Get Informed

Explore the proposed guidelines through questions and answers.

Question

What is the HPO proposed for the Spruce Park Neighborhood?

Question

Who will be affected by the HPO?

Answer

All property owners within the boundaries of the HPO will be affected by the proposed restrictions and guidelines, regardless of the historic significance of their property.

Question

How will the proposed HPO affect my ability to make changes to my property?

Answer

For all residences within the overlay all exterior work to the house, walls, fences, exterior doors, windows, and other structures on the property except for routine maintenance must have advance approval from the City of Albuquerque.  City review and approval is required regardless of whether the residence is considered to be “contributing” in the sense of contributing to the historic nature of the neighborhood or “non-contributing.” City approval comes in the form of a “Certificate of Appropriateness” issued either by the staff of the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission or, for larger projects, by the Commission itself through a public hearing process.  Applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness take 1 to 10 days for staff approval and four to six weeks if Commission review and a public hearing is required.  A building permit, if required, will not be issued until the Certificate of Appropriateness is issued.  Exterior work that does not require a building permit must still receive a Certificate of Appropriateness. 

Question

Would a Historic Preservation Overlay increase property values?

Answer

Economists have studied the effect of historic district designation on housing prices and the results are mixed. Several studies find that house prices are higher in historic districts (e.g. here and here) and that prices appreciate faster after a designation. Other studies that control for additional factors that can affect prices, such as price trends prior to historic designation and hard-to-measure neighborhood/housing characteristics, find that historic designations are associated with either modestly lower prices or essentially no change in prices.


To understand how historic districts affect cities more broadly, it’s important to think about why prices would change after a historic designation. Some real estate professionals think being in a historic district lowers housing prices because it restricts what people can do with their property. Local historic districts require property owners to go through an approval process before making changes to a property’s exterior and any changes must be consistent with the district’s historic character. This can preclude adding modern home design features and in some cases the use of new technologies, such as solar panels.


Source: Forbes

Question

Who decides whether a Historic Protection Overlay is created for the Spruce Park Neighborhood? Do the residents of the neighborhood have the final say? When will the decision be made?

Answer

The City of Albuquerque will make the determination, beginning with a recommendation from the staff of the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission.  Input from residents of the neighborhood (specifically from homeowners within the proposed overlay) will be considered, but that input is not definitive.   We don’t know when the final decision will be made, but we believe that a staff recommendation could occur relatively soon.

Question

The Silver Hill HPO Guidelines distinguish between “contributing” (i.e., historic) and “non-contributing” buildings.  How do I find out which category my property falls in?

Question

Why would the City use the Silver Hill HPO Guidelines for the Spruce Park Neighborhood?

Answer

The Silver Hill HPO Guidelines are the most recent and most detailed HPO Guidelines the City has prepared, and the Landmark and Urban Conservation Commission staff representative responsible for implementing the policies, Ms. Leslie Naji, has indicated that at this time the City proposes to implement these guidelines “as-is” for the Spruce Park Neighborhood.

Question

What types of changes to my property must have prior approval from the City?

Answer

All changes to the exterior appearance of all structures (buildings, fences, walls, doors, windows, etc…) within overlay boundaries require prior approval.  Interior remodeling is not covered unless it results to a change to the exterior (for example, through window replacement).

Question

Would the HPO guidelines apply to changes in landscaping, including xeriscaping to reduce water consumption?

Answer

We don’t know if prior City approval is required before making landscaping changes.  We posed this question to the City and have not received an answer.  However, the Silver Hill HPO Guidelines note that “Historic retaining walls, gardens, driveways and walkways, some fences and street trees are examples of original site features that should be preserved” (see page 75 of the guidelines, available at https://www.cabq.gov/planning/codes-policies-regulations/historic-standards-and-guidelines).


May 6, 2022 (via email from Leslie Naji):

"The references [in the Silver Hill Guidelines] to grades more than one feet are directed towards areas which historically had retaining walls, usually along the front property line. In such areas where sites have been demolished and scraped to street level, there is much disruption to streetscape. This is not applied to landscaping mounds or other such grade changes. We do not review landscaping be it large tree removal or xeriscaping, or anything in-between. We do review garden structures such as fences, walls, pergolas and storage shed placement. "

Knowledge Is Power

Subscribe to receive key updates and opportunities for action.

Sign Up to receive notifications about HPO related meetings, events, and voting opportunities. Opt-out at any time.

Get Informed

Explore the proposed guidelines through questions and answers.

Question

What is the HPO proposed for the Spruce Park Neighborhood?

Question

Who will be affected by the HPO?

Answer

All property owners within the boundaries of the HPO will be affected by the proposed restrictions and guidelines, regardless of the historic significance of their property.

Question

How will the proposed HPO affect my ability to make changes to my property?

Answer

For all residences within the overlay all exterior work to the house, walls, fences, exterior doors, windows, and other structures on the property except for routine maintenance must have advance approval from the City of Albuquerque.  City review and approval is required regardless of whether the residence is considered to be “contributing” in the sense of contributing to the historic nature of the neighborhood or “non-contributing.” City approval comes in the form of a “Certificate of Appropriateness” issued either by the staff of the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission or, for larger projects, by the Commission itself through a public hearing process.  Applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness take 1 to 10 days for staff approval and four to six weeks if Commission review and a public hearing is required.  A building permit, if required, will not be issued until the Certificate of Appropriateness is issued.  Exterior work that does not require a building permit must still receive a Certificate of Appropriateness. 

Question

Would a Historic Preservation Overlay increase property values?

Answer

Economists have studied the effect of historic district designation on housing prices and the results are mixed. Several studies find that house prices are higher in historic districts (e.g. here and here) and that prices appreciate faster after a designation. Other studies that control for additional factors that can affect prices, such as price trends prior to historic designation and hard-to-measure neighborhood/housing characteristics, find that historic designations are associated with either modestly lower prices or essentially no change in prices.


To understand how historic districts affect cities more broadly, it’s important to think about why prices would change after a historic designation. Some real estate professionals think being in a historic district lowers housing prices because it restricts what people can do with their property. Local historic districts require property owners to go through an approval process before making changes to a property’s exterior and any changes must be consistent with the district’s historic character. This can preclude adding modern home design features and in some cases the use of new technologies, such as solar panels.


Source: Forbes

Question

Who decides whether a Historic Protection Overlay is created for the Spruce Park Neighborhood? Do the residents of the neighborhood have the final say? When will the decision be made?

Answer

The City of Albuquerque will make the determination, beginning with a recommendation from the staff of the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission.  Input from residents of the neighborhood (specifically from homeowners within the proposed overlay) will be considered, but that input is not definitive.   We don’t know when the final decision will be made, but we believe that a staff recommendation could occur relatively soon.

Question

The Silver Hill HPO Guidelines distinguish between “contributing” (i.e., historic) and “non-contributing” buildings.  How do I find out which category my property falls in?

Question

Why would the City use the Silver Hill HPO Guidelines for the Spruce Park Neighborhood?

Answer

The Silver Hill HPO Guidelines are the most recent and most detailed HPO Guidelines the City has prepared, and the Landmark and Urban Conservation Commission staff representative responsible for implementing the policies, Ms. Leslie Naji, has indicated that at this time the City proposes to implement these guidelines “as-is” for the Spruce Park Neighborhood.

Question

What types of changes to my property must have prior approval from the City?

Answer

All changes to the exterior appearance of all structures (buildings, fences, walls, doors, windows, etc…) within overlay boundaries require prior approval.  Interior remodeling is not covered unless it results to a change to the exterior (for example, through window replacement).

Question

Would the HPO guidelines apply to changes in landscaping, including xeriscaping to reduce water consumption?

Answer

We don’t know if prior City approval is required before making landscaping changes.  We posed this question to the City and have not received an answer.  However, the Silver Hill HPO Guidelines note that “Historic retaining walls, gardens, driveways and walkways, some fences and street trees are examples of original site features that should be preserved” (see page 75 of the guidelines, available at https://www.cabq.gov/planning/codes-policies-regulations/historic-standards-and-guidelines).


May 6, 2022 (via email from Leslie Naji):

"The references [in the Silver Hill Guidelines] to grades more than one feet are directed towards areas which historically had retaining walls, usually along the front property line. In such areas where sites have been demolished and scraped to street level, there is much disruption to streetscape. This is not applied to landscaping mounds or other such grade changes. We do not review landscaping be it large tree removal or xeriscaping, or anything in-between. We do review garden structures such as fences, walls, pergolas and storage shed placement. "

Knowledge Is Power

Subscribe to receive key updates and opportunities for action.

Sign Up to receive notifications about HPO related meetings, events, and voting opportunities. Opt-out at any time.

Get Informed

Explore the proposed guidelines through questions and answers.

Question

What is the HPO proposed for the Spruce Park Neighborhood?

Question

Who will be affected by the HPO?

Answer

All property owners within the boundaries of the HPO will be affected by the proposed restrictions and guidelines, regardless of the historic significance of their property.

Question

How will the proposed HPO affect my ability to make changes to my property?

Answer

For all residences within the overlay all exterior work to the house, walls, fences, exterior doors, windows, and other structures on the property except for routine maintenance must have advance approval from the City of Albuquerque.  City review and approval is required regardless of whether the residence is considered to be “contributing” in the sense of contributing to the historic nature of the neighborhood or “non-contributing.” City approval comes in the form of a “Certificate of Appropriateness” issued either by the staff of the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission or, for larger projects, by the Commission itself through a public hearing process.  Applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness take 1 to 10 days for staff approval and four to six weeks if Commission review and a public hearing is required.  A building permit, if required, will not be issued until the Certificate of Appropriateness is issued.  Exterior work that does not require a building permit must still receive a Certificate of Appropriateness. 

Question

Would a Historic Preservation Overlay increase property values?

Answer

Economists have studied the effect of historic district designation on housing prices and the results are mixed. Several studies find that house prices are higher in historic districts (e.g. here and here) and that prices appreciate faster after a designation. Other studies that control for additional factors that can affect prices, such as price trends prior to historic designation and hard-to-measure neighborhood/housing characteristics, find that historic designations are associated with either modestly lower prices or essentially no change in prices.


To understand how historic districts affect cities more broadly, it’s important to think about why prices would change after a historic designation. Some real estate professionals think being in a historic district lowers housing prices because it restricts what people can do with their property. Local historic districts require property owners to go through an approval process before making changes to a property’s exterior and any changes must be consistent with the district’s historic character. This can preclude adding modern home design features and in some cases the use of new technologies, such as solar panels.


Source: Forbes

Question

Who decides whether a Historic Protection Overlay is created for the Spruce Park Neighborhood? Do the residents of the neighborhood have the final say? When will the decision be made?

Answer

The City of Albuquerque will make the determination, beginning with a recommendation from the staff of the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission.  Input from residents of the neighborhood (specifically from homeowners within the proposed overlay) will be considered, but that input is not definitive.   We don’t know when the final decision will be made, but we believe that a staff recommendation could occur relatively soon.

Question

The Silver Hill HPO Guidelines distinguish between “contributing” (i.e., historic) and “non-contributing” buildings.  How do I find out which category my property falls in?

Question

Why would the City use the Silver Hill HPO Guidelines for the Spruce Park Neighborhood?

Answer

The Silver Hill HPO Guidelines are the most recent and most detailed HPO Guidelines the City has prepared, and the Landmark and Urban Conservation Commission staff representative responsible for implementing the policies, Ms. Leslie Naji, has indicated that at this time the City proposes to implement these guidelines “as-is” for the Spruce Park Neighborhood.

Question

What types of changes to my property must have prior approval from the City?

Answer

All changes to the exterior appearance of all structures (buildings, fences, walls, doors, windows, etc…) within overlay boundaries require prior approval.  Interior remodeling is not covered unless it results to a change to the exterior (for example, through window replacement).

Question

Would the HPO guidelines apply to changes in landscaping, including xeriscaping to reduce water consumption?

Answer

We don’t know if prior City approval is required before making landscaping changes.  We posed this question to the City and have not received an answer.  However, the Silver Hill HPO Guidelines note that “Historic retaining walls, gardens, driveways and walkways, some fences and street trees are examples of original site features that should be preserved” (see page 75 of the guidelines, available at https://www.cabq.gov/planning/codes-policies-regulations/historic-standards-and-guidelines).


May 6, 2022 (via email from Leslie Naji):

"The references [in the Silver Hill Guidelines] to grades more than one feet are directed towards areas which historically had retaining walls, usually along the front property line. In such areas where sites have been demolished and scraped to street level, there is much disruption to streetscape. This is not applied to landscaping mounds or other such grade changes. We do not review landscaping be it large tree removal or xeriscaping, or anything in-between. We do review garden structures such as fences, walls, pergolas and storage shed placement. "

Knowledge Is Power

Subscribe to receive key updates and opportunities for action.

Sign Up to receive notifications about HPO related meetings, events, and voting opportunities. Opt-out at any time.