Albuquerque, New Mexico

Urban Growth Policy Study
   

For the City of Albuquerque, Duncan Associates prepared an urban growth policy study. The first part of the study, Policy Review and Identification of Growth Issues, identified three major local growth issues: optimal use of existing infrastructure; transportation funding priorities; and annexation and utility extension policies. The primary purpose of the study was to identify ways to promote compact and contiguous development patterns and provide adequate public services in a more efficient manner. The second phase of the study identified alternative techniques to finance capital costs associated with new growth.

The study presented a cost/revenue analysis of three financing scenarios for growth-related capital facilities relating to transportation, parks, public safety, and water and wastewater. The scenarios were 1) adoption of impact fees, 2) waiver of fees for affordable housing and infill, and 3) property tax funding of rehabilitation needs for existing infrastructure. The study included an analysis of population, housing and nonresidential growth projections for the next ten years, as well as the growth-related capital costs included in the Decade Plan. It also analyzed the potential effects of a full-cost impact fee system on affordable housing and economic development. National literature on the incidence and economic development effects of impact fees was summarized. The study addressed administrative costs and technical issues involved with impact fees, including consultant costs to prepare initial studies and staff costs to administer the system. The study documented that a system of full-cost impact fees would enable the City to maintain current levels of service, especially for transportation, while also freeing up a significant portion of its general obligation bonded indebtedness capacity to deal with pressing capital rehabilitation needs.

Period:    August 1992 - August 1993               Contact:    John Gregory
Team:      Duncan Associates                                             505.768.3854   
               Miller-Lucero Associates                                        
               Southwest Land Research