FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PAH! Hiland Plaza will break ground on May 12, 2022 and will be built to accommodate a preference for neighbors who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard-of-Hearing.
Contact: Laurie Frappier, Director of Community Relations
laurie@abqgahp.org | 505.705.3706 (direct)
Albuquerque, NM, April 21, 2022 – The Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership (GAHP) is breaking ground once again, this time on PAH! Hiland Plaza, another affordable housing multi-family housing community located on Central Avenue’s Albuquerque Rapid Transit Line at San Mateo. GAHP’s previous multi-family development, Luminaria Senior Community located further east on Central Avenue and Eubank Boulevard, recently had its grand opening on March 30.
What sets the PAH! Hiland Plaza apart is its focus on accommodating a preference for residents who are Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard-of-Hearing that meet income criteria. Miriam Hicks, director of housing development, states, “We are so excited about this project. Not only is it the first of its kind in Albuquerque, but really just the 4th of its kind in the United States.”
GAHP has partnered with the Deaf Culture Center of New Mexico (DCCNM) to create a space that is not only appropriate for individuals and small families with low incomes, but one with specific design elements that accommodate the needs of the Deaf community in New Mexico. These elements include site staff fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), a videophone secured entry, and strobe fire alarms and doorbells in the apartments, to name a few.
The inclusion of the word, PAH!, is based on the ASL sign that means “finally,” indicating the amount of time and hard work the DCCNM spent in securing a relationship with a developer that would realize its vision.
We are thrilled and proud to be working with GAHP in seeing through the building of our new affordable and accessible apartment community. ~ Lisa McNiven, DCCNM’s chair of the building project.
Felipe Rael, GAHP’s executive director expects construction to take 12-15 months. Albuquerque-based company, Jaynes Corp is the project’s general contractor and Hartman + Majewski Design Group is the architect. The building design is inspired by the Streamline Moderne architectural style popular in the 1940s and 1950s. The community will include 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments, a community room, commercial space, bicycle storage, off-street parking, and a playground.
The groundbreaking will take place virtually. Interested attendees should email GAHP at info@abqgahp.org or register for the event at bit.ly/PAHGroundbreaking
About the Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership
The Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership (GAHP) is a non-profit Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) dedicated to building a better Albuquerque. Our mission is to create exceptional housing communities and provide enrichment services to support household stability, healthy families, and safer neighborhoods. Since 1993, GAHP has been highly successful in bringing the benefits of quality affordable and market-rate housing to more Albuquerque families. Working primarily in Albuquerque's older neighborhoods, we oversee the design and construction of new, affordable rental homes and developments. GAHP currently owns and operates six affordable housing communities consisting of 478 units, providing housing opportunities to Albuquerque residents at or below 60% Area Median Income (AMI). For more information about GAHP, visit our website at www.abqgahp.org
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