About

University Heights Association

a neighborhood organization

The University Heights Association (UHA) is a volunteer neighborhood organization in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The UHA is made up of people living, owning property, and working in the area bounded by Central Avenue on the North, Yale Blvd on the West, Garfield Avenue on the South, and Girard Blvd on the East.

In January of each year at the annual meeting, members elect the board of directors for that year. The board usually meets monthly to discuss neighborhood issues and promote neighborhood improvement activities.

Regular projects include spring and fall neighborhood cleanup days, a block party in early September, periodic newsletters and informational flyers, crime prevention activities, and zoning issues. Other activities depend upon the interests and participation of members. UHA has promoted changes to Lead and Coal to make them more neighborhood friendly, planting trees and trimming or removing old trees and stumps, and supporting pedestrian and bicycle activities.

Membership is open to property owners, tenants, and those who work in the area and are interested in our vibrant, diverse community. Membership dues are kept low so that all can afford them and participation in activities is needed and welcomed.

We encourage everyone to meet your neighbors, share your ideas, suggestions, and criticisms – and to we encourage you to get involved in making the neighborhood a better place to live, go to school, and work!

UHA is one of more than 200 neighborhood associations recognized by the City of Albuquerque, and we participate in many city projects. UHA is a member of the Federation of University Neighborhoods, which includes more than a dozen neighborhood organizations surrounding UNM.

UHA Short History

In the summer of 1975, two long-time residents – Cary Blair, who lived at 219 Stanford and Alyce Kimmel, who lived at 220 Cornell – led the effort to form a neighborhood association, principally because of crime problems and apparent city neglect of the area. The University Community Action Group, as it was originally called, organized people to work together to improve the neighborhood. Two early projects were to add mid-block street lights to improve safety and to designate Silver as a bike route and remove parking from one side of the street.

In 1978, the association proposed zone changes to the area and a 6-month building moratorium while the University Neighborhoods Sector Development Plan was developed, covering neighborhoods in Albuquerque directly to the south of the University of NM. Hundreds of neighborhood residents participated in meetings to discuss what to do about houses being demolished and numerous apartments being built. The “monsters” on stilts in the 300 block of Princeton and the city’s lack of enforcement of the lax zoning requirements made clear that major changes were needed. The City Council approved the Plan in October 1978 to downzone the area to prohibit more large apartment complexes, protect solar access, and encourage preservation of houses and small-scale apartments, while also promoting pedestrian activities and reduced traffic and permit parking in the neighborhoods surrounding the University, so that the area would no longer be UNM’s free parking lot. The UNSDP was and still is one of the most progressive sector development plans in Albuquerque, covering many development and quality of life issues which have been long recognized in other cities but are only now beginning to gain prominence in the Albuquerque during the first decade of the 21st century.

Many of those plans were implemented and in 1986 the Sector Plan was updated to promote additional improvements and the University Neighborhoods History Handbook was published to help residents understand the area’s history and provide ideas for improvements.  

University Heights Association
email: info@uhanm.org
website: www.uhanm.org