ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Dozens packed Albuquerque City Council chambers Wednesday night, not for a council meeting, but for a land use and zoning hearing on Safe Outdoor Spaces. “The first day we were open, I arrived early to our Safe Outdoor Space to one of our first tenants emerging from her tent, and I said, ‘How did you sleep?’ And she breathed really deep and smiles and had tears in her eyes, and she says, ‘I haven’t slept through the night in four years. Thank you for creating space,” said Jesse Harden, pastor & Safe Outdoor Space operator.
Safe outdoor spaces are designated areas where people experiencing homelessness can camp legally. The proposed amendments aim to make it easier for property owners and businesses to create these spaces by removing what supporters called “prohibitive obstacles.” Some urged the board to adopt all changes, while others pushed to go even further, calling for a full repeal of the ordinance altogether.
“Every tent on our property and every tent at a safe outdoor space means one less tent on Albuquerque’s sidewalks, in our parks and alleyways, under our overpasses, or on private property where they are not welcome. We’ve been asked why quirky used books and more does not apply to be city-sanctioned SOS? The answer is simple. The burdensome regulations of unfunded mandates in the SOS ordinance make it impossible,” said Gillam Kerley, owner of Quirkey Used Books and More.
But after hours of people voicing their support, the changes failed on a 2-3 vote, meaning the current rules for Safe Outdoor Spaces stay in place for now.
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