Albuquerque Development Thread

[ABQalex]

An event was held last week to promote the Rail Trail in the Cantina Real structure at Glorieta Station. On display was a new rendering of the "Neon Tumbleweed" feature that's planned at the Central Crossing. It looks like they're refining the design and getting away from it looking like an actual tumbleweed and more like just a generic spherical structure made out of a geometric latticework.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFoUPHfviWb/









Downtown Albuquerque News recently reported that the city has purchased the final portion of right of way for the Rail Trail. The narrow strip of land runs west of Rio Grande Boulevard in West Old Town. The story also says that the city is getting ready to announce another purchase of property along the Rail Trail right of way, presumably for future development or a park space.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Purchase of skinny West Old Town property rounds out Rail Trail corridor acquisitions

The city has "basically completed" its property acquisitions for the Rail Trail corridor with the new purchase of a long, thin parcel in West Old Town, Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Director Terry Brunner announced last month.

The strip of land - whose shape can be traced back to Spanish colonial times - is one-third of a mile long and runs east to west parallel to and between Edna and Hollywood Avenues. It has, over the years, been routinely mistaken for an alley, but it is in fact private property - a reality the now-former owners hammered home by fencing it off sometime between mid-2020 and mid-2021.

There is not yet a timeline for actually building the trail on the property, and planning has not yet begun, but there looks to be plenty to consider.

"The width of the lot gives us opportunities to incorporate features like art installations, landscaping, seating areas, and pull-out spaces," city spokeswoman Sarah Supple said. "Before moving forward, though, we'll want to engage with neighbors whose homes back up to the alley to ensure the project aligns with the community's needs and interests."

City officials had previously expressed interest in placing the West Old Town section of the trail along Soto Avenue, a lightly used street that runs behind the shopping centers on the north side of Central, arguing that its proximity to the corridor's commercial property would help inspire new economic development there.

But they have since thought better of it: "Safety was the primary factor in selecting the alley route over Soto," Supple said. "The Soto alignment would have brought trail users uncomfortably close to Central, where limited sidewalk and street space create significant safety challenges for accommodating a trail. Additionally, we determined that the economic benefits of running the trail behind businesses in that area would be minimal."

The Rail Trail is planned as a giant loop connecting the Downtown core to Wells Park, Sawmill, Old Town, West Old Town, and the bosque trail before returning to the core via Barelas and the Rail Yards. While the city has acquired all the land needed for the trail proper, it plans to announce another major purchase soon, which will also be connected to the trail but not involve its right-of-way, Brunner said.

Long skinny lots have been a fixture of the Middle Rio Grande Valley since it was controlled by Spain. The general idea in those days was to provide property owners with both workable farmland and access to water, historian Matthew Schmader told DAN in 2021. Most of the skinny lots in West Old Town have long since been subdivided into more compact shapes, but the long/skinny variety is still fairly common in Duranes and other parts of the valley.

The skinny lot that the city now owns was once the property of Cornelio Murphy, a former deputy sheriff based in Old Town whose career included at least one run-in with Elfego Baca and Billy the Kid. More recently, the property featured a house fronting Rio Grande with adobe walls "so thick you could just sleep on the window sill," recalled John Sais, a descendant of Murphy's who still lives in the area and has researched the property's history.

The house was demolished in 2011.

Below are some graphics from a post by the branding agency for the Rail Trail, Ripe, Inc., on LinkedIn. The city and the branding agency have noted the route's heart shape and are now expanding upon that theme for its outreach and branding efforts.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7264416526827417600/

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque News reported this morning that the Downtown branch of Wells Fargo bank will be closing in May. Let's see how this affects the sale and plans for the structure going forward. They have a quote from Adam Silverman indicating that it might not negatively affect the transaction and plans for conversion of the upper levels of the structure to residential uses. Wells Fargo is the largest bank locally with about $5.8 billion in deposits and 21 branches after this closure.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

End of an era: Wells Fargo to shutter Lomas branch

Wells Fargo will close its branch at Second and Lomas on May 7, ending a 25-year era in which the iconic bank logo towered over the Downtown core.

Spokesman Ruben Pulido confirmed the closure: "Until [May], customers can use this branch and bank with us as they always have," he said. "After that, they can visit us at our North Fourth branch at 3801 4th Street NW."

Customers of the Lomas branch have been receiving notices about the decision in recent months.

Pulido did not directly answer a question about why the bank was leaving the core, but it is certainly part of a larger trend. The less-than-ideal level of bustle in the city center is a factor, but perhaps a larger one is the mass migration of bank customers to websites and apps for many, if not most, of their routine banking services. Businesses, which drove the concentration of banks in urban cores across the country in the post-World War II era, have been particularly eager to take advantage of digital banking (DAN, 4/13/21).

Pulido did appear to allude to that phenomenon in response to questions, noting that "branches continue to play an important role in the way we serve our customers in combination with our mobile app, online website, and ATMs."

Wells Fargo moved into the building around the turn of the century following a 1998 merger with Norwest Bank, which was previously located on the site. Before that, the building was home to United New Mexico Bank and the American Bank of Commerce.

Wells Fargo is presently under contract to sell the entire building to Geltmore, a local developer, which plans to add up to 120 apartments to the mostly vacant upper floors (DAN, 10/24/24). Plans also call for leasing out the ground floor to various commercial tenants.

Geltmore had been under the impression that Wells Fargo would stay on as one of those tenants, but principal Adam Silverman said they could move forward either way.

"No sour grapes from us," he said. "Wells had the right to stay or go."

The sale of the parent company of New Mexico Bank & Trust, Denver-based Heartland Financial, to a Kansas City-based bank is expected to be completed at the end of the week. The Albuquerque Business First story below says that customers locally won't see any changes, at least initially. UMB Bank will more than double its branches and expand its presence into five new states with this purchase. Locally, they have about $1.4 billion in deposits and 9 branch locations as New Mexico Bank & Trust.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...close-on-acquisition-heartland-deal.html

New Mexico Bank and Trust is now under the UMB Bank umbrella following a $2.8 billion acquisition of the former's bank holding company.

UMB Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: UMBF) was set to close at 11:59 p.m. Friday on its $2.8 billion acquisition of Denver-based Heartland Financial USA, a deal that expands its geographic footprint from eight to 13 states.

The all-stock transaction boosts UMB’s asset size to about $68 billion, expands its retail deposit base and increases the bank’s wealth management assets under management and administration by 32%. Kansas City-based UMB has a large presence in the St. Louis area.

Acquiring Heartland Financial (Nasdaq: HTLF) — which is the largest purchase in UMB’s nearly 112-year history — adds California, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico and Wisconsin to the existing footprint that includes Missouri, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Heartland Financial will operate as a division of UMB prior to its banking centers and systems being converted to the merged bank, which is anticipated to occur in the fourth quarter of this year.

The strategy behind the merger is to further de-risk UMB through diversification, Mariner Kemper, chairman and chief executive officer of UMB Financial Corp., said in an interview Friday afternoon.

“We’ve been heavily weighted toward commercial and institutional. So we double the size of our retail business and we double the size of our footprint. We’ll have twice as many branches and twice as much in deposits. Also strategically, we really like the wealth management business.

“We also get to bring our products to their customers. They really don’t have a robust mortgage program. So we will be able to bring private banking, credit cards and mortgage into their footprint and then we get to layer commercial banking across their footprint. They’re more of a small business bank. So we get to benefit from them on their acumen in small business and we get to deliver our middle market commercial banking and institutional banking across their footprint,” he added.

The following divisions are now operating as divisions of UMB Bank, n.a.:Arizona Bank & Trust; Bank of Blue Valley; Citywide Banks; Dubuque Bank & Trust (DB&T); First Bank & Trust Texas; Illinois Bank & Trust; Minnesota Bank & Trust; New Mexico Bank & Trust; Premier Valley Bank; and Wisconsin Bank & Trust.

The acquisition of Heartland Financial adds 104 branches and 115 ATMs to UMB’s current 93 banking centers and 235 ATMs. Heartland Financial’s banks include Illinois Bank & Trust, based in Rockford Illinois about 90 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.

On Jan. 28, UMB Financial Corp. posted net income of $441.2 million in 2024, compared to $350 million in 2023. Net interest income increased by $80.8 million last year over 2023 -- 8.8% higher because of an increase in average earnings assets along with the impacts from increased short-term and long-term interest rates. Non-interest income increased by $86.3 million in 2024 over the prior year -- a 15.9% increase.

"For UMB, we're very unique with our non-interest income," said Kemper. "One, it's nearly 40% of our overall revenue. Our peer group is half that and most of other banks' non-interest income comes from gain on sale revenue from mortgages. Hardly any of our revenue is tied to the interest rate environment. So it's stable through different environments...A lot of banks have volatility with their fee income because it's tied to interest rates."

UMB Bank ranked as the 11th largest bank in the St. Louis metro area, with $2.38 billion in local deposits as of June 30, 2024, according to Business Journal research.

What to expect at the New Mexico branch

What can customers of New Mexico Bank and Trust expect now that the bank has joined UMB Bank? Not much will change initially, UMB reports, stating on its website that more details about the transition would be available in the coming months.

UMB is planning a "system conversion" later in the year, during which time it will integrate its systems, "providing customers with access to an expanded offering of UMB financial services and solutions," according to the bank.

UMB also reports that once the transition is complete, customers will have access to 200-plus more ATMs and more branches.

[ABQalex]

Here are some pics of the CNM Skilled Trades Facility that Franken Construction posted today on its LinkedIn account.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7292559570621579264/









Here also are some pics of the new Kathie Winograd Student Success Center at CNM from its architect and sign fabricator.

https://www.dekkerdesign.org/project/cnm-katharine-winograd-student-services-building/









https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7272645761077534721/

[ABQalex]

The Sunport has posted the total number of passengers for 2024 on its website. They haven't issued the report for December individually, but we can deduce that number by subtracting the total through November that I posted previously from the yearly total that they now show on the website.

https://www.abqsunport.com/facts-figures/

Albuquerque International Sunport passenger statistics:

348,907 - January
353,071 - February
452,861 - March
450,500 - April
500,602 - May
503,656 - June
512,188 - July
461,997 - August
473 850 - September
560,688 - October
426,893 - November
446,757 - December

5,491,970 - Total 2024

As you can see, the Sunport finished the year with almost 5.5 million passengers, an increase of 3.8 percent over the 5,289,535 passengers in 2023, and the busiest year since the Wright Amendment era back in 2011. December saw 446,757 passengers, which was an increase over the 437,117 passengers that same month in 2023 as well.

As I said last month, the growth in traffic is slowing at the Sunport, but most of that growth in recent years was merely recovery from the dramatic lows at the beginning of the pandemic. But I do think we'll start seeing natural peaks occurring more in the coming years now that we've exceeded our pre-pandemic numbers. And hopefully we'll have steady growth ahead!

Here are a couple of neat aerial pics of the Sunport and its environs from a recent post on Reddit by a small plane pilot taking off at sunset. Be sure to click the link to the post to see the second pic in its much larger original size. You can see the construction work for the Avid Hotel west of the Sunport and the new Home2 Suites hotel as well in the same area near the Sunport Boulevard/I-25 interchange.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/com...ers_just_a_golden_hour_departure_out_of/

[ABQalex]

Albuquerque Business First had a story last week about a new 60-unit affordable housing project for seniors planned in Los Lunas just south of the Los Lunas Transportation Center and Rail Runner station. This is in addition to the project with 168 units planned for land east of the transportation center. I haven't seen any updates about that project, but hopefully it's still in the works. If it is, that would be 228 units of housing planned at the Los Lunas Rail Runner station!

The story says that the $14.5 million project by Spire Development of Columbus, Ohio is expected to begin construction in early 2027 if it wins certain tax credits from Housing New Mexico, the agency charged with evaluating and awarding affordable housing grants and tax credits in New Mexico. The agency was formerly known as the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority but changed its name last year.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...cures-funding-for-los-lunas-project.html

An Ohio-based developer recently secured funding from the Village of Los Lunas for a $14.5 million housing project.

After gaining proper zoning in a Dec. 19 meeting, Spire Development secured $550,000 from the Village of Los Lunas in a Jan. 16 Council meeting for an affordable senior housing complex at 880 Juan Perea Road SE.

“The Village of Los Lunas is proud to commit $550,000 in support of the Plaza Luna Lofts project, ensuring our seniors have access to safe, affordable housing and reflecting our ongoing dedication to meeting the community’s needs,” Victoria Archuleta, Village of Los Lunas senior economic developer, said in an email statement.

This funding will go towards paying gross receipts taxes, impact fees and payment for water rights, he said.

The project is also supported by grants from Valencia County, according to Ryan Laber, Spire Development’s vice president of development.

Spire Development is seeking more funding for the project from state and federal grant programs, Archuleta said.

And its village funding is contingent upon receiving a low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) from the Mortgage Finance Authority in the 2025 or 2026 competitive rounds, according to a Village of Los Lunas administrative document.

LIHTCs provide “direct federal income tax savings to individuals or corporations that invest funds in rental housing developments with apartments set aside for low-income households,” according to the MFA’s website.

Spire Development is also seeking other sources of funding through the MFA. It’s expected they will hear from the MFA regarding its funding requests in April or May, a Village of Los Lunas document shows.

Construction on the project is expected to start no sooner than early 2026, although the project is more likely to start construction in early 2027, Laber said.

Jeebs & Zuzu will be the architect for the project, and a general contractor will be selected once all necessary funding is secured. Spire Development plans to hire a local general contractor and has held preliminary conversations with local general contractors, Laber said.

Its expected construction of the 60-unit, entirely age 55-and-up affordable housing complex would take about 15 months, Laber said. It will have 48 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units, a Village of Los Lunas document shows.

Amenities are expected to include a community room with an adjoining kitchen area, a covered outdoor community space, fitness center, on-site leasing office, sustainable and energy-efficient design and weekly on-site programming, Laber said.

The average rent for a one-bedroom unit Spire Development is underwriting in the deal is $775 per month, not including utilities, and $900 per month for a two-bedroom unit, according to a Village of Los Lunas document.

This is a master plan visual showing how the village anticipated building out the land around its transportation center. You can see that these two residential projects would more or less carry that part of the vision out.



The Valencia County News-Bulletin also recently had a story about Facebook/Meta’s planned expansion of its data center campus in Los Lunas with two new structures to support its artificial intelligence needs. The Los Lunas Village Council is considering the authorization to issue up to $45 billion in additional Industrial Revenue Bonds for the new project.

The construction and development of the new structures themselves would cost about $800 million and take two or three years to build, which they hope to begin this spring. They are currently building the last three structures of its previously-announced expansion. They expect those to be completed at the end of the year.

Construction at the site has been ongoing for almost a decade, since 2016, with 1,100 construction workers and more than 300 permanent employees currently on site. The new project would create 30 more permanent jobs. The current expansion may end up adding another 350 permanent jobs as well when it's completed.

https://www.news-bulletin.com/news/los-l...09a47fe-d366-11ef-b76e-470988820678.html

LOS LUNAS — With the assistance of local leadership, the Los Lunas Meta Data Center is seeking to expand its campus through the addition of two new buildings to house next-generation technology.

“Meta’s campus is on a (roughly) 750 acre parcel of land. They initially broke ground in 2016 and, ever since they’ve been in Valencia County, they have been a great community partner,” said Los Lunas senior economic developer Victoria Archuleta in a phone interview.

Recently, the Los Lunas Village Council approved a resolution declaring the village’s intent to issue a series of taxable industrial revenue bonds (IRBs) pertaining to the proposed expansion of the Los Lunas Meta Data Center.

An IRB is a tax break for companies that plan to expand by way of construction and equipping of a future project. The inducement and notice resolution for an IRB application was submitted by Greater Kudu LLC, a subsidiary of Meta (formerly called Facebook).

“This resolution declares the intent of the village to issue up to six series of (IRBs) in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $7.5 billion dollars each to induce the Greater Kudu LLC to expand its existing data center facility at its existing site,” said the village’s bond attorney Jill Sweeney at the Dec. 5 council meeting.

Sweeney said this would be the third series of IRBs to Greater Kudu LLC. According to previous News-Bulletin reporting, the first round of IRBs, which were used to create the Los Lunas Data Center in 2016, were about $30 billion. In 2021, the Los Lunas councilors approved a little more than $40 billion in IRBs to help with the cost of a second series of buildings at the data center.

“The purpose of an IRB is to provide certain incentives for the company to expand and operate here and bring new jobs and other benefits to the community, so this inducement resolution will allow the company to begin to take advantage of gross receipt and compensating tax abatement because this is an equipment IRB,” Sweeney explained.

The other thing this resolution does, said Sweeney, “is give the team the go ahead to proceed with economic analysis including negotiation of payment in lieu of taxes and to negotiate … when we get to the ordinance.”

Currently, the Los Lunas Data Center is made up of seven large buildings. In 2021, they began construction of three additional buildings, which David Williams, the Los Lunas Meta Data Center community development manager, said is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2025.

Now, they are proposing a third expansion of two new buildings that, according to the resolution, will house “next generation data center facilities to support current products and enable future generations of AI (artificial intelligence) hardware.”

Archuleta said what’s special about this proposed expansion is these facilities would be the first of its kind in Meta’s portfolio dedicated to AI and machine learning applications.

“Meta also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, among others, so anytime someone’s on their app (utilizing AI) that has to be powered and generated somewhere, right? So this is a new model that we’re really excited to support Meta in doing, and we’re fortunate that Meta is looking at doing that here, in Los Lunas, to really move this advanced technology forward,” said Archuleta.

The two new buildings would also use substantially less water, said Archuelta, as “Meta has a focus on minimizing their water use and also offsetting the amount of electricity and power that they’re using.”

She said Meta has also been making upgrades to their existing buildings to help conserve water.

“When they initially started, they had an estimated amount of water that they projected they were going to use,” said Archuleta. “Through all the advances in technology and water restoration and their dedication to sustainability, they’ve used way less water than I think any of us thought they would.”

Archuleta said to her knowledge the Los Lunas Data Center currently employs about 300 full-time Meta-associated employees and around 1,100 construction workers.

“They’re looking at an $800 million investment in the construction and development costs for the (proposed) two new buildings,” Archuleta said. “Once that’s done, we’re expecting that would add about 30 new, full-time jobs upon completion.”

Sweeney said the proposed two new buildings would entail about two to three years of construction, which is expected to begin promptly in the spring should all go as planned. She also told the council that traffic studies, monitoring and planning for the future is all in the works.

“This is the beginning of this process. An application has been submitted, been reviewed and all the steps have been taken up to this point in accordance with your economic development policy,” Sweeney said. “So this is your opportunity to give your non-binding intent to the team to go forward, then we’ll come back to you probably at your January 30 meeting with an ordinance and all the nuts and bolts of the transaction.”

“I’m excited about the concept of the high-tech around here. I think it’s going to be great for the area,” said councilor James Runyon.

The council then unanimously voted in approval of the inducement and notice resolution which includes authorization to publish notice of intent to adopt the IRB ordinance.

“This is already one of their largest campuses in the United States, so if they move forward with this third expansion it would be a really substantial benchmark for Meta and Los Lunas,” said Archuleta. “I think it’s really special and is a compliment to the village of Los Lunas and our teams that are able to support this type of growth and development and that, more than anything, we’re business friendly and open to allowing that kind of growth.”

The new Los Lunas freeway interchange, roadway and river crossing project is currently scheduled to break ground next month. It was supposed to get underway last fall, but has faced delays tied to securing all of its $234 million in funding. The village has about $180 million in funding currently secured for the project, which is enough for the first phase. It's expected to take three years to be completed once construction begins.

(June 2024)

https://www.news-bulletin.com/news/const...9feea1c-32a4-5e18-b54c-d8489ce7bef0.html

LOS LUNAS—The beginning of the long-awaited interstate interchange in Los Lunas and river bridge is about to become a reality.

A public hearing was held last week to give residents an overview of the Los Lunas Boulevard Corridor project, which is scheduled to begin construction this fall.

During an in-person and virtual hearing on May 29 held in the council chambers in Los Lunas Village Hall, Wyatt Kartchner, the project engineer with Molzen Corbin, said the corridor will span from Interstate 25 to the east, across N.M. 314, over the Rio Grande and ending at N.M. 47.

Planning to address the needs

“This has been ongoing for nearly 20 years,” Kartchner said about the project. “The village (of Los Lunas) has spearheaded this project with help from Valencia County and lots of other folks involved.”

While the idea of the crossing was initiated in 2001, it wasn’t until 2012 when the aMiddle Rio Grande Council of Governments developed an alignment study. The village also held its first public meeting about the issue.

There are four identified reasons for need for the corridor, including deficiencies of the existing transportation system, growth and development, traffic and congestion and emergency response service.

N.M. 6 (Main Street in Los Lunas) is the only east-west roadway connecting I-25, across the river to N.M. 47 for more than 10 miles both north and south. The state highway lacks adequate traffic capacity and improvements to the road have been exhausted.

Growth and development in the village continues to increase, both in population and employment. With more people and business comes more traffic and congestion.

Because of the congestion on N.M., traffic accidents can cause reduction in response time for first responders, including police, fire and EMTs.

“The purpose is to address traffic flow on N.M. 6 by adding a new road between I-25 and N.M. 47,” Kartchner said. “The project aims to address travel demand to high-growth areas and improve the efficiently of emergency response services within northern Valencia County.”

Kartchner said he expects the bid for the construction will go out by late summer, and construction to begin in the fall. He estimates it will take three years to complete the entire corridor from I-25 to N.M. 47.

...

Corridor cost

The full cost of the Los Lunas Boulevard Corridor has come in at $234 million, which would include four lanes of traffic.

Because the village has only been able to secure $154,317,389 in local, state and federal funds, only phase one, which allows for two lanes, will be completed in three years.

Phase two will include adding the two other lanes when funding becomes available.

(September 2024)

https://www.krqe.com/traffic-roads/los-lunas-i-25-interchange-faces-new-delay/

LOS LUNAS, N.M. (KRQE) – There’s been another delay for the long-standing I-25 interchange project within Los Lunas. The project is supposed to help alleviate traffic congestion for commuters on Main Street in Los Lunas.

It will entail adding a new road between I-25 and Highway 47 near Morris Road. Recently, the village announced they received a $25 million grant to fund the project. “This has been a long-standing problem in the village; it’s still a problem today. We still do see a lot of congestion,” says Erin Callahan, Deputy Village Administrator. “We do think it’s very realistic that we will be having a groundbreaking in March 2025.”

They say the next step is setting a construction company to take a bid by December. It was originally supposed to break ground this fall.

The existing I-25 interchange in Los Lunas on New Mexico Highway 6 is also being improved, with a project scheduled to get underway this month. Below is a story from the News-Bulletin a couple of weeks ago about the project.

https://www.news-bulletin.com/news/i-25-...a7209b2-d849-11ef-a51f-b360e4d2c8bf.html

LOS LUNAS — The I-25 and N.M. 6 intersection and on-and-off ramps will soon be undergoing some significant improvements to reduce traffic backups on Main Street in Los Lunas.

At the Nov. 21 Los Lunas Council meeting, the councilors unanimously approved the low bid put forth by Desert Fox Inc. of $4,377,389 for the I-25/N.M. 6 On & Off Ramps Rehab and Reconstruction Project.

Los Lunas Public Works Director Michael Jaramillo said it was originally planned to be a New Mexico Department of Transportation-led project, as they own N.M. 6, “but through our partnership with them and trying to make this work, we came to an understanding that we could probably make this happen, so they asked us to take the lead on it.”

“This project started three years ago, and it originally started with the southbound off-ramp to come up into Los Lunas,” said Molzen Corbin engineer Jonah Ruybalid at the meeting. “It was to add an additional lane for the southbound to westbound movement and then over the years, this project has morphed into a lot more than that.”

Ruybalid explained the plan is to add another right turn lane on the I-25 southbound off-ramp, to make a total of two right turn lanes. The project also includes the addition of another left turn lane on N.M. 6 to get on the I-25 northbound on-ramp for a total of two left turn lanes.

Currently, there are five lanes on the bridge between the I-25 and N.M. 6 intersections, but to accomplish the addition of another left turn lane, Ruybalid said a sixth lane will need to be added.

“You might be wondering, is there really enough room for a sixth lane? Believe it or not, there is,” said Ruybalid.

In a phone interview, Jaramillo said this sixth lane will be created by shrinking down the existing lane sizes on the bridge from the standard 12- to 14-foot wide size, to 11-feet wide to allow for the secondary turn lane. He said the bridge will also be repaved and restriped to accommodate for the additional lane.

Currently, there is a single “free right” lane for the westbound to northbound movement onto the 1-25 northbound on-ramp that allows people to just merge in, but that will be removed as part of the project to improve pedestrian safety, said Ruybalid.

“In order to remove that lane while still maintaining capacity, the project includes (the addition of) two right turn lanes for the westbound to northbound movement to get on to I-25,” he said.

Jaramillo said a traffic signal where the free right lane is at will be relocated to accommodate the new lanes. The plan is to have a stop light for the two new right turn lanes and a turn signal will now direct you to turn right onto the northbound I-25 on-ramp.

Ruybalid said the addition of these two new lanes and the new left turn lane on the bridge require widening of the acceleration lane for the 1-25 northbound on-ramp, which will also be part of this project. He said the widening of the acceleration lane would go on for about 3,500 feet, or a little over half a mile.

Traffic signal improvements will also be done at the I-25 southbound off-ramp to move the traffic light further west to accommodate widening of the off-ramp due to the new secondary right turn lane.

“We’re also going to reprogram the lighting system,” said Jaramillo. “Now that we’re going to add these additional lanes, we have to add some time to the clocks and change some things.”

Jaramillo said there will also be sidewalk and pedestrian improvements in the area as some sidewalks will be removed to allow for the roadway improvements. There will also be new sidewalks in some areas “mostly on the north side of the bridge that connect to the bridge. We’ll be fixing those and the crosswalks there as well.”

Ruybalid said at the meeting the pedestrian walkways on the bridge would remain as is. However, on the south side of N.M. 6 there is currently pedestrian crossing by the southbound on-ramp to get to the north side of N.M. 6 that would be removed.

“So essentially, if you’re on the south side, you have to stay on the south side to make your way through the two intersections. Same thing with the north side; you’d have to stay on the north,” said Ruybalid.

“With the growth of the community, we’ve been trying to find ways to reduce the traffic backups that we have,” said Jaramillo. “We’ve done quite a bit already with the help of Meta, where we’ve gone and re-signaled all the lights, which has made a big difference, but this one here is one that we think is going to be successful in helping us move people and not having the backups that are there in front of Walmart.”

Jaramillo said construction is estimated to begin in mid- to late-February, and he anticipates construction to last six to eight months max for full completion of the project.

“For the most part, they’re going to be working during the day, but we did provide some constraints for night work for certain activities,” said Ruybalid.

“The goal of it is to hopefully keep the majority of the bridge open during this time,” said Jaramillo. “There will be a reduction in lanes for specific things, but the goal is to hopefully keep traffic moving. There will be some delays, but I think that the outcome of the project is going to see a huge difference in some of the tie ups that we have.”

The project is funded through the Federal Highway Administration through the (NMDOT) and local village funds. The amount of $3.7 million is funded by the Federal Highway Administration while the village match is $625,00. The state LEDA (Local Economic Development Act) match is $1.3 million for the project-funding total of $5.7 million.

The village and the state also rebuilt the bridge for the existing river crossing in Los Lunas along Main Street/New Mexico Highway 6 a few years ago.

[ABQalex]

Here are some pics of the work being done for the I-25 Improved freeway reconstruction project. They were posted by a project engineer on his LinkedIn account recently. The first two pics are bonus recent aerial views from the Rainbow Ryders balloon pilot on Facebook. They show the area around the two interchanges and the general project location.

https://www.facebook.com/kris.braden.9/p...GzqKfZtodT3TA71LR2GtvnkcezteKTAToYgEVo6l





https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7286405192919433216/















https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7290423866961641472/

[ABQalex]

The Albuquerque City Council at its meeting this past week approved the $30 million in industrial revenue bonds for the New Mexico United soccer stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park. The project now awaits the outcome of the court challenge against its planning approval in order to go forward.

https://www.kob.com/news/top-news/city-councilors-approve-30m-bond-for-new-mexico-united/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque city councilors approved a $30 million industrial revenue bond for New Mexico United to help build and maintain a stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park.

Councilors voted 8-1 to approve the bond. The bond is a tax incentive that limits how much the developer pays in taxes so it doesn’t strain development. Often, the bond is repaid with the revenue generated from the development.

Last year, the city approved plans to build the soccer stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park. The proposal has run into opposition from neighbors in the area who already filed an appeal in court.

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_fe943b92-e32e-11ef-ba9e-67d638b4c023.html

New Mexico United is a step closer to a new stadium.

Albuquerque city councilors approved the city’s sale of a $30 million revenue bond to the United Soccer League (USL) club to build its stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park.

“The team in this case is responsible for the purchase of the bonds; it’s a private placement where they go and arrange this. There are no city funds that go to this,” Christopher Chavez, who works in the city’s Economic Development Department, told councilors Monday night.

The approval of the bond also grants the club a 20-year, 75% tax abatement on the project.

In 2021, voters rejected a $50 million publicly funded bond for a Downtown-area stadium, sending United on a search for a new location. In November 2023, the City Council approved its application to build at the northeast city site.

Some $14 million has been allocated to the stadium project by the state, though it will be — and some already has been — used to improve the infrastructure at Balloon Fiesta Park, according to the team’s spokesperson David Wiese-Carl.

Councilor Joaquín Baca sponsored the measure even though the project is not in his district because Councilor Brook Bassan, who represents the area where the stadium will be built, declined to due to pending litigation.

“There is currently a land use appeal occurring on this matter, so I have some concerns,” Bassan said. “This is not against United; this is me listening to my constituents as well.”

She was the lone vote against selling the bond.

In September, the Wildflower, Maria Dier and North Edith Corridor neighborhood associations appealed the City Council’s Aug. 24, 2024, decision to deny an appeal of the planning process. Bassan was the lone vote against.

The USL requires its franchises to have dedicated soccer-only stadiums with a minimum capacity of 5,000 in place by 2026. The team currently plays at Isotopes Park, the home of the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes baseball team.

United will not meet that deadline, but the league is being gracious, according to club President Ron Patel.

“A privately funded United stadium will be an economic boost for the city, bringing hundreds of new jobs for workers and giving families a new, world-class entertainment venue,” Sara Mannal, a spokesperson for the city’s Economic Development Department, said in a statement.

She noted that the stadium’s fate is contingent on the land use appeal.

“While IRBs are an economic development tool and tax incentive that will help bring this project to life, the stadium is contingent on the court’s decision,” Mannal said.

[ABQalex]

Here are some pics of the renovated Hilton Garden Inn hotel in Uptown Albuquerque. They were recently uploaded to the hotel’s web page on the Hilton website. I've included the rendering to compare with the completed result of the exterior transformation.

https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/abqupgi-hilton-garden-inn-albuquerque-uptown/



















A new hotel is planned along Louisiana Boulevard in Uptown Albuquerque. It will replace an existing two-story office structure at 2444 Louisiana NE that was most recently home to a PNC Bank branch. The bank branch recently moved just down the street to renovated space at 2400 Louisiana NE. The planned hotel is a 6-story, 150-room project by Tekin & Associates of Dallas, Texas. They are currently building the Cielo Alameda apartments in the Far Northeast Heights as well.

https://dmdmaps.cabq.gov/DRB/PR-2025-020...a%20Blvd%20NE%20-%20Site%20Sketch_v1.pdf





https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/2444-Louisiana-Blvd-NE-Albuquerque-NM/4217760/

[ABQalex]

Mark Baker this morning posted a video/animated rendering of a neat project that his architecture firm is working on near the UNM campus. The former Galles Motor Company structure will be renovated to become the home of the "National Route 66 Research Center"

https://www.instagram.com/archibot/reel/DGBVAAexArr/



Here is a link to a history of the structure on the Albuquerque Modernism website, which was created by UNM architecture students ten years ago. I've also included a screenshot of Google streetview and a couple of historic pics showing how the structure originally appeared and was used as a dealership.

https://albuquerquemodernism.unm.edu/posts/cs10_galles_motor_company.html







This is a nice reuse of the structure. It will look really cool to see cars displayed in the windows once again. I wonder whether the university is involved directly, as they own this structure and the land it sits upon. Remember that they tore down another structure in this area that sat closer to the intersection of University and Central a couple of years ago.





They have had a vision and various plans going back over a decade for new mixed-use structures on the overall site. Hopefully this project will be a catalyst to finally bring some of that to fruition on the empty parts of the site.

https://www.lobodevelopmentcorp.com/project/central-and-university/





I especially wonder what that seemingly 4-story structure is west of the former dealership structure in the rendering. Hopefully it is a firm plan for a new structure and a taste of what else new may be built on the site. This is at the major corner and gateway to the UNM campus, it deserves and should have a really great and signature development to anchor it!

[ABQalex]

Roni's Mac Bar recently opened in a renovated space across from UNM. It was delayed by a few months, but seems like it was a highly-anticipated opening, judging by the crowds waiting in line in 20° weather when it had its grand opening ceremony. The story by Albuquerque Business First below also says that they are planning another location in either Albuquerque or Rio Rancho later this year.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2025/01/26/ronis-mac-bar-grand-opening.html

Roni’s Mac Bar, a new restaurant in Albuquerque located near The University of New Mexico, will have its grand opening on Jan. 25.

“It’s been a work in progress for a whole year, so to see it come to fruition is just awesome,” Alexis Salisbury, franchise co-owner said.

Roni’s is a mac and cheese and grilled cheese restaurant, located at 2108 Central Ave. SE, which is across the street from the University of New Mexico's main campus.

Husband and wife duo Kyler and Alexis Salisbury are the franchisees behind the location, both were born in Clovis and are UNM grads.

The 1,800-square-foot location was originally supposed to open in late October, but was delayed a few months due to paperwork from the bank loan the couple took out for the location. They started the remodel back in September with the general contractor as Powerhouse Contracting LLC. It took about five weeks to complete.

“We want to make sure the customers feel welcomed and enjoy a homey vibe, we don’t want them to feel like it’s McDonalds or corporate, because I feel like that can get lost in the word franchise,” Alexis Salisbury said.

The restaurant has hired 15 employees with a possibility that it will jump to 20 employees, according to Alexis Salisbury. All employees besides the assistant mangers and general manger are part time.

Roni’s launched its soft opening on Jan. 16; the grand opening will feature a ribbon cutting and the first hundred people will have a chance to win mac and cheese for a year and other games to win prizes.

The couple hope to open a second location in the Albuquerque/Rio Rancho area sometime in 2025.

“Now that we’re hitting the seven-to-eight-day mark, we have a groove going and everyone feels very confident,” Alexis Salisbury said.

Roni’s started in Waco, Texas, and has four total locations in Texas, along with one in Utah and another one on the way in Missouri.

Here are some nice pics of its grand opening that were jointly posted on Instagram by the national and local Roni's Mac Bar accounts. They noted in the post that it's their first location to offer green chile. Green chile mac and cheese is a must have in Albuquerque, of course. Perhaps it will find its way to their menus across the country as they continue to expand.

https://www.instagram.com/ronismacbar/p/DFYCD2nvrUz/



























A new Laguna Burger location is also getting ready to open across from UNM in the Bricklight District on Harvard Drive SE. Below are a couple screenshots of Google streetview which show the new sign that has went up over the space. The streetview dates from last week and apparently captured the sign just as it was going up.

https://thelagunaburger.com/





Here are a couple more screenshots of Google streetview showing the progress on the El Parador project nearby at Yale and Silver SE. These streetviews date from last month.





The developer of the 16-unit Garfield Townhomes project recently applied for its main building permit. This is one of the building permits I saw last month just before the city switched over to its new system and platform. They've since applied for another permit, but with the new system it's not easy to tell what exactly it's for, usually these others are just for specific units or structures or things like foundations.

Below is a screenshot of the main building permit for the project, a rendering, and another screenshot of Google streetview with a recent view of the site where the project will be built.

[ABQalex]

The Arrive Hotel opened for guests today in Downtown Albuquerque. They announced earlier this week that they would indeed be opening earlier than expected. And their restaurant and bar, DWTNR, will be opening on Monday. Below are pics from them and links to their website and post on Instagram today officially announcing their opening.

https://www.arrivehotels.com/albuquerque

https://www.instagram.com/arrivehotels/p/DGBlAJaTvq3/

















Here are some more pics posted by a local guide on Google which look to have been taken earlier this week in the lead up to the opening, as you can spot things that aren't quite perfect or finished yet. But, we get a good view of the overall hotel structure, its completed sign, the smaller mural at ground level, and the swimming pool area.













I think it came out great. This is a day that's been a long time coming and I'm very happy to see them finally open!

[ABQalex]

Here are some more nice pics of the Arrive Hotel that they uploaded today to their Google profile. The pics include a couple of overhead views of the pool area, which looks fantastic, especially with that outdoor seating area coming off of the hotel's restaurant and bar. I'm sure it will be quite popular and just perfect in the summer. I'm eager to find out what exactly their "swim club" entails.



















Secret Gallery also recently announced that they will be opening a gallery and events space on the ground floor of the Arrive Hotel. I was really glad to hear this as I'm sure it will become a regular stop on the monthly Art Walk. Secret Gallery was previously located in Barelas at the historic Ruppe Drugstore space. They were almost always the southern anchor of Art Walk that drew people from Downtown proper into Barelas as well.

https://www.instagram.com/secretgallerynm/p/DE7-4q9PxoB/

[ABQalex]

The DWTNR bar and restaurant has now also officially opened at the Arrive Hotel in Downtown Albuquerque. Below are a few pics of it and its offerings that were posted today to Google and Instagram.

https://www.dwtnrbar.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dwtnrbar/



















https://www.instagram.com/abq_nm_bob/p/DGMMDBkSI9i/

[ABQalex]

The city yesterday announced its plans to celebrate the Route 66 Centennial in Albuquerque. Part of that includes a new logo for the occasion, merchandising, and partnerships with creative outfits such as Meow Wolf to create interactive art and mural experiences along the route. They also unveiled a website dedicated to the celebration.

https://www.cabq.gov/artsculture/news/celebrating-albuquerque2019s-story-along-route-66

Celebrating Albuquerque’s Story Along Route 66

City rolls out Route 66 Centennial anniversary plans.

February 18, 2025

Today, the City of Albuquerque’s Department of Arts & Culture, Visit Albuquerque, and programming partners unveiled plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the legendary Route 66, a vital cultural and historical corridor that has long helped define the city’s landscape. The celebration is gearing up to be a historic and vibrant milestone with exciting plans for the two-season long commemoration with a comprehensive event website, immersive art installations, cutting-edge augmented reality (A/R) experiences, and a host of special events that will bring the iconic route to life in new and innovative ways.

“Route 66 is an iconic part of Albuquerque’s story, and when you see the revitalization happening along Central in Downtown today, that story is as much about our future as it is our past,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “This Centennial gives us a chance to showcase our identity and celebrate what’s so special about our 18-mile stretch of the Mother Road.”

To kick off two seasons of celebration, Visit Albuquerque, the city’s official destination marketing organization, has created a Route 66 Centennial website - Route66ABQ.com. The site features a historic image slider with “Then and Now” perspectives, stories, and an array of resources for locals and tourists to explore Albuquerque’s segment of Route 66 and events that will be taking place.

In addition, Ripe, Inc. designed a special Albuquerque Route 66 Centennial logo and branding materials. The firm is also collaborating with Arts & Culture to develop commemorative merchandise.

Santa Fe-based Refract Studio is developing an A/R storytelling adventure at eight key locations along Albuquerque’s Route 66. In addition, local firm Jak + Flux is creating an interactive A/R project that will explore public art installations along the route.

Arts & Culture is also developing a series of large-scale mural and interactive art installations along the Route in partnership with Meow Wolf, the nationally renowned immersive arts collective based in New Mexico. This initiative will bring together community artists and property owners to enhance Central Avenue with dynamic public art.

“We at Meow Wolf are absolutely thrilled to partner with the City of Albuquerque and work alongside local artists on this monumental Route 66 project. It’s a chance to blend our creative energies with the heart of this community and create something truly historic,” said Vince Kadlubek, Meow Wolf’s chief vision officer.

A foundation of Albuquerque’s Centennial celebration is the collaboration between the Arts & Culture and Visit Albuquerque. This partnership will ensure that Albuquerque’s Route 66 Centennial will be promoted and celebrated on a global scale.

“Route 66 is a cornerstone of Albuquerque’s tourism industry, drawing visitors from around the world who contribute to the city’s economy and support local businesses,” said President & CEO of Visit Albuquerque Tania Armenta. “The Centennial is an extraordinary opportunity to showcase our city and state on a global stage and strengthen Albuquerque’s position as a must-visit destination for years to come.”

Arts & Culture has also secured grant funding from the New Mexico Tourism Department, the National Park Service, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Other key partnerships include the National Trust for Historic Preservation and many Route 66 business owners and stakeholders.

“New Mexico is a key fixture in the history and heritage of Route 66 and the New Mexico Tourism Department is prepared to capitalize on this incredible milestone. From Tucumcari to Gallup, we’ve seen community stakeholders gather to share creative and thoughtful ideas for promotions, products, special events, and infrastructure improvements that will enhance the visitor experience along the Mother Road. We’re ready to continue our work in 2025 so New Mexico can put its best foot forward for the 100 year celebration,” said Acting Cabinet Secretary of New Mexico Department of Tourism Lancing Adams.

"Route 66 is and continues to be a vital thread across our city, connecting historic neighborhoods, showcasing world-class architecture and signage, lowriders and classics, neon and art—all with our unique Albuquerque flavor,” said Director of Arts & Culture Dr. Shelle Sanchez. “We are looking forward to highlighting our eighteen miles of the historic route.”

Investment in this historic roadway doesn’t stop there. Other City of Albuquerque departments have worked together to implement infrastructure improvements, new lighting, housing initiatives, and redevelopment projects along Route 66, ensuring that the Centennial efforts leave a lasting impact in Albuquerque for years to come.

For more information, visit the Route 66 Centennial website at Route66ABQ.com.

Here's the link to the new Albuquerque Route 66 Centennial website.

https://www.visitalbuquerque.org/route-66-centennial/



M'Tucci's Bar Roma in Nob Hill recently won a grant from the city to improve its outdoor patio area. It of course is located in the historic Jones Motor Company property on Central Avenue/Route 66. They renovated and took over the structure a few years back.

https://www.krqe.com/news/business/nob-h...nt-to-upgrade-its-iconic-route-66-patio/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A popular Italian restaurant is receiving a major glow-up, thanks to the help of a city grant. M’tucci’s is known for the celebration of ‘la dolce vita‘.

Providing hand-crafted Italian dishes, prepared in a warm environment. In just a few months, M’Tucci’s is hoping the outside of their establishment will match the ambiance found inside.

“Nob Hill has an amazing history and we never felt that businesses around here were really telling that story,” said Howie Kaibel, Minister of Culture at M’tuccis.

M’tucci’s Bar Roma was awarded a $10,000 grant from Visit Albuquerque to modernize the iconic patio while maintaining its old-school charm dating back to the late 1930s. “We want this to be an all-weather patio, so especially during the hottest of New Mexico days during the summer, we’re gonna have misters, we’re gonna have a water feature,” continued Kaibel.

Some of what is planned:

• Plaque as a Registered Historic Property

• Wooden Garden Arbor for entrance

• Patio Entrance Sign

• Lancaster Table & Seating 46″ Walnut Host Station / Host Podium

• Pet and Dog Turf

• Water Feature

• Directional Signpost for Historic Cities of NM

• Misting system for the summer season

• Partnership with local digital agency for a digital guided tour of Historic Nob Hill

The funds will be used to create an informative space to educate both visitors and locals about this historic neighborhood, ahead of the 100-year anniversary of Route 66.

The Jones Motor Company Building has served a wide array of purposes over the years. From being a three-sided dealership to a brewery.

The goal is to preserve its history.

“So when we have hundreds of thousands of people coming into Albuquerque from all over the world, we need to show this particular spot off and that’s exactly what we’re gonna be doing. We’re gonna make it shine,” emphasized Kaibel.

M’tuccis will continue operating as they update the exterior of their restaurant in Nob Hill, but they hope to complete this project come spring.

Here's an interesting collage with a progression of pics showing the Jones Motor Company structure over the years from its original use and appearance, through its first revival as Kelly's Brewpub, and now as M'Tucci's Bar Roma. It was posted recently to a Route 66 group on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1367883597491441/permalink/1649221149357683

[ABQalex]

The director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency shared a drone video on LinkedIn that Jaynes posted on its YouTube channel yesterday. It shows the progress on the Sawmill portion of the Rail Trail from Mountain Road to Bellamah Avenue. In the screenshot below and in the video you can spot some of the work being done to rebuild 20th Street nearby as well.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7297738170803048448/



• Video Link

The mayor also posted a short video on his Instagram account yesterday showing the construction work and talking about the Sawmill portion of the Rail Trail.

https://www.instagram.com/mayorkeller/reel/DGOgfcYvZ8l/

[ABQalex]

Here's a story that Downtown Albuquerque News had recently about a funding shift involving the Rail Trail where a city spokeswoman says that the Central Crossing is under construction, despite evidence to the contrary. The story is about $500,000 in funding that the city council moved from the Rail Trail to another project on the Westside. Note that even Downtown City Councilor Joaquin Baca ultimately voted to move the money. It seems that he doesn't think it will be detrimental to the project, and that he believes the funding will be replaced eventually and in another way.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Council pulls $500k from rail trail to fund Westside sports complex

A surprise budgetary maneuver at last week's City Council meeting left the Albuquerque Rail Trail with a $500,000 budget cut while igniting concerns about council spending norms.

The council was working through what was initially presented as a straightforward series of minor "clean-up" budget adjustments when an amendment from Councilor Louie Sanchez abruptly shifted the focus. Sanchez proposed reallocating $500,000 from interest earnings on city bonds and another $500,000 from the rail trail to the Westside Indoor Sports Complex, a project set to bring a facility for volleyball, basketball, wrestling, and other sports to a site near Coors and St. Josephs. He argued that the additional funding would effectively finish up a long fundraising effort for the complex and lead to a swift groundbreaking, thus benefiting youth across the city. (The project's cost was estimated at $15 million last year.)

But the move caused a stir because Sanchez represents a district on the Westside while the rail trail is located in Greater Downtown - and councilors usually keep to an unwritten rule that they not go raiding each other's districts for funds. Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn, for one, warned that breaking the norm would set a bad precedent.

Councilor Joaquín Baca, who represents the entire rail trail corridor, also voiced his concerns, pointing out that work on the Central underpass was already underway.

"I'd like to finish things before we pull funding from them," he said.

Chief Financial Officer Kevin Sourisseau, a top deputy to Mayor Tim Keller, also threw cold water on the idea that the extra money would in fact put the sports complex over the fundraising finish line: "Construction costs are rising every day," he said. "There's no guarantee that this will fill the void."

Councilors soon tabled the discussion and moved on to other items, but after 11 p.m., they came back to the bill. Sanchez then announced that he had spoken with Baca in the interim and believed they had reached an agreement to proceed with the funding shift. Baca concurred, saying that he was still concerned about setting a bad precedent but would support it in the spirit of "let's get stuff done."

"We will all work together at different times and help each other out at different times," he added.

Later in the week, Baca added that Sanchez had previously contributed $600,000 from a discretionary fund to help complete the renovation of the Joan Jones Community Center at Pat Hurley Park, which is near but not in his district. The center held its groundbreaking last year.

"I just used this as an opportunity to balance out the books," Baca said.

Roughly $40 million has been allocated to the rail trail through a combination of federal, state, and city sources. Baca, noting that is too is a big fan of the trail, said he is devoting some of his discretionary funding to the section between New York Avenue and the bosque.

The legislation subsequently passed with a unanimous vote and now heads to Mayor Tim Keller for his consideration. City spokeswoman Sarah Supple did not address a question about whether the mayor might attempt to veto or line-item veto the bill - a possibly futile effort given the united council - but she did make clear that the administration was none too pleased by how things have unfolded.

"These specific rail trail funds were allocated to the Central Crossing, a project that is a high priority for neighbors, businesses, and the administration, and is already under construction," Supple said. "It's irresponsible to take away funding from a project in process. We need City Council to get this project back on track instead of funding projects that aren't already underway or even fully funded."

I'm not exactly thrilled that this funding shift happened, but I trust Councilor Baca to advocate for it on the council and to restore it eventually. Funding deals like this often happen and are politically necessary to gain support for projects in certain areas from councilors representing other areas of the city, as Councilor Baca noted. It's slimey, but that's just reality.

What I really don't like is that it will now give the mayor an excuse for the lack of progress on the Central Crossing. And let's be real, $500,000 is not gonna be a linchpin for whether the project gets built or progresses. The mayor's failure and fumbling with regard to getting all the necessary approvals from the state, railroad and other agencies is really the reason why the Central Crossing project has stalled. Now he has an excuse and something else to point to as holding it up and needing the city council to get it "back on track" But we all know that's bunk and a shifting of responsibility and blame, which is his M.O. It's he and his administration that need to secure the approvals necessary to get the project going.

The city also recently began re-striping Central Avenue from 1st to 8th streets to add bike lanes to the roadway. They say the project should be completed within three weeks.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-me...entral-corridor-in-downtown-albuquerque/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s a project that’s been in the works for years for a way to make downtown Albuquerque more bicycle-friendly.

Drivers can expect to see detours downtown for the next few weeks as the city restripes the road to make designated bike lanes along Central Ave. Construction began on Monday with work planned between 1st and 8th streets.

To get the work done, crews will be closing lanes on either side and drivers will need to take detours along side streets. To make room for the five-foot bike lanes on each side of the street with a two-foot buffer between bikes and traffic, the city is removing a lane down the middle of Central Ave.

Albuquerque City Councilor Joaquin Baca said they got a lot of questions from businesses, worried about losing the middle lane, which is used for deliveries. “For one, it’s always been illegal to use the center lane for a delivery lane. Just imagine that happening in any other part of the city. Two, as I said we spent the last year working with the existing business owners figuring out how do we do that. Designating locations to put parking spaces,” said Baca.

It’s a part of a project years in the making, with a goal of making downtown more bike and pedestrian-friendly. “It’s pretty clear in downtowns across the country if you put in bike lanes, that makes things better for traffic, for shops, and for pedestrians,” said Baca.

Community groups KRQE News 13 spoke with on Monday said it will make the community safer. “By adding these bike lanes, it’s going to make it safer for people to move across the city and actually the more bike lanes you install, it actually frees up more space for people in cars,” said William Indelicato with Strong Towns ABQ.

Baca said construction is expected to last three weeks. The total cost of the project is $220,000.

Here's a nice short video recently posted on YouTube of a drive around Downtown Albuquerque. It captures Central Avenue nicely just before the changes that are now taking place.

• Video Link

[ABQalex]

The mayor has vetoed the shifting of funds from the Rail Trail. I agree with not moving moving the funding, but I just don't know if it's all that consequential or damaging to the project and worthy of such a hubbub. As I said, I think it's more about excuses and wanting something to point to other than his and his team's own incompetence for the delays at the Central Crossing.

Notice how he keeps saying to get the project "back on track" as if $500,000 will derail it and is what's holding it up, but that's exactly what they now are explicitly saying. Pay close attention to Terry Brunner's comments in the second story below by the Journal.

Notice also that the mayor and his team are now careful to express support for the project on the Westside, unlike his and his spokeswoman's tone initially. He apparently realized it's not smart to upset anybody or any part of the city in an election year.

https://www.krqe.com/news/politics-gover...-decision-to-pull-money-from-rail-trail/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller has vetoed Albuquerque City Council’s decision to pull funding for the Rail Trail. This week, councilors voted to divert half a million dollars from the project to the Ken Sanchez Indoor Sports Complex.

Once complete, the Rail Trail will connect Old Town, Downtown, and the Bosque. In a news release, the mayor said, “He supports the sports complex but is against pulling money from one project to pay for another. I do not support taking funding away from a project already under construction. I stand with our community and am exercising my line-item veto authority to keep Rail Trail progress on track. We will continue to work with the City Council to secure funding for both the Rail Trail and the Indoor Sports Complex, projects I have championed from day one.”

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/article_9e8443ac-efe3-11ef-8f25-b3e6598f3201.html

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller vetoed a City Council vote Thursday that would redirect 1.5% of the funding for an urban trail to a sports complex.

The Rail Trail is a seven-mile urban trail the city broke ground on last August and has been allocated nearly $40 million.

Councilors on Feb. 3 voted 8-1 on an amendment to reallocate $500,000 from the project to be used for the Ken Sanchez sports complex on the West Side.

“It's really important that the mayor stand up for this project. We need to have money in hand to start construction,” said Terry Brunner, Keller's chief of staff and director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, which is overseeing the project. “We can't come to the table with money that hasn't materialized yet. That makes funding a construction project pretty difficult.”

The City Council would need a 6-3 vote to overturn the mayor’s veto and Keller acknowledged that with the support on the amendment, it was possible his veto could be overturned.

“We would have to get really creative and find money in a source we haven't found it in yet. So it would put us in a difficult spot,” Brunner said of a possible veto override.

Councilor Louie Sanchez — who introduced the vetoed amendment — declined to comment about the veto Thursday. Council President Brook Bassan did not respond to a request for comment.

The Rail Trail was designed by New Mexico-based architect Antoine Predock, who died in March, shortly after finishing the design. The project broke ground in August, starting at the Sawmill corridor and is expected to be completed in 2028.

Brunner said the reallocation of funds would stall the construction of a pedestrian ramp that would cross Central. “The mayor wants to show through his veto that he's 100% committed to getting the Rail Trail done and done as quickly as possible,” Brunner said.

Councilor Dan Lewis, a vocal critic of the Keller administration, said, "The mayor seems to have forgotten that the council approves the budget and spending."

"This is nothing but misinformation from the mayor’s office. Both of these projects are funded by the council,” he said.

While blocking the council amendment, Keller said he is seeking a middle ground to get state funding instead for the sports complex.

“We've been working with the council, and I think they're coming around to the fact that there's just a better way to do all this funding, including working with folks in the Roundhouse and get some capital outlay,” Keller told the Journal in an interview Thursday.

The council's aim to reallocate funding isn't the only hiccup the project could face. More than $14 million of the project's funding is federal and was secured during President Joe Biden’s administration. In his first few weeks in office, President Donald Trump has slashed and frozen federal spending.

“We don't see any reason for impact to those funds, but I know there's just so much uncertainty right now with D.C.,” Keller said.

Concerned that the federal grant environment is changing and the funds might be less accessible, Brunner said, "We're really working hard to get them in hand as quickly as possible."

The Rail Trail is estimated to cost anywhere from $60 million to $90 million in total.

Terry Brunner, the director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, who is also now the mayor’s chief of staff, says that having funding in hand is important to start construction. They had this funding in hand since last year when they broke ground and supposedly started construction, yet here we stand almost a year later with nothing and no progress at this site. The disingenuous thoughts, faulty reasoning, and silly rationalizations are just maddening to me.

And, as always, the rewriting of history and the failure of our local media to challenge that or get things right is infuriating as well. The photo below is from back in May last year when the mayor and Councilor Baca took sledgehammers to the Alvarado colonnade and arches along Central Avenue while MRA director Brunner and now-City Council President Brook Bassan smiled and looked on.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-me...-bridge-gets-pedestrian-walkway-upgrade/



This was the supposed start of construction of the Central Crossing and the Rail Trail, not the Sawmill portion in August. But then again, the earlier Marquette at-grade crossing and the 2nd Street/Rail Yards landscaping project were both also billed as the start of construction on the Rail Trail. It just shows how disjointed and uncoordinated the mayor and his administration are when it comes to this project and these things.





It's a good idea and project, but with horrible execution so far, and the wrong people in place to guide it and bring it to fruition.

[ABQalex]

Here are some pics of the Rail Yards that Franken Construction posted today and recently on its social media accounts.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7297633039218528257/



https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7298358413279838210/







Here's a closeup view of the new glass that's being put on the structures from a recent post on Flickr.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/28090908@N04/54320348728/



The Street Food Institute/Barelas Community Kitchen is planning to open and have its ribbon-cutting ceremony next month.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...ood-institute-new-location-homewise.html

The Street Food Institute will move from its Central New Mexico Community College location to a new building on Fourth Street and Barelas Road.

Street Food Institute is a nonprofit that provides programs for those who want to own and operate a business in the food industry. This new property is owned by Homewise, a nonprofit focused on creating successful homeownership.

“When you live in a home some of things that matter to you are, is the neighborhood safe, are there places to get a job, groceries, health care, send my kids to school? All those institutions and factors define whether or not you’ll be able to stay in a place,” Isaac Hammond-Paul, director of community development at Homewise, said.

Homewise is the developer and will rent the building to the institute for the first seven years. SFI will have a strong incentive to buy the building once seven years is up, according to Hammond-Paul.

They began redevelopment on the site in 2021, and it was first announced in August 2022 that the Street Food Institute would be the anchor tenant at the location.

The institute had previously run out of a location at CNM's main campus, which will be demolished.

The new 11,000-square-foot location is at 1411 Fourth St. SW. The general contractor for the project was Richardson & Richardson Inc.

It’s expected to get a certificate of occupancy in about a month, and a grand opening for the location is planned for March 27, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Homewise purchased many vacant or abandoned commercial assets in the Barelas neighborhood. Some buildings that they converted in the area include the (B) Ruppe and Koala Children’s Academy.

This new building was originally supposed to be finished last summer, but supply chain issues caused it to be delayed, according to Hammond-Paul.

The new location will have three full commissary kitchen lines paid for by a $2 million congressional project funding award.

It’s a two-story building with the Street Food Institute on the first floor and nine affordable office rentals on the second floor that will provide complementary services to the food entrepreneurs. The kitchen will be open 24 hours, every day of the week.

Homewise will also have three new commercial retail spaces on Fourth Street that will be run by graduates of the Street Food Institute.

“Entrepreneurs are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to their deals on using commissary space, and this is really going to level the playing field,” Hammond-Paul said.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7287937143887273984/



https://www.facebook.com/4thandBarelas





https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-me...s-barelas-community-kitchen-set-to-open/

[ABQalex]

Here's a screenshot and link to a short drone video showing the CNM Skilled Trades Facility that Franken Construction posted on its LinkedIn account last week.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7295096759121285120/



The new Laguna Burger location has opened across from UNM

https://www.instagram.com/lagunaburger/p/DGRj7KOMFBJ/

[ABQalex]

Here are some pics of the Calle Cuarta project in the North Valley that YES Housing and Pavilion Construction posted this week on Instagram and Facebook.

https://www.instagram.com/yeshousinginc/p/DGTUpVisdF3/







https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1237607175037163&set=a.370450055086217