Bernalillo County commissioners on Oct. 27 approved 30-year property tax breaks for two workforce housing projects in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights, clearing the way for 156 new apartments and townhomes and roughly 240 construction jobs (via City Desk ABQ).
Both ordinances were sponsored by Commissioner Walt Benson, whose District 4 covers the area. Each project gets a 96% property tax abatement over 30 years. Developers now have 180 days to finish closing documents and other requirements, or the approvals lapse. Construction on both is expected to start before the end of 2026.
The larger of the two, Casa Marabella, is a $23.7 million project at the southeast corner of Alameda Boulevard and Barstow Street NE. It combines 54 apartments with 36 townhomes, for 90 units in all. KRQE, citing a county news release, identified the developer as Emergent Development, LLC and said the apartments will be studios and one-bedrooms, while the townhomes run from one to three bedrooms. City Desk reported the units will serve households earning 80% to 120% of area median income; the county's release, as KRQE reported it, put the range at about 80% to 100%.
Casa Marabella's abatement is worth about $12 million in property tax savings. In return, the developer will pay the county $16,668 a year. That one passed 4-1, with Commissioner Eric Olivas voting no. Completion is targeted for February 2028.
Parkside Apartments, the second project, is a $16.2 million build of 66 one- and two-bedroom units on Carmel Avenue NE, near Paseo del Norte and Wyoming Boulevard. Snyder Construction is the developer. Rents will be set for households at 80% to 100% of area median income. The tax savings come to about $8.57 million, and the developer will pay the county $11,411 a year. That vote was unanimous, and the project is scheduled to wrap up in December 2027.
The tax breaks run through the county's Non-Project Revenue Bond program. The county takes title to the property and leases it back to the developer, and county ownership is what makes the property exempt from tax. No bonds are sold and the county doesn't back any loans, City Desk reported. Developers pay an annual fee instead of full taxes and agree to keep rents affordable for the 30-year lease.
Both projects locked in their 96% exemptions under an older fee schedule. Going forward, the county is moving to a standard 85% exemption, with developers paying fees equal to 15% of what the property taxes would have been.
Olivas, who voted against Casa Marabella, warned that waiving nearly all property taxes for three decades could leave a burden on future taxpayers without giving the county any ownership stake in return. He supported Parkside but urged closer scrutiny of exemptions to come. Olivas has spoken up for tax-based housing deals before: in August 2025, as commission chair, he told KOB the bond structure "allows the developers to use what they would have paid in taxes to keep the units more affordable" when the county approved $46 million in bonds for a mixed-use project near the Uptown transit center.
Benson argued the abatements fill a gap in "missing middle" housing and create construction work without the county spending capital dollars directly. "By combining private investment with property tax exemptions, workforce affordable housing projects such as these can be completed," he said in the county release quoted by KRQE.
Zach Snyder, CEO of Snyder Construction, spoke during public comment. He said the county had helped bring 912 affordable units forward in 120 days. "There's no other program within the entire state that has done what you guys have done in the last 120 days," he told commissioners.
These are separate from the Cibola Loop and West Village workforce projects the commission approved earlier in October.
Why it matters for Contractors
Two projects worth about $40 million combined are expected to break ground in the Northeast Heights before the end of the year, with the county pointing to roughly 240 construction jobs. Parkside's developer is itself a construction company, but projects this size still need framing, drywall, concrete, MEP, roofing and finish trades. Small subs in the metro who want in should reach out to the developers now, before scopes get bought out.
The bigger story is the pipeline. If Snyder's 912-units-in-120-days figure holds, this program is driving a steady stream of mid-size multifamily work around Albuquerque. The move to an 85% standard exemption trims the incentive a bit, so watch whether the pace holds. Keep an eye on commission agendas: each of these deals goes through a public ordinance vote, which gives local contractors an early look at what's coming.