Sunport aims to add business park, retail development along Gibson
Dan Mayfield
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First
Within two years, Albuquerque International Sunport officials hope to add retail development, and an 80-acre business park, to the north side of the airport along Gibson Boulevard.
The north side of the Sunport, by Puerto del Sol Golf Course, has been unused for several years. Commercial planes stopped using the north-south runway more than a decade ago, and last year the runway was officially decommissioned. That left the Sunport with 80 acres, on a busy street, that’s ripe for development, said the city’s director of aviation, Jim Hinde.
“We did what we called a strategic plan ... and what they came up with was a dual-pronged development there. The vast majority of it is research and development,” Hinde said. “But the property that fronts Gibson is ideal for retail and a possible convenience store.”
Traffic studies, said Jack Scherer, director of business development for the Sunport, show about 40,000 cars pass by the area daily, making it as busy as San Mateo Boulevard.
Though a retail site on the area would be a good first step, Hinde said, the airport is also looking to develop the rest of the property into an aviation-related business park, and possibly an aviation company incubator.
“Our big impetus right now is, we’re looking at increasing nonairline revenues out here. That’s why we’re looking at retail developments, and the foreign trade zone development, and ancillary services,” Hinde said.
The airport is self-supporting. It doesn’t receive any money from the city, and the Sunport needs to generate its own income.
The airport also owns about 70 acres of property west of University Boulevard that is designated a foreign trade zone. That property, though, is likely several years away from development.
“We have a fiduciary duty to develop the airport for long-lasting revenue,” Scherer said.
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