HEAR NEIGHBORHOOD ALERT September 19, 2005
REMINDER! Development Review Board Hearing – A public hearing to discuss the proposed townhouse development at De Vargas Loop and Freedom Way will be held on Wednesday, September 21 at 9:00 am in the basement hearing room of the Plaza del Sol building, 600 2 nd Street, NW . Please see the attached PDF file for more information about the townhouse development and how you can help HEAR in protesting it.
Mayoral Candidates' Forum – The District 4 and District 8 Coalitions of Neighborhood Associations invite you to their mayoral forum on Thursday, September 22 from 7-9 pm at Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church ( 8600 Academy Rd. NE , at Academy and Moon). The League of Women Voters will moderate the forum; all candidates are expected to be in attendance. Contact me for more information.
Volunteers Wanted! – HEAR Board member Ann Crandall will not be renewing her term this October; HEAR is seeking someone to fill this position on the Board of Directors for a 2-year term. HEAR also is seeking a Chair for the Beautification Committee. We need your help! Please contact me if you are interested in volunteering for either position.
Responsible Pet Ownership – I recently received the following note from a concerned HEAR member: “ I was out running with my dog this morning, when once again a large dog comes charging at us in the area below the Mormon Temple . The owner was unable to control her dog because she had the leash draped around her own neck. I did not know the owner or the dog; and thus, I felt threatened. My understanding is ALL dogs are required BY LAW to be on leashes (County & City). This is a safety issue… ” While it is both a City and County Ordinance to have one's dog(s) leashed, many people let their dogs run free around the park, along the arroyos, and on walking trails. Unfortunately, City and County enforcement is limited, so the onus is on the public to educate dog owners about proper “dog-walking etiquette” and/or to report any incidents to Animal Control. If you are a dog owner and walk your dog in the neighborhood, please be courteous of others. Leash your dog and pick up after it.
The Heritage East Herald – Look for the September issue of the HEAR newsletter in your mailbox this week! A PDF version of the newsletter also will be available online at our web site, www.hearonline.org in a couple of days.
Best regards,
Becky Thuma
HEAR President
7815 Quintana Drive, NE
Albuquerque , NM 87109
(505) 822-1903
August 20, 2005
HEAR has learned that a developer, Mr. Michael Montoya, plans to subdivide the lot shown below into 3 smaller lots to build townhouses of about 2000 square feet each. As can be seen from the map below, there is no city street serving these proposed townhouses; the lot sits by the arroyo, and hazardous traffic conditions could occur from cars coming out of a private driveway that would be built by the arroyo. The Heritage East Association of Residents is concerned about this development's potential adverse impact on our neighborhood. The matter will be discussed at a public hearing on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 at the City Planning Department at 9 AM. The hearing will be in the basement of the pyramid-shaped building at the corner of Roma and 2 nd Street, NW . There is free, 2-hour parking on the north side of this building. If you would like to attend the hearing and express your concerns, please arrive by 9 AM and sign up to be put on the list of speakers. You may also voice your concerns in writing via email or fax to Sheran Matson, Chair DRB, but a personal appearance is always more effective.
PUBLIC HEARING
on the proposed development of 3 townhouses on the lot shown
9 AM, Wednesday, September 21
Basement, Plaza Del Sol Building
600 2 nd Street, NW
Development Review Board
Sheran Matson, Chair of DRB
T (505) 924-3880
F (505) 924-3864
Email: smatson@cabq.gov
HEAR CONCERNS
1. Lots in HEAR cannot be subdivided as per our covenants adopted in 1984. Only one single family home is allowed to be built per lot.
2. The poor road access to this lot will create hazardous driving conditions when numerous cars exit from a private driveway.
3. The average size of each lot created by this subdivision is substantially smaller than the lots surrounding this property.
4. Access to fire and safety vehicles will be severely limited in this congested subdivision.
5. Numerous objections were raised by the city departments when a similar development was proposed in 1994 and then again in 2000.
Application to Subdivide Lot
A complete record of the application to subdivide the lot, preliminary plat plan and objections raised by the city on previous applications to this lot are available for download as a PDF file from this site . If you would like to discuss this matter with a HEAR board member, please email us at contact@hearonline.org .
Montoya Application (8MB PDF File)
March 24, 2005
Hello, Heritage East Neighbors!
New Secretary/Board Member – We would like to welcome Elizabeth Blood as our new HEAR Secretary and Board Member. Elizabeth replaces Amelia Klauser , who moved out of our neighborhood last month. Elizabeth will serve in her positions through the October General Meeting, when the election for new Board Members will be held.
Heritage East Entrance Upgrades – HEAR's Beautification and Zoning Committee is planning to improve our neighborhood entrances, but we need your help! Please submit your suggestions to improve the entrances to Ann Crandall at annoc511@aol.com . Upgrades may include painting, landscaping, and sign repair. HEAR has identified the following entrances for possible upgrades:
Ventura Estates (at Redmont and Ventura )
Carriage Estates (at Shay and Ventura )
Georgetown (at Lew Wallace and San Francisco )
Heritage East I (at Freedom Way and Ventura )
Heritage East II (at Yorktown and Ventura )
Heritage East III (at San Francisco and Ventura )
Heritage East IV (at Quintana and Ventura )
Ridgefield (at Palomas and Ventura )
Summer Street Maintenance – HEAR is interested in paying for regular street maintenance – weed and litter pick-up – on our major streets during the summer months. We have determined that such a project would be too costly to do if we were to contract with a professional landscaping service. But if your civic club, scout troop, athletic team, or other organization is looking for a community service and/or fundraiser opportunity, we would love to work with you! Please contact Ann Crandall at annoc511@aol.com if you know of a group interested in helping us keep our neighborhood looking nice during the summer, or if you have other affordable ideas about how we can maintain our streets this summer.
Heritage East Herald Newsletter – The next newsletter will be printed in May. If any of you would like to submit an article, advertisement, announcement, opinion letter, etc. for the upcoming publication, please send it to bkthuma@comcast.net . All newsletter content is due by April 15.
Albuquerque Tricentennial – The month of April, 2005, will be “Heritage Month” and will kick off a year of festivities celebrating the City's 300 th anniversary ( Albuquerque was founded on April 23, 1706, by Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdes, who named the town in honor of the Duke of Alburquerque, Viceroy of New Spain). The Opening Day Ceremony will be April 16, 2005, from 7:30 am – 2:00 pm at Balloon Fiesta Park . For more information, visit www.albuquerque300.org .
Trader Joe's – Denish & Kline Associates, Inc. has submitted a zone map amendment to the Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) on behalf of its client, Jayeff Construction. This amendment, from SU-2 Mixed Use to SU-2 for C-1 Uses, will allow Jayeff Construction to build a Trader Joe's in the Ventura Place shopping center (at the northwest corner of Ventura and Paseo del Norte) that would sell package liquor. The matter will be heard by the EPC on April 21.
General Membership Meeting – You are invited to attend HEAR's General Meeting, Thursday, April 21, at 7:00 pm, at Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church (8600 Academy Road, NE), Room 407. Postal Inspector Lisa Guevara will be giving us a presentation about protecting one's identity, and City Councilor Brad Winter will be available for the Q&A/Discussion segment of the meeting.
Spring Green Waste Collection – The City's Solid Waste Department will offer free green waste pick-up on Tuesday, April 26. Residents must place their green waste (leaves, grass, and brush) in trash bags not weighing more than 40 lbs. each on the curb by 7 am on their regular trash collection day. Items must be placed 5 ft. away from the automated trash container. Branches must be cut to four-foot lengths and bundled securely. The City will not pick up dirt, construction debris, gravel, or any other landscaping material. Call 761-8100 for more information.
3rd Annual Spring Clean-up Day – HEAR again will participate in the City's Clean-up Day on Saturday, April 30. All interested volunteers, please meet at Rotary Park at 9:00 am and spend a couple of hours with your neighbors picking up trash, weeds, etc. in our neighborhood park, along our trails and streets, and in our common areas. Bring your gloves, tools and good will! Trash bags will be provided. Come and help keep Heritage East a great place to live and raise our families!
North Domingo Baca Park – The Master Development Plan for North Domingo Baca Park (NDBP) was unanimously approved by the Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) at its March 17 hearing. The NDBP is a multi-use, community park in North Albuquerque Acres bounded by Wyoming Boulevard on the east, Carmel Avenue on the south, Louisiana Boulevard on the west, and Corona Avenue on the north. The plans for the 32-acre park site include an off-leash dog area, a multi-generational center, and other community facilities.
The City is meeting with the North Domingo Baca Neighborhood Association to confirm a location for a temporary off-leash dog facility which will serve the community until the permanent dog park is constructed at NDBP. The area will be located along Corona Avenue, east of Murrelet Drive . The area will be fenced, and paths will be graded through the stockpiles of dirt for access and circulation. Parks staff will be grading and installing the fence in early April. Please feel free to contact Colleen Frenz/DMD-Park Design and Construction Division at 768-3826 if you have any questions or comments .
Regards,
Becky Thuma
HEAR President
7815 Quintana Drive, N.E.
Albuquerque , NM 87109
(505) 822-1903