ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A City of Albuquerque spokesperson say the city will not be evicting anyone from a problem property on Central that’s home to an RV park and extended stay motel.
However, the owners of the Extend a Suites & RV Park at 12999 Central Ave. are still facing large fines and have been told to make numerous changes in the coming weeks.
The city has issued a $14,100 fine for numerous code violations including plumbing problems, electrical issues, unsafe living conditions, fire code violations, water damage, mold, bed bug and cockroach infestations, and much more.
The property owners now have two weeks to fix these problems, or they could be facing an extra $3,500 in fines each day those issues go unresolved.
But after many days of worrying they will have to find a new place to stay, some who live at the RV park told KOB 4 they will sleep easier knowing they aren’t being evicted any time soon.
“We work. We pay our taxes. We pay our rent,” said Brandy Hanlin. “It’s not that we’re squatting on the property. This is an RV park. This is a long-term RV park. A lot of us have been here for ten years.”
Hanlin told KOB 4 the cost of moving is prohibitive and it’s hard to find a spot at other RV parks across town.
A spokesperson for the City of Albuquerque says the property has been on their radar for several years.
“But there had been numerous code violations over and over again going back to 2020. And it was just time that we had to do something about it,” said Albuquerque Press Secretary Dan Mayfield.
But while some problem properties have been completely shut down in recent years after a slew of code violations, the problems found at this location didn’t rise to that level.
“This one didn’t have some of the imminent hazards which we found at the previous hotels and motels that code enforcement shut down,” said Code Enforcement Deputy Director Jeremy Keiser.
In addition to numerous safety and sanitation concerns, the property also reportedly does not actually have a valid permit to allow RVs to stay at that location long-term, despite the fact some residents say they’ve been there for a decade.
“In the next 15 days, the property owner can get a permit for long-term RVs and long-term stays. But that’s up to the property owner to decide what they want to do,” said Mayfield.
The RV park and motel have also reportedly kept police busy.
The city reports a total of 69 calls for service in just the past 12 months including reports of theft, drug use, fraud, and more.
“We want to support local businesses and give them the chance to come into compliance to become safe for customers, employees, and their neighbors,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “If their responsibilities under the law are not met, we will hold negligent property owners accountable.”
