Why did the Barelas Community Coalition form?
The Barelas Community Coalition was originally formed out of a subcommittee of the
Barelas Neighborhood Association concerned about decisions being made about the
Barelas Railyards without community input. In order for the Railyards and other
developments throughout the community to be developed responsibly (with the
community’s interests first) then the community of Barelas has to be involved every step
of the way.
The Coalition has since expanded its mission to organize and promote responsible
economic and affordable housing development throughout Barelas to help minimize the
widespread displacement of lower income residents from the community. This includes
our continued work around the redevelopment of the Railyards, the 30 units of
Workforce Housing that was guaranteed with the City of Albuquerque's purchase of the
Railyards (November 2008), and our current efforts to build permanently affordable
housing in partnership with non-profit developers on two sites: 7th & Iron Ave and the
old A&P site.
The Barelas Community Coalition was originally formed out of a subcommittee of the
Barelas Neighborhood Association concerned about decisions being made about the
Barelas Railyards without community input. In order for the Railyards and other
developments throughout the community to be developed responsibly (with the
community’s interests first) then the community of Barelas has to be involved every step
of the way.
The Coalition has since expanded its mission to organize and promote responsible
economic and affordable housing development throughout Barelas to help minimize the
widespread displacement of lower income residents from the community. This includes
our continued work around the redevelopment of the Railyards, the 30 units of
Workforce Housing that was guaranteed with the City of Albuquerque's purchase of the
Railyards (November 2008), and our current efforts to build permanently affordable
housing in partnership with non-profit developers on two sites: 7th & Iron Ave and the
old A&P site.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Barelas Community Coalition
The Mission of the Coalition
The Barelas Community Coalition is dedicated to combating
gentrification and enhancing the quality of life in the historic
Barelas neighborhood through intergenerational organizing;
building community alliances; youth development and
education; promoting economic development and job
opportunities; advocating for permanently affordable
housing and housing rehabilitation; ensuring the responsible
redevelopment of the Barelas Railyards; providing better access to
social services; and the preservation of heritage and historical resources.
The Coalition envisions a community where (re)development is carried out in a
responsible way that benefits all of its members by providing permanently affordable
housing for existing residents, creating living-wage jobs, investing in youth/adult
education and development, and working with residents, business owners, local
organizations, and elected officials to achieve social, economic, and environmental
justice.
Membership is open to all organizations, businesses, and people who share the mission
of the Coalition, are committed to improving the quality of life for Bareleños, and
understand that their contributions to the Barelas community is one step in a larger
effort to preserve and enhance the quality of life in all of Albuquerque’s historic
neighborhoods.
Though we believe the community has to play a significant role in guiding development,
we also understand that we can’t do this alone. Ultimately, our strength and ability to
affect real change in our communities lies in our collective action, the establishment of
neighborhood alliances, supporting one another’s issues, and building connections
between people on a human level, as vecinos (neighbors).
The Barelas Community Coalition is dedicated to combating
gentrification and enhancing the quality of life in the historic
Barelas neighborhood through intergenerational organizing;
building community alliances; youth development and
education; promoting economic development and job
opportunities; advocating for permanently affordable
housing and housing rehabilitation; ensuring the responsible
redevelopment of the Barelas Railyards; providing better access to
social services; and the preservation of heritage and historical resources.
The Coalition envisions a community where (re)development is carried out in a
responsible way that benefits all of its members by providing permanently affordable
housing for existing residents, creating living-wage jobs, investing in youth/adult
education and development, and working with residents, business owners, local
organizations, and elected officials to achieve social, economic, and environmental
justice.
Membership is open to all organizations, businesses, and people who share the mission
of the Coalition, are committed to improving the quality of life for Bareleños, and
understand that their contributions to the Barelas community is one step in a larger
effort to preserve and enhance the quality of life in all of Albuquerque’s historic
neighborhoods.
Though we believe the community has to play a significant role in guiding development,
we also understand that we can’t do this alone. Ultimately, our strength and ability to
affect real change in our communities lies in our collective action, the establishment of
neighborhood alliances, supporting one another’s issues, and building connections
between people on a human level, as vecinos (neighbors).
| The Barelas Community Coalition meets on the Second Wednesday of the month at 6:00PM at the Barelas Community Center. The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 |
Why is permanently affordable housing so important?
Barelas' close proximity to downtown’s revitalization efforts, the neighborhoods sizable
Hispanic population (81%), large number of renters (60%), low median household
income ($20,000 compared to $51,540 for Bernalillo County) and large number of
residents (31%) below the poverty level leaves the community extremely vulnerable to
development. Yes, development can be a wonderful thing but unfortunately it is also
accompanied by gentrification, a process whereby ethnic/racial minorities and lower
income residents are displaced and priced out of the neighborhood due to increasing
real estate values and higher property taxes. The premise around permanently
affordable housing is that the subsidy that makes the house affordable is permanently
attached to the home itself rather than the buyer. This ensures the home will remain
affordable no matter how many times the home is resold. A permanent affordable
housing stock will allow lower-income Bareleños who would otherwise be priced out of
the neighborhood to remain in the community now and long into the future!
We believe that the vision for community planning and development has to happen
locally. With your help and contributions to the Coalition we can continue to work on
promoting “responsible” development while still preserving the traditional vitality of our
community.
Barelas' close proximity to downtown’s revitalization efforts, the neighborhoods sizable
Hispanic population (81%), large number of renters (60%), low median household
income ($20,000 compared to $51,540 for Bernalillo County) and large number of
residents (31%) below the poverty level leaves the community extremely vulnerable to
development. Yes, development can be a wonderful thing but unfortunately it is also
accompanied by gentrification, a process whereby ethnic/racial minorities and lower
income residents are displaced and priced out of the neighborhood due to increasing
real estate values and higher property taxes. The premise around permanently
affordable housing is that the subsidy that makes the house affordable is permanently
attached to the home itself rather than the buyer. This ensures the home will remain
affordable no matter how many times the home is resold. A permanent affordable
housing stock will allow lower-income Bareleños who would otherwise be priced out of
the neighborhood to remain in the community now and long into the future!
We believe that the vision for community planning and development has to happen
locally. With your help and contributions to the Coalition we can continue to work on
promoting “responsible” development while still preserving the traditional vitality of our
community.
