Purpose

The purpose of our trip to Albuquerque was to serve as a learning opportunity, to document as many findings as possible within a 3-day span, and to also serve as a basis for understanding how to prepare for a deeper of level of technical support needed in years 2/3, for the rollout of Albuquerque’s CTG Workplan.

A key point of reference for this trip can be traced back to one of the first “All Consultants” meeting we had back in the Spring of 2022. During the meeting, Michelle Melendez boldly asked the question “Can the Homeownership and Business Starts and Growth initiatives be part of the same workplan strategy?” This question was the spark for a round of similar questions that were asked as we began the process of diving deeper into each of the cohort city’s needs, during our ensuing meetings.

From this premise, we began to work towards the goal of creating a connected approach to HO/BSG when asked by a cohort city. This approach proved to be extremely popular, and for Albuquerque, it was very simple and straightforward. Michele believed then, and still believes today, that a BIPOC led development in Albuquerque, featuring a predominately populated constituency of the same ethnic makeup, is not only possible but very doable. The caveat being, that they (Team Albuquerque) have the needed experiential and technical support to pull off what they believe is possible.

After consummating our 3-day fact finding trip, we believe there is ample proof to show that there is a strong will of the people, suitable resources from key stakeholders, and a desire to collaborate with the 19 Pueblo Nations and the City of Albuquerque. The goal being to leverage collective assets, e.g., land, incentives, zoning variances, infrastructure cost mitigation, financing, and more, to ensure the greatest amount of long-term strength and stability for the venture.

Thank you for entrusting us with the opportunity to serve in this capacity on behalf of Living Cities. We look forward to receiving your feedback from this report and will be ready to discuss further at your best convenience.

Kindly,

Linda Fowler | J.D. Lee