addiction and mental illness, and possible ways to address the ongoing concern.

Board Members Present: Eva Blaylock, James Montalbano, Thomas Ocken, Judy Hudson
Guests Present: Avi Lahiani, Daniel Hudak, Angelica Archuleta Romero (mayoral liaison), John Hudson

The Board decided to postpone its planned 20th anniversary celebration of the re-planting of the Silver Hill trees in 2004-05 until next spring, perhaps in late April around Arbor Day.

Avi Lahiani gave a presentation about his plans to finalize the purchase of 1400 Central SE (at Sycamore) and convert it to offices/apartments. The first floor would be office space. The second and third floors would hold a total of 24 apartments, a mix of studios, one-bedroom units and two-bedroom units, all leased around market value. No zoning changes are requested. Parking space is adequate for the property, he reported. He hopes to close on the property soon and bring drawings to the city for approval. The building has been closed for years and gutted by scavengers.

The Board will have to find an alternate location for the October 14 meeting due to the City holiday.

Tom Ocken gave an update on 2005 Silver, which has a sliding door in violation of the historic overlay zone and which apparently had been taken over from the owner (who lives in the northeast heights), with locks changed and piles of garbage outside. Neighbors and the owner worked with the police and solid waste to secure the building and carry away the trash.

Board members present: Joanne Kuestner, Tom Ocken, Judy Hudson, Eva Blaylock, Don Fischer, James Montalbano
Others present: John Hudson, Angelica Archuleta-Romero (mayor’s liaison)

Tom Ocken reported that there was no update regarding two nonconforming properties on the east end of Silver, one with a sliding-glass door in front and the other with a front wall higher than 3 feet. He urged that we contact Leslie Naji at the city to have postcards sent to new or all residents reminding them of the restrictions in the Historical Overlay Zone.

Judy Hudson warned of a dangerous dead tree at Silver and Buena Vista.

The Board brainstormed ideas for a 20th anniversary celebration of the reforestation of the medians along Silver Avenue. The Board chose October 19th at 3 p.m. for an event featuring a band, a food truck and recognition of those who were instrumental in making the tree replacement a success in 2004. The Board will iron out details about the event in the coming weeks. Tom Ocken will work on a flier for the event. A late September cleanup will get ready for the event.
The next meeting will be Monday, September 9th.

The Board met outside the Heights Community Center, which was closed for maintenance.

Board members present: Eva Blaylock, Tom Ocken, Judy Hudson, Don Fischer, James Montalbano

Others present: John Hudson, Ellen Cline, Josh Rogers of Titan Development with his colleagues Ian Robertson and Matt Lammers

Titan Development gave a presentation on the latest plans for the lots on the north side of Central across from Presbyterian Hospital. The group plans a second hotel, a Residence Inn (featuring suites), fronted by a food market along Central that was described as falling somewhere between the Sawmill and the 505 downtown. Titan scaled back the development. The hotel is five stories, not six. And the food court will not have a second story or rooftop garden. The hotel and food market will have limited parking. Titan’s previous hotel development, the SpringHill streets directly to the west, has shown that many guest use ride-shares, and there is less call for parking. Titan will next appear at a hearing seeking a tax abatement on June 20th. Ground-breaking is planned for October, with food market expected to be open in 12 months and the hotel in about 18 months.

Tom Ocken alerted the board to two potentially non-compliant construction projects on the east end of Silver Avenue. There are new sliding-glass doors in the 2000 block of Silver and a front wall higher than 3 feet in the 2100 block. Leslie Naji at City Planning has been alerted, and she is looking into the potential violations of projects that might not comply with the Historic Overlay Zone restrictions in Silver Hill.

A water bandit is hitting the neighborhood. Someone is turning on outside hoses and letting them run. One backyard was flooded, causing potentially thousands of dollars in damages and a water bill in excess of $300. Be on the lookout.

Board member Sean Matney (VP and Secretary) has stepped down from the board due to family and work commitments. That brings the board down to 7 members, the allotment called for in the updated bylaws.

There will be NO MEETING in JULY. The next meeting will be August 8, 7 p.m. at the Heights Community Center on Buena Vista.

Attendees:

Sue Oldenburg
Don Fischer
Sean Matney
Megan Glanville
Darryl Deloach
Ray Del Greco
James Montalbano
Daniel Hudak
Fred Slow

Presentation by Commander R. Del Greco. Area command Chief
Discussions about homeless population.
ACS is taking a lot of the load off of APD freeing up over 1000 officers currently on the force.
Current area command reduced by 50%.

Public safety ECO with Darryl Deloach

Meeting was called to order at 7 p.m.

Present: Board members James Montalbano, Eva Blaylock, Thomas Ocken, Don Fischer, Jacob Lopez. Also: Ruth Lopez and Daniel Hudak.

Main order of business was the annual election of officers. The following officers were elected:
President: Eva Blaylock
VP/Secretary: Sean Matney
Treasurer: James Montalbano

It was reported that a film production contributed $200 to SHNA after a film shoot at the Copper Lounge in January, bringing our savings to near $1,300.

The Board discussed having a series of meetings devoted to identifying goals for 2024, including events or projects that could lend themselves to funding through another Bernalillo County grant.

Attendees:
Don McIver
Ellen Cline
Jackie Davis
Kameron Goff
Jim Sattler
Jill Sattler
Juanita Lee
Joseph Will
Tom Ocken
Don Fischer
Jacob Lopez
Sara Poettran
Joanne Kuestner
Daniel Hudak
James Montalbano
Derek Ruben
Mia Dominguez
Patricia Huber
Darryl Deloach (APD ECHO coordinator)

-Development on Yale and Silver is now trying to zone for three stories.

-Development on 1701 Gold is presently zoned for low density and is requesting high density.
Developers are requesting a vote of support.
The vote was 8-6 against the project as it stands with the zoning change request. Two members abstained.
The board would like to see a commitment or a rough draft outlining the plans.

The following people were elected as Board members to two-year terms covering 2024 and 2025:
Jacob Lopez
Eva Blaylock
Joanne Kuestner
Sean Matney

The following people have one more year remaining on their terms:
James Montalbano
Thomas Ocken
Judy Hudson
Don Fischer

The Silver Hill Neighborhood Association will hold its ANNUAL MEETING in January. Here are the details.

7 p.m. Monday, January 8, 2024
Heights Community Center
823 Buena Vista Dr. SE

Agenda:
Election of Board Members & Officers.
Plus any topic anyone wants to raise!

Bring a neighbor.
Bring a topic to discuss!

Follow us here at www.silverhillabq.org