The Los Lunas Village Council has approved the IRBs for the Facebook data center expansion. This means the additional 6 buildings can go forward and the entire project will be a $6.6 billion investment by Facebook into the metro Albuquerque economy. It means the nearly 1,200 construction jobs will continue for the foreseeable future and at least 30 more permanent jobs will be created and will now total almost 400 high-paying jobs at the site. The possibility exists that the total permanent jobs will also double to 700 from the 350 in the original project once all is said and done!
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KOB-TV has a report about the Civic North RFP which was apparently inspired by the post I made about the proposals earlier in this thread last year. In their written article below they mention and link to this thread. The city confirms that they received the proposals but says the RFP timeline and selection has been affected by the pandemic and it is still up in the air at this point.
https://amp.kob.com/articles/downtow...r-6039878.html
We just have to keep hoping that things will continue getting better and the RFP moves forward, hopefully sometime this year!
The city in its response also mentions the other recent RFPs and MRA projects in the downtown area that have moved forward. That includes the First and Silver RFP. Last month, Albuquerque Business First revealed some details from the city about the lone proposal that the city received and is now negotiating for a development agreement with the developer. It seems the project will cost $20 million and include about 200 residential units in a multi-story building.
https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...s-in-2021.html
I made a public records request for the RFP submission with the city last month but they denied it, saying that it is not yet a public record. I will try again but I'm hoping it may be posted soon on the city's website, if and when they come to an agreement with the developer.
The Business First story also provided various other details and updates about other MRA projects in and around Downtown Albuquerque. Below is a summation of the projects that I cobbled together and edited for clarity from a partial list in the article and descriptions for the other projects in the accompanying gallery for the story.
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Innovate ABQ: A 22,000 sq ft building renovation for a bioscience makers lab. Construction will begin in June and is estimated to cost $5.2 million.
Homewise Townhomes: A residential project that will include 16 townhomes. Construction will begin in 2021 and is estimated to cost $2 million.
Spirit Station: Approximately 6,000 square feet of experiential destination space at the Rail Yards. The project is in negotiations for a lease agreement and is estimated to cost $3 million.
Highlands Broadstone East: A project including 228 multifamily units and 4,000 square feet of retail space. The project was recently approved for a seven-year property tax abatement and MRA bonds. The project is estimated to cost $56 million.
Tierra Adentro Charter School: A project that includes a 38,300-square-foot charter school in the Sawmill Area. The project is under construction and estimated to cost $8.6 million.
Nuevo Atrisco: The second phase of the project will include 11,000 sq ft of commercial space, a food hall, and a 6,000-square-foot community plaza. The project is in negotiations and is estimated to cost $7 million.
Imperial Inn: The redevelopment of the mid-century modern motel will accommodate 52 guest rooms, 16 residential units, and more than 4,400-square-feet of rentable commercial space. The project will begin construction on June 30th and be completed within a year. Total project cost is $7.9 million.
First and Silver RFP: The project will include about 200 units of multifamily housing. The project is in negotiations and estimated to cost $20 million.
Rail Trail: The project is in design and development and will cost $5.5 Million for the portion from Downtown south to the Rail Yards. The city has requested additional money from the state legislature for an extension north and west from Lomas Boulevard to the Sawmill Area.
Springer Square Sky Link: Skybridge and plaza which will enable direct access to spaces in the Convention Center parking structure for the Springer Square and Verge office buildings in order to free up current surface parking lots at the site for future development. Cost of the initial Sky Link project is about $6 million.
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Here are renderings and a layout of the Sprit Station project, which was the winning submission from the Rail Yards North Entrance RFEI late last year. The development team describes it as a submersive and interactive art and history storytelling experience similar to Meow Wolf in Santa Fe and Electric Playhouse here in Albuquerque. It will have an 1880s steam punk-type theme including the Bar Car, operated by Still Spirits craft distillery.
Below is a pic of the Rail Yards north entrance area from the Business First story gallery. The Pattern House building where Spirit Station will be located is visible in the left center of the photo. The historic Firehouse structure is directly behind it to the south at the exact center of the photo. The city says it dropped consideration of proposals for the Firehouse because of the current economic conditions due to the pandemic.
Below is the official website for Spirit Station and the YouTube video of the initial Zoom community meeting they held last month to unveil the project and solicit ideas and help from the community and local artists to further develop the project and its exhibits.
https://spiritstationabq.com/
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