Old Town's future is ours to decide.

Where things stand, October 2026. Owners are meeting with P.U.M.A., the planning firm the City brought in. P.U.M.A. returns in November for one-on-one meetings and roundtables. The petition comes after that.

Old Town has momentum. A BID makes it last.

Look at what already keeps Old Town going. Security on call for all of Old Town, around the clock, every day of the year. A calendar full of events, from Día de los Muertos to the Cookie Crawl and 2nd Saturday Nights. The albuquerqueoldtown.com website, visited by 160,000 people in 2025. More than 40,000 printed Old Town maps. The Old Town Portal that ties it together. The new neon entrance sign on Central and San Felipe.

And someone always speaking up for Old Town: at City Hall, for its arts, culture and landmarks, and on everyday problems like leaky trash trucks. The Historic Old Town Association (HOTA) is behind all of it, and a lot more you never see.

Over the past four years, HOTA has also brought in more than $300,000 in grants, and 100 percent of it went to Old Town. In June, 18 people with a stake in Old Town met with P.U.M.A., and nearly all of them support exploring a BID.

Today that work runs year to year, on the time and money people choose to give. A BID puts it on steady footing: dependable funding, a full-time manager, and the cost shared across Old Town's business properties. P.U.M.A.'s review found a BID would give this work reliable funding and room to grow.

A BID doesn't replace the grants. It builds on them, with a manager who has time to go after more.

What a BID would pay for

Old Town sets the priorities. In a June survey, the HOTA Board, whose seats are split equally among merchants and service providers, property owners and residents, ranked ten kinds of services a BID can pay for, most important first:

1. Capital improvements: better lighting, wayfinding and signs, streetscapes, benches, kiosks and banners.
2. Public safety: hospitality and safety ambassadors, homeless outreach, non-emergency response, coordination with police and social services.
3. Cleaning and maintenance: sweeping and power-washing sidewalks, litter and biohazard pickup, graffiti removal.
4. Marketing and communications: Old Town-wide advertising, community relations and branding.
5. Beautification and landscaping: weed removal, tree-well landscaping, flower planters and baskets, tree care.
6. Programming and events: festivals, themed and historical events, lively public spaces, hospitality during big events.
7. Parking and mobility: coordinated parking management, easier parking, better ways to get here.
8. Placemaking: seasonal furniture, public art and murals, parklets, holiday lighting and décor.
9. Small business support: keeping and recruiting businesses, storefront renovation, retail promotions.
10. Advocacy and leadership: one collective voice for Old Town and its priorities.

Drawing on that survey and conversations with owners, the draft plan focuses on four parts.

A cleaner, better-looking Old Town. Regular spot-cleaning of sidewalks and public spaces. Wayfinding, planters and holiday décor for one consistent look. Public art and small capital projects.

More events and marketing. More of what HOTA already runs, room for new events, and marketing that brings people here all year.

Security everyone can count on. HOTA's 24/7 program on stable funding instead of monthly voluntary contributions, with more coverage every day.

A full-time manager. One point of contact with the City who sees issues through and handles the red tape. Accountable to the owners who pay.

What it means for you

Owners make the decision. Merchants and residents help shape it.

If you own property

It's your decision. The petition counts owners, not buildings or property value, so you sign once and count the same as every other owner. The plan aims for more business, fuller storefronts and stronger sales, and the draft puts a board of owners and business people in charge of the budget.

Claim your parcel, then meet with P.U.M.A. to see your estimate. Meeting commits you to nothing. Rather not make an account? Email us and we'll set up the meeting.

If you run a storefront

Cleaner, safer streets, more visitors, bigger events, and a full-time manager working with the City for Old Town. If you rent your space, you don't sign the petition, but you can help shape the plan. Tell your building's owner about this page, or email us their contact and we'll reach out. Join the Old Town Portal free to get BID updates by email.

If you live here

Homes aren't assessed and residents aren't billed, so you won't pay, and you don't sign the petition. You still have a voice through HOTA, where residents hold a third of the Board seats. Membership is free: join the Old Town Portal, then apply from your dashboard.

It works in places like Old Town

More than 1,000 neighborhoods across North America fund themselves this way. P.U.M.A., the Denver firm advising Old Town, puts the renewal rate at 99 percent. The first began in 1970 in Toronto's Bloor West Village, when merchants replaced voluntary contributions with a levy every business paid.

Old Pasadena, California. A historic downtown. Property owners formed their BID in 2000 and have chosen to renew it four times, most recently in 2025.

Downtown Tucson, Arizona. Property owners approved their BID in 1998, and it's still going. In 2025 its ambassadors handled more than 134,000 tasks, from picking up litter to checking in on businesses.

San Antonio, Texas. Like Old Town, it began as a Spanish colonial settlement. Downtown owners have funded extra services since 1999, and in 2023 the City renewed the program through 2033 and added River Walk cleaning.

New Mexico has barely used this tool. Old Town can show the state how it's done.

The hard questions

Is this a new tax?

It works like one. If owners petition for it and the City Council approves it, every business property inside the boundary that isn't government or nonprofit owned pays a yearly assessment, including owners who didn't sign. Every dollar goes to the services in the plan.

What would I pay?

The draft plan figures each property's share from two things: its assessed value and its street frontage, meaning how many feet of it face the street. The rates aren't final. Meet with P.U.M.A. and you'll see an estimate for your own property before anyone is asked to sign.

Will my rent go up?

Shouldn't the City already do this?

The City keeps doing what it does today. A written agreement with the City, now being finalized, will spell that out. A BID pays for more on top.

What about the City's property here?

The City owns much of Old Town, including the Plaza, the Albuquerque Museum and public parking. State law exempts that property, so fewer properties here would pay, which is why the City's part matters. The City has said it will contribute like any other property owner, through a voluntary yearly contribution. The amount is still being worked out.

Who controls the money?

The draft plan puts a board of Old Town property and business owners in charge. The BID files a budget for City Council approval and a report every year, and the Council reviews it every five years and can end it.

Is my property inside the boundary?

The boundary isn't final. It's being drawn around Old Town's historic core. Email us your address and we'll tell you where things stand.

Who is paying P.U.M.A.?

The City is paying for P.U.M.A.'s work. Owners pay nothing unless a BID is approved.

Will more events mean more cars and trash on my street?

The plan pays for regular cleaning of sidewalks and public spaces, and the manager would press for clear parking and detour signs and cleanup after big events. Tell us what your block needs.

Does meeting with P.U.M.A. commit me?

No. The meetings are for sharing the draft plan and hearing your questions. Signing the petition later is your choice.

Didn't Downtown Albuquerque's BID fail?

Downtown's first BID ran from 2000 to 2014 and ended after a court challenge over how it was renewed. Old Town's would follow the state law's steps: an owner petition, City Council approval, and a review every five years.

Would a BID have a say in street closures?

A seat at the table, not a veto. The manager would be the person the City and event organizers work with, pressing for clear barricade plans, detour and parking signs, and cleanup afterward.

What happens next

1. Talk it through. P.U.M.A. meets with owners one-on-one and at roundtables, and shows what a BID could mean for each property. We are here
2. Finalize the plan. What owners say shapes the services, the budget, the boundary and how each property's share is figured.
3. Owners sign. At least 51 percent of the property owners who would pay have to sign the petition.
4. The City Council approves. With the petition in hand, the BID goes through the Council's formal approval process.
5. Old Town runs it. Under the draft plan, a board of Old Town property and business owners oversees the manager and the budget.

Questions, or ready to meet with P.U.M.A.? Email hota@albuquerqueoldtown.com and we'll set up a time, or ask for the date of the next HOTA meeting. Everyone is invited.