Office of Housing breaks ground on Cottages at Chama affordable housing in International District

The Office of Housing held a groundbreaking event for the Cottages at Chama, an affordable housing infill development in the International District, and said the agency has $110,000,000 available in the current fiscal year for housing and homelessness programs. Agency representatives described the site as a long-vacant lot that community members have frequently noticed and praised.

An Agency official representing the Office of Housing said, "the Office of Housing in the current fiscal year got a $110,000,000 to spend on housing and homelessness programs," and added that the project reflects efforts to deploy the state's housing funds while tracking results. The official also said a county partner (transcript: "Verdelio County") "has been an absolutely fantastic partner." Public records and local spelling indicate the county reference is Bernalillo County; the speaker did not specify the county office or representative by name at the event.

A resident who spoke at the ceremony described the project as community driven, saying, "Breaking ground on these cottages and giving properties back to our families, that is every single thing 100% has been a community driven idea." Organizers emphasized that the development grew from local input and framed the project as a test case to identify "promising practices" for housing investments.

Event remarks focused on three points: the site’s long vacancy and neighborhood enthusiasm; the availability of $110 million in housing and homelessness funds for the current fiscal year; and a stated commitment to track outcomes and ensure return on investment. The speaker identified "the state's housing funds" as the source to be deployed through projects like Cottages at Chama but did not specify whether the Office of Housing present is a city, county, or state office.

The ceremony did not include a construction timeline, detailed funding breakdowns, or an announcement of specific contractors; those details were not specified at the event. Next procedural steps and a public timeline for construction were not announced during the remarks.