Albuquerque Development Thread

[vetteking]

Originally Posted by ABQalex

Sure thing! Thanks as well for checking out the thread and commenting! By the way, I'm quite intrigued by Fondren in Jackson. It seems somewhat reminiscent of Nob Hill here in Albuquerque. I've enjoyed learning more about it over the last three or so years since I first found out about it on Instagram. It looks like a great area!

Sorry for late response (I wish they alert us when we get a response)

No problem and really thats wassup. They are really doing a lot development to Fondren and I see they are for Nob Hill too. I agree its a nice fun area with great restaurants, hopefully one day they build a mall there. I have never been to Albuquerque but hope to visit. What are some the spots to visit around town? Also I'm happy Amazon is investing into your community as well. Hopefully more companies look into other cities instead the main ones you know.

[ABQalex]

Originally Posted by vetteking

Sorry for late response (I wish they alert us when we get a response)

No problem and really thats wassup. They are really doing a lot development to Fondren and I see they are for Nob Hill too. I agree its a nice fun area with great restaurants, hopefully one day they build a mall there. I have never been to Albuquerque but hope to visit. What are some the spots to visit around town? Also I'm happy Amazon is investing into your community as well. Hopefully more companies look into other cities instead the main ones you know.

You can't go wrong visiting anywhere along Central Avenue in Albuquerque.

From the BioPark to Old Town/Sawmill Area, West Downtown, Downtown, East Downtown, UNM Area and up to Nob Hill. Those are the main urban areas/neighborhoods and urban attractions in Albuquerque. You can also venture further out to areas like Uptown or the North Valley and places like Los Poblanos, which is a really cool historic home and inn with a great restaurant and shop that sells products from its surrounding farm.

If you're looking for more rugged nature you can venture into the trails of the foothills and mountains on the east side of the city, in the bosque (forest) along the river and canals in the valley, or the mesas and volcanoes on the Westside of the city. The Sandia Peak Tramway, Rio Grande Nature Center, Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge and Petroglyph National Monument are the major and popular attractions in these areas that you'd want to look into.

For museums, the ones that are the most interesting and unique are the Balloon Museum, Nuclear History Museum, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and Hispanic Cultural Center. There's also the Albuquerque Museum, which is an art and history museum that usually hosts interesting traveling exhibits. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History is across the street as well, along with the Explora Science Center and Children's Museum. UNM also has various museums and art galleries on and around its campus.

For food, you really can't go wrong at most places in Albuquerque. Among my favorites are El Modelo, Barelas Coffee House, Juanita's Comida Mexicana, La Mexicana, Duran's Central Pharmacy, Los Compadres, Kathy's Carryout, Carnitas El Calentano y Familia, El Forasteros, Perico's, Taqueria Mexicana, El Sabor de Juarez, El Paisa, Don Torta's and Acapulco Tacos. Other popular places you might look into that I like are The Frontier, Golden Pride, The Doghouse, Bob's Burgers and Julian's Burgers & More. I can recommend most of the items on the menus at each of these restaurants.

The Mexican (combination) Plate, stuffed sopaipilla and carne adovoda burrito at El Modelo are my absolute favorite restaurant items and it's my favorite place to eat overall.

The menudo at El Sabor de Juarez, El Forasteros and Carnitas El Calentano y Familia are my favorites. The posole at El Modelo, Los Compadres and Carnitas El Calentano y Familia are also my favorites. The tamales at El Modelo, La Mexicana and Kathy's Carryout are great. The Frito pie, chile fries, chile burgers and chili dogs at either Bob's Burgers, Julian's or The Doghouse are similar and all are great. The green chile cheeseburger at Los Compadres is one of the best in town. The tacos dorados with shredded chicken or ground beef and potatoes at Perico's are my favorite tacos of all restaurants in Albuquerque. El Paisa has great buche tacos. El Forasteros and Carnitas El Calentano have great carnitas tacos. Taqueria Mexicana has great carne asada tacos.

I also want to say that Federico's has great tamales and chorizo burritos. I also like their ham torta and rolled tacos/taquitos/flautas. Federico's is one of those ubiquitous Mexican chain restaurants that most people would consider mediocre but I've found those particular items to be great there.

And thats just the more traditional New Mexican or Mexican food in Albuquerque. Cettainly there are other kinds of food and ethnic foods to be found here. The various food halls and shipping container communities around town do a good job of giving a variety of options that aren't just Mexican and New Mexican. I'd recommend visiting one of those if you want to sample more of a variety in our local food scene. (I mostly stick to what I know, which is mostly Mexican and New Mexican, lol)

The Sawmill Market near Old Town in the Sawmill Area is the largest and best food hall in town. The 505 Central Food Hall in Downtown Albuquerque is also great. The El Vado, Green Jeans Farmery, Tin Can Alley and Bridges on Tramway are a few other shipping container communities or food hall-like collections around town to keep in mind for any potential visit here.

Thanks again, hopefully you might ever get to visit here!

[vetteking]

Originally Posted by ABQalex

You can't go wrong visiting anywhere along Central Avenue in Albuquerque.

From the BioPark to Old Town/Sawmill Area, West Downtown, Downtown, East Downtown, UNM Area and up to Nob Hill. Those are the main urban areas/neighborhoods and urban attractions in Albuquerque. You can also venture further out to areas like Uptown or the North Valley and places like Los Poblanos, which is a really cool historic home and inn with a great restaurant and shop that sells products from its surrounding farm.

If you're looking for more rugged nature you can venture into the trails of the foothills and mountains on the east side of the city, in the bosque (forest) along the river and canals in the valley, or the mesas and volcanoes on the Westside of the city. The Sandia Peak Tramway, Rio Grande Nature Center, Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge and Petroglyph National Monument are the major and popular attractions in these areas that you'd want to look into.

For museums, the ones that are the most interesting and unique are the Balloon Museum, Nuclear History Museum, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and Hispanic Cultural Center. There's also the Albuquerque Museum, which is an art and history museum that usually hosts interesting traveling exhibits. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History is across the street as well, along with the Explora Science Center and Children's Museum. UNM also has various museums and art galleries on and around its campus.

For food, you really can't go wrong at most places in Albuquerque. Among my favorites are El Modelo, Barelas Coffee House, Juanita's Comida Mexicana, La Mexicana, Duran's Central Pharmacy, Los Compadres, Kathy's Carryout, Carnitas El Calentano y Familia, El Forasteros, Perico's, Taqueria Mexicana, El Sabor de Juarez, El Paisa, Don Torta's and Acapulco Tacos. Other popular places you might look into that I like are The Frontier, Golden Pride, The Doghouse, Bob's Burgers and Julian's Burgers & More. I can recommend most of the items on the menus at each of these restaurants.

The Mexican (combination) Plate, stuffed sopaipilla and carne adovoda burrito at El Modelo are my absolute favorite restaurant items and it's my favorite place to eat overall.

The menudo at El Sabor de Juarez, El Forasteros and Carnitas El Calentano y Familia are my favorites. The posole at El Modelo, Los Compadres and Carnitas El Calentano y Familia are also my favorites. The tamales at El Modelo, La Mexicana and Kathy's Carryout are great. The Frito pie, chile fries, chile burgers and chili dogs at either Bob's Burgers, Julian's or The Doghouse are similar and all are great. The green chile cheeseburger at Los Compadres is one of the best in town. The tacos dorados with shredded chicken or ground beef and potatoes at Perico's are my favorite tacos of all restaurants in Albuquerque. El Paisa has great buche tacos. El Forasteros and Carnitas El Calentano have great carnitas tacos. Taqueria Mexicana has great carne asada tacos.

I also want to say that Federico's has great tamales and chorizo burritos. I also like their ham torta and rolled tacos/taquitos/flautas. Federico's is one of those ubiquitous Mexican chain restaurants that most people would consider mediocre but I've found those particular items to be great there.

And thats just the more traditional New Mexican or Mexican food in Albuquerque. Cettainly there are other kinds of food and ethnic foods to be found here. The various food halls and shipping container communities around town do a good job of giving a variety of options that aren't just Mexican and New Mexican. I'd recommend visiting one of those if you want to sample more of a variety in our local food scene. (I mostly stick to what I know, which is mostly Mexican and New Mexican, lol)

The Sawmill Market near Old Town in the Sawmill Area is the largest and best food hall in town. The 505 Central Food Hall in Downtown Albuquerque is also great. The El Vado, Green Jeans Farmery, Tin Can Alley and Bridges on Tramway are a few other shipping container communities or food hall-like collections around town to keep in mind for any potential visit here.

Thanks again, hopefully you might ever get to visit here!

Wow thank you for your thorough guide for my future trip. I can't wait to visit those museums (wow at Nuclear museum) and I'm a huge Mexican food kinda guy so I'll be right at home in Albuquerque. I feel like I read a Albuquerque travel brochure, you did a wonderful job listing all your hometown favorite spots. I'm also check out a Isotope game when I visit. Thank you friend.

[ABQalex]

Originally Posted by vetteking

Wow thank you for your thorough guide for my future trip. I can't wait to visit those museums (wow at Nuclear museum) and I'm a huge Mexican food kinda guy so I'll be right at home in Albuquerque. I feel like I read a Albuquerque travel brochure, you did a wonderful job listing all your hometown favorite spots. I'm also check out a Isotope game when I visit. Thank you friend.

You're very welcome! Glad to be of some help!

[ABQalex]

The Range Cafe site in East Downtown has been put up for sale. It was originally known as the Standard Diner before a few years ago when it was rebranded to become another location of the owners' well-known small local chain of restaurants.

Owner Matt DiGregory says that he and his brothers decided against a few options, including renovating and rebranding the space into a new concept. He says that those renovations would cost more than his brothers especially would be willing to spend and be committed to. His brothers are looking to retire.

He says that he himself may be interested in leasing the space back from the new building owners to continue operating the Range concept in the space if that's what they would like to do with the building.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...town-sale.html

The Range Café's Downtown Albuquerque location will go on the market on Aug. 22, as the building it occupies will officially be listed for sale.

The property at 320 Central Ave. SE will be listed for $2.8 million. The purchase includes a 6,946-square-foot restaurant space and two additional suites totaling 4,487 square feet, currently used as corporate office space by Range Café, said Ben Perich, senior vice president and principal at Colliers International.

The site also features an on-site parking lot equipped with 32 spots, a rarity for businesses located in Albuquerque's East Downtown area, Perich added.

Perich and Colliers International’s Chase Ruffin are representing Matt DiGregory, CEO of Range Café, in the sale.

“For this location, we are likely expecting an established restaurant,” Perich said. “We're sort of in the opinion that this trade area is going to be really successful for lunch and dinner. [The property] is being sold as a turnkey operation [and] there's no liquor license included.”

DiGregory and his two older brothers, Vince and Cris, initially leased the building in 2005 before purchasing the property in 2012. For the past two years, they considered transforming the Range Café into a new concept, like a brewery, bakery, or supper club. However, they decided to sell the building because the potential renovation costs were too high, DiGregory said.

In terms of timeline, DiGregory said he hopes to sell by “tomorrow.”

“My two older brothers are wanting to retire, and we just realized that the amount of money that it would take [to renovate] was more than what my two brothers wanted to go into debt doing," DiGregory said. “[So we] put the building up for sale, because we've got some decent equity in it.”

DiGregory noted that the upcoming Albuquerque Rail Trail project — a 7-mile loop set to connect Downtown to local attractions — enhances the site's appeal.

If the buyer chooses to purchase the building without introducing a new concept, DiGregory mentioned that he is open to leasing the space back to continue operating the Range Café.

“I think there's potential for future development and growth in an area, we've just decided to let the next generation of owners tackle it," DiGregory said.

As of today, there are five other Range Café locations in New Mexico - four in Albuquerque and one in Los Lunas.

The Range Cafe occupies a former late-1930s service station that was reused and renovated to make way for the Standard Diner back in the mid-2000s. It was one of the first redevelopment projects which led the way to this area along Central east of Broadway to I-25 becoming known as EDo (East Downtown). It's now one of the best examples of an area being revitalized in Albuquerque.

(Standard Diner - 2019)



(Albuquerque Journal article - June 11, 2005)



(Carothers and Mauldin Texaco Service Station - 1938)

[ABQalex]

Here's a story from Albuquerque Business First looking at how much the New Mexico United has raised towards its $30 million committment for its new soccer stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park now that the city council has once again voted to allow it to be built there.

We also get a look at the deranged, ruthless and determined mentality of those opposed to the stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park. Of course they're not done, NIMBYs rarely are able to see or accept that things just aren't gonna go their way with decision makers and those in charge at the city.

I'm sure they're hoping to win the moronic and sympathetic judge lottery where their chances are much better at being successful. No doubt they've been encouraged and energized by the first ruling in the Los Ranchos Village Center saga a few months ago.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...m-funding.html

Two days after the Albuquerque City Council settled a dispute over a proposed New Mexico United stadium on Balloon Fiesta Park grounds, the club said a "significant portion" of its $30 million funding commitment has been raised.

Albuquerque's City Council, on Monday evening, accepted a land use hearing officer recommendation to reject an appeal of an earlier Environment Planning Commission decision to amend a decades-old master plan covering Balloon Fiesta Park.

Updating that master plan clears the way for New Mexico United, the state's professional USL Championship soccer team, to develop a large, multipurpose stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park.

The City of Albuquerque, which owns Balloon Fiesta Park, penned a 30-year lease agreement with United Athletic Club, New Mexico United's owner, in late September 2023. The City Council approved that lease agreement the following month.

In the agreement, United committed to financing the stadium build with at least $30 million in private dollars. David Wiese-Carl, vice president of media and impact for United, said in an email to Albuquerque Business First Wednesday when asked if the club has obtained complete financing for the stadium, "we already have a substantial portion raised through current leadership."

The club couldn't be reached by the time of publishing to confirm exactly how much of its $30 million commitment has been raised to date.

"We do not foresee any issues with fulfilling our obligation under the lease agreement," Wiese-Carl said in the email.

The City of Albuquerque, under the agreement, agreed to provide a "build-ready pad" for United's multipurpose stadium and complete other infrastructure improvements at Balloon Fiesta Park, funded by the New Mexico Legislature.

The lease agreement notes the City would start groundwork at the 7-acre stadium site within 30 days of a building permit being issued. No building permit indicating a stadium project at 4900 Balloon Fiesta Pkwy. NE, which encompasses the stadium site, has been issued at the time of publishing.

"Once [the City of Albuquerque] has completed the infrastructure work and any outstanding appeals are exhausted, United will begin building a multi-purpose facility," Wiese-Carl said in the email to Business First.

Emily Moore, marketing and communications director for Albuquerque's Parks and Recreation Department, said several infrastructure projects at Balloon Fiesta Park — including electrical system updates, telecommunications network enhancements and sewer and restroom upgrades, alongside a new pedestrian walkway along the north side of Balloon Fiesta Parkway — are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

"The sewage and electrical updates would help ready the site for a potential New Mexico United stadium, but the upgrades will happen whether a stadium is built at the park or not," Moore said in an email to Business First.

Moore said the City expects to spend $5.8 million on its infrastructure upgrades to Balloon Fiesta Park grounds. A time frame for the City's stadium pad preparation has yet to be determined, she added.

The club itself didn't provide a time frame for the stadium's construction.

Its lease agreement with the City also stipulates that United must pay $35,000 annually for its stadium lease, "subject to a 2% annual increase at the discretion of the City" and including 10% of the net revenue from annual parking fees.

Neighborhood opponents still see 'major concerns' with stadium project

Monday evening's City Council decision came following months of back-and-forth between Albuquerque's Environmental Planning Commission (EPC), the City's land use hearing officer and neighborhood associations nearby to Balloon Fiesta Park, who repeatedly challenged EPC decisions regarding the Balloon Fiesta Park master plan in February and April of this year.

Pat Hauser, president of the Maria Diers Neighborhood Association, one of the nearby associations against the proposed stadium, said Wednesday he, with the support of other neighbors in opposition, plans to further appeal the stadium's approval and construction process.

However, Hauser said he doesn't yet know the nature of that follow-up appeal — whether it would be a direct appeal to the City Council's Monday decision, or if it would require a different direction.

What Hauser does know is that he believes some of his and other neighbors' concerns over the stadium have yet to be addressed. Those concerns involve lighting and noise expected to be generated by the stadium, which could host 17 games per year and hold 8,000 to 10,000 fans.

Land Use Hearing Officer Steven Chavez did address Hauser and others' traffic-related concerns "to some degree," he said, although Hauser still expressed worry at the nearby neighborhoods' abilities to handle a more regular influx of single-car traffic.

"We have major concerns over the designs and the long-term implications of what this will be," Hauser said about the stadium.

Peter Trevisani, United's owner and CEO, said in a statement Monday evening following the City Council decision the multi-use stadium project "is not just suitable, but essential for Albuquerque."

The club's aspirations for a standalone stadium date back more than half a decade. Early stadium plans pointed to sites in Downtown Albuquerque, but a failed bond vote stalled stadium progress until a City-led news conference in early 2023 signaled Balloon Fiesta Park as the stadium's probable location.

New Mexico United currently plays its home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park, which it shares with the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Triple-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

I'll just say that $30 million seems very low and awfully insufficient for a quality soccer stadium. It would've been that way years ago, and is especially so now with price inflation and increased labor costs, etc. I'm really not that confident that we can get a nice stadium for such a low number.

I hope I'm pleasantly surprised, though. The renderings that we've seen over the last year get me excited, but that's entirely dashed when they say that they are still nothing but visionary and preliminary. I just know we'll end up with a crappy final result, especially with that very low budget commitment.

Below is an awesome pic of Louisville's soccer stadium that I came across recently. It was built just a few years ago. It also had a small budget (still more than twice as large at $65 million) and a small capacity (11,700 seated), but it came out wonderfully and top-notch despite all of that. It's not at all the rinky-dink stadium one would expect with its budget and capacity. It's certainly something to aspire to. I'd even look into hiring the exact same design team to try to replicate its success if I were the New Mexico United. The design team did lots of stuff right!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynn_Family_Stadium



Here are just a couple of more pics showing the stadium's awesomeness. Of course, it helps that it's also near their downtown as well, with the skyline in the distance, something which we unfortunately won't have here. Ours will have the awesome mountain backdrop, however.

https://www.facebook.com/LynnFamilyStadiumLouKY

[ABQalex]

Here are some pics of the Rio Grande Zoo's new Asia exhibit that its designer posted today on Instagram, including a nice aerial one.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C--f2H6tnUA/















The first phase of the zoo's new Australia exhibit also opened last month. Below are some pics from its designer on his website.

https://jeremydreskin.studio/2024/07...phase-1-opens/













Here also is a pic of the BioPark's new shuttle which finally debuted earlier this year after some hiccups and delays over the past year. It's of course not the cool electric one that was first proposed. The city apparently had trouble getting that one shipped over here from Europe.

I've seen conflicting reports and posts on social media up to earlier this year that the plan is still to get one of the other kind shipped here, but if that's the case I haven't seen any evidence of that recently.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...e-abq-biopark/



This is a cute shuttle that resembles an old choo-choo train, which I'm sure the kids love. And it is in fact electric as well. But the grown-up me wishes we had the sleek, modern and cool one instead.

[ABQalex]

Albuquerque Business First has a story about the new commercial structure that was completed earlier this year in the cluster of hotels west of the airport. It's home to a new Pizza 9 franchise and concept called "The Landing" They are looking to add a drive-thru at the site to help it succeed in a post-pandemic environment where people still want to be able to pick up meals easily.

This structure was planned before the pandemic and was originally supposed to be a second Growler USA location in Albuquerque. Growler USA ended up going under because of the pandemic.

The structure has a small retail space but the developer has not yet decided how it will be filled. The developer also says that he and his company have a hotel under development, but does not reveal details other than that they expect to get underway next year. I wonder if it's going to be the Avid Hotel which is planned next door, but which has yet to get underway.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...izza-nine.html

In response to changing consumer habits since the Covid-19 pandemic, a local family-owned hospitality group is planning to add a drive-thru to their new restaurant concept in Southeast Albuquerque.

The Landing with Pizza 9 is located at 1409 Woodward Road SE. The new drive-thru is being constructed by Albuquerque-based HEI Construction and is anticipated to open this December, Sean Jariwala, president of Ambica Hospitality, said.

Ambica Hospitality is a franchisee of Pizza 9, a Chicago-style pizza concept which was founded in New Mexico in October 2008, according to its website.

The 5,570-square-foot establishment, which opened on May 15, features pizza, subs, calzones, 32 craft and domestic beers and New Mexican-inspired dishes such as green chile cheese fries and green chile cheeseburgers. Prices range from $5 to $20.

“During Covid-19, the ability for someone to pre-order and pick up through the drive-thru really took off," Jariwala said. "We wanted to increase efficiency and pick up especially for our hotel guests. There's just a little bit of infrastructure build out that we need to do."

Comfort Suites Albuquerque Airport, located adjacent to the new eatery at 1401 Woodward Road SE, opened in April 2022. The 81-room hotel is owned by Sunport Park Hospitality and managed by Hospitality Management Services (HMS). Ambica Hospitality is a partner in Sunport Park Hospitality, Jariwala said.

Jariwala said the decision to open the restaurant was driven by the need for more walkable amenities near Woodward Road. His family first purchased the 2.05-acre lot in 2009 with dreams of developing a hotel and eatery on the same lot, he said.

The site also includes an 817-square-foot retail space, but Jariwala, has not yet decided how it will be utilized.

"We’ve been in this market for about 20 years, and despite the presence of seven hotels and numerous businesses, there’s never been a full-service restaurant,” Jariwala said. “We were constantly sending 50 to 70 people a night to the nearest hotel district at Yale and Gibson [Boulevard], so we decided to create something people can walk to.”

Jariwala’s said plans to build the The Landing with Pizza 9 took a couple of years to come to fruition due to delays caused by Covid-19 and an extended design process. He declined to share the cost of development.

The restaurant, which can seat up to 120 patrons, is busiest from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. In terms of future expansion, Jariwala said his company’s “bread and butter is hospitality,” and thus, he and his family are not immediately focused on opening additional restaurant concepts in New Mexico.

Ambica Hospitality plans to break ground on a new hotel in Albuquerque in the second half of 2025. Jariwala declined to share additional details surrounding the planned project and its location.

“It was our family's vision when they bought this lot, years ago, that we wanted to do a hotel and a restaurant," Jariwala said. "So, it's kind of their dream come true to see after all these years, the [final] development. We always feel that doing something in your backyard is a lot easier than doing something out of state."

[ABQalex]

The Rio Rancho Observer has an update about the much-delayed Village at Rio Rancho project. One of the associated stories about the widening of Unser Boulevard has a pic which seems to show that the new Albertsons Market Street grocery store is indeed under construction, as the developer states in the main story. But it doesn't seem to be as far along or "enclosed" as he states. The developer also says that they are looking at an extended-stay hotel for the project, to serve patients and families at the hospital across the street. The story also says that the Furniture Row location is underway as well. A Blake's Lotaburger location is also nearing completion, according to the stories.

https://www.rrobserver.com/business/...f8c1577e0.html

The Village at Rio Rancho has been an exciting promise for months, and while it might seem like the development is slow, the developer says things are running smoothly.

Geringer Capital President Robert Geringer says the Unser Boulevard widening project in that area has had an impact on the pace of the project and that the Kroger merger has slowed down the Albertson's opening.

"We originally purchased this as a 141 acres, and we carved off — years ago — the piece for the hospital, Presbyterian Hospital, and that left us with about a 65-acre mixed-use piece which, if you've been out there recently in the last couple years, you see we've developed into various tracks, smaller parcels and have been selling those off. We currently have the Unser widening project underway. Traffic is a bit of a mess, but it's almost cleaned up. That'll all be done by first quarter next year. The Albertsons Marketplace concept is pretty far out of the ground. They have a first-quarter opening. I'm not sure exactly what date, but a first-quarter opening for store and their fuel facility," he said.

Blake's Lotaburger, which people may have seen is almost complete, is due to open soon, though a date has not been set yet.

Geringer also says the Furniture Row parcel is under way and is expected to open near the end of 2025.

"We have a number of other transactions that we're working through the process that'll bring some other food service and some other retail opportunities to the site, including most likely a hospitality extended stay kind of place to help support the hospital," he added.

He say that he thinks it is necessary to have hospitality for patient's families.

"They have a lot of patients who come from far distances. That's the part that kind of stuck to me, was you have a loved one who has some type of event that has to go in the hospital for an extended period of time. If you live an hour, hour and a half, two hours away from a husband and wife, a child, whatever it is, you need somewhere to be close, right?" he said.

Geringer explained that a lot of the development hangs on the finishing of the Unser Boulevard project and any horizontal work. The development involving building and improvements to future buildings is up to each individual business.

"We should be completely finished with our horizontal development work, including off-sites and on-sites here, first quarter next year. We're not building any of the vertical improvements on the property; we're selling off locations. So you know, if a food service comes to us and wants a site, we will negotiate a location and a contract and then the actual build out of that site is up to their timing," he said.

While some businesses have already staked their claim in the land, Geringer says it is common for others to wait until larger businesses have established themselves to figure out where they want to be situated. Interest in the land depends on a lot, and there are many hurdles to jump before establishing.

"It was pretty robust before interest rates moved and real estate slowed down. I think that it's starting to gain momentum again and, particularly when we get the work done, when Albertsons opens and there's X thousands of traffic coming into the site, then somebody looks and goes, 'How come we don't go over there?' Unfortunately, right now everybody's trying to avoid the site because of the traffic that's being created there with the Unser improvements. But there's a reason for that widening Unser and putting in turn lanes," he explained.

He anticipates the traffic will significantly increase when the businesses develop, and the improvements on that section of road will remedy that.

"We're in a little bit of 'the doldrums,' I'll call it. Albertsons has enclosed, everybody gets anxious when you announce something. They don't realize how long it takes. Once Albertsons opens early next year and we're done with the Unser work and all of the on-site work is done, I expect that we will see a pretty good wave of activity. That probably means that it's 18 months after that before a business gets to open," he said.

He expects the business interest will snowball as more develop.

"This doesn't happen overnight," he said plainly.

Many of these businesses are set to open in late 2025 and into 2026. Information on the project can be found at geringercapital.com.

Here's a story from last month about the projects at the Plaza at Enchanted Hills shopping center. The new Sprouts location is supposed to open late next month. The Block shipping container community is also supposed to open early next month, after being delayed and postponed a few times this summer, including from the August 11th date given in this story.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/devel...chanted-hills/

RIO RANCHO, N.M. – In the last few years, we’ve seen houses going up and families moving in near Enchanted Hills Plaza in northern Rio Rancho. New businesses are also following with opening dates on the horizon.

“I’ve enjoyed watching how everything just grew,” said Rio Rancho City Councilor Bob Tyler. “This was not here, this was all dirt. Enchanted Hill Boulevard looked the same, there was no Dion’s, nothing else over here,” said Rio Rancho City Councilor Bob Tyler.

Tyler estimates more than a thousand houses went up in the area over the last three years. That means a lot of new families and a lot of new interest from businesses.

“The businesses aren’t just going to jump in without having the rooftops and the people in the area to help the business grow and stay sufficient,” said Tyler.

KOB 4 gave you an exclusive inside look at The Block in April. After construction delays, developers are still putting the finishing touches on the new shipping container complex. It will feature a high-end bar, boutiques, and an interior food hall. It’s set to open Aug. 11.

Across the parking lot, the sign-up on the new Sprouts is stirring up excitement. Not only for shoppers, but for people like Tyler, tasked with bringing in more new development.

“When you see growth on either end it helps the city overall with our budget and our gross receipt taxes, and it helps us be able to afford more and do more for citizens, whether it’s on the north side, south side or central area,” Tyler said.

Sprouts has set an opening date of Sept. 27.

The good news is if you take Enchanted Hills Boulevard to access those amenities, you don’t have to watch out for any more orange barrels. The city wrapped up it’s nearly $9 million infrastructure project on that street early.

Crews have broken ground on another part of the plaza near Turtle Mountain and the HUB community center. But no official word on what exactly will be going there.

Here's another story with pic of The Block shipping container community from KRQE at the beginning of this month when they pushed the opening date back to September 13th.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...elays-opening/

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) – The opening date for a new food hall, entertainment venue, and retail space in Rio Rancho has once again been pushed back.

THE BLOCK, located at Enchanted Hills shopping center, is now set to open on Sept. 13 at 10 a.m. due to “unforeseen construction and tenant build-out delays.”

Tiffany Gravelle, chief operations officer for THE BLOCK, told KRQE News 13 in May that she hoped to open up the 18,000-square-foot venue in July, which was later than expected due to construction delays. The venue then set the new opening date to Aug. 11 before facing the latest delays.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate the community’s patience,” the press release from THE BLOCK read in part.

Apart from the opening day on Sept. 13, there will also be a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 15 at noon.

THE BLOCK is comprised of indoor/outdoor spaces fashioned from repurposed shipping containers and will house several eateries, including spaces for food trucks, a bar, retail space, and a stage with a screen, sound, and lighting features.

Gravelle first started on this project in 2019, and a groundbreaking was held in November 2022. For more information, visit THE BLOCK’s website here.

Here are a couple more pics from The Block's Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/theblockpeh/





And here are some pics of the spaces that are being built out for a couple of its tenants, Kukri Chicken and Stackers Burger Co. They were posted earlier this month on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-VnNXLv8JY/







https://www.instagram.com/p/C-XzO8uuq5k/

[ABQalex]

Here are pics of UNM's new College of Nursing structure which is nearing completion. They were posted yesterday on LinkedIn by a person involved with risk management/insuring its construction.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/david...64283392-mnps/













Yet more pics of the new College of Nursing structure on UNM's website.

https://hsc.unm.edu/population-healt...-building.html

























Here are some pics of the new UNM Behavioral Health Crisis Center. It was completed and had its ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this summer. The pics were posted by its builder, HB Construction, on its LinkedIn profile.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hb-co...78677760-McsR/









And here are some pics of the new UNM Lobo Welcome Center that was also recently completed. It is located in the renovated and expanded former ROTC center. A modern addition was built on the back of the existing historic Pueblo Revival structure, which was renovated. The pics were posted on LinkedIn earlier this week by the landscape design firm. You can also spot views of the new UNM Hospital tower in a couple of the pics.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update...8424788795392/













Here are a couple more pics showing a better look at the addition from the architects' website.

https://www.mcclain-yu.com/unm-lobo-welcome-center





The ROTC center itself moved to a renovated former sorority house across the street. Below are a couple of pics of the renovated structure which was completed last year.

https://fdc.unm.edu/projects/project3/index.html





The apartment building on UNM's campus is apparently still being planned. It received its final plat approval at the beginning of the year and it applied for a building permit last year as well, which says that it's ready for issue.

https://dmdmaps.cabq.gov/DRB/PR-2022...024007079).pdf

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=185015113

[ABQalex]

Here's a screenshot and link to a short video of the new UNM Hospital tower that they posted this past week on their social media accounts.

https://fb.watch/ubiDApc-UT/



And here's a snap from the new tower's construction cam taken this afternoon.



Here also is a great twilight pic of the UNM monogram that they posted on Facebook yesterday to mark the end of the first week and the return of students to campus for the fall semester.

https://www.facebook.com/universityofnewmexico/

[ABQalex]

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center had the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Entrepreneur Complex on Friday. Below are a story from KOB-TV and pics from PNM on its Facebook page. PNM presented a check for $100,000 to the new endeavor. The New Mexico Gas Company also presented a check for $100,000 earlier this summer while it was under construction.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/india...rcial-kitchen/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center will soon have a lot more opportunities to taste the food from our Native neighbors. The center opened a new commercial kitchen Friday morning.

The complex will give Native entrepreneurs a place to practice their craft in a professional kitchen setting, while supporting New Mexico’s food and agriculture industries.

“What you have done, and the board members, to build this property into what it was, you have gone beyond that dream and expectation of our forefathers,” said James Mountain, with the All Pueblo Council of Governors.

The new 7,500-square foot complex includes cold and dry storage, a demonstration test kitchen for classes, and a fully-equipped commercial grade kitchen and bakery.

https://www.facebook.com/PNMelectric...odWZwAkmE1FNul











https://www.facebook.com/indianpuebloec/



Here are some pics and screenshots of two short videos showing the nearby La Montañita Co-Op project at Avanyu Plaza. They were posted recently on the La Montañita Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C-sbYrCuTj-/

[ABQalex]

Here are some pics of the Calle Cuarta project that have recently been posted by Pavilion Construction, YES Housing and YES Housing's founder on Facebook and LinkedIn.

https://www.facebook.com/pavilionconstruction





https://www.linkedin.com/feed/posts/...22533376-Mk8g/





https://www.facebook.com/yeshousing

[ABQalex]

Here's a story by KOB-TV yesterday about the effort to redevelop and convert the office towers at San Mateo and Central to apartments. The city council will consider the redevelopment tax abatement request at its next meeting in September. That comes after it was introduced for its most recent meeting last week but postponed to give more time to consider the request. The mayor, Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency director and city councilor for the area aren't happy with that and are stressing the urgency of approving help to get the project going as quickly as possible.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/plans...-mateo-towers/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – There are new plans in the works for the old Bank of the West building and its sister tower on San Mateo and Central.

The main goal for the towers is to create more affordable housing in the area. The project is called Park Central. It’s meant to not only redevelop the old landmarks, but re-beautify the area that’s sat vacant for a while.

The Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency says a developer from out of state is now looking to bring new life to the property.

To get the project up and running, the city is offering a tax abatement incentive. That means the property doesn’t get taxed additionally for seven years, which gives the developer more money on the front end to complete the project.

But the city will continue collecting the same level of property taxes during that time.

Terry Brunner, the Metro Redevelopment Agency director, says the plans are to start with the smaller tower behind the old Bank of the West Tower.

100 apartment units are planned to be put in. Brunner says it will be mixed incomes, some at market value, and others at workforce housing prices, meaning just below market price.

“In that part of town we have the Rapid Transit Bus system, we have a lot of people looking for housing and access to things. So having an apartment complex that provides some affordability, and market rate to that complex will really help people in that area. It brings people back to San Mateo and Central. So we hope that incentivizes more stores or more retail and activities in the area,” said Brunner.

Brunner says the plans include EV charging stations, a green space, bike storage and all electric apartments.

After the smaller tower is completed, there are plans to create more apartments in the old Bank of the West Tower.

Brunner says city council is set to discuss the tax abatement at the next meeting. He says there is a sense of urgency to getting the abatement because then the project can get underway sooner rather than later.

“These are two really prominent office towers that people see all the time on San Mateo and Central. They sometimes attract an undesirable element to people trying to break in or start fires, or vandalize those properties. The city has had to work extra hard to secure that area and put up extra infrastructure, and policing to try to make sure nothing bad happens. So that’s why we offer this incentive package to get that developer moving as quickly as possible,” Brunner said.

Right now, all that’s been done is some demolition on the property that does not require special permits.

There’s still no timeline on when construction could get underway.

Here's another story about the tax abatement request from the Albuquerque Journal. At the end of the story they also mention the other projects whose tax abatement requests will be considered.

Contrary to what they are saying above and below, the Park Central project will have all affordable housing in the shorter tower, it's the taller tower which will be market rate. Like always, our local news is spectacular in its reporting and even our leaders and those in charge seem not to know basic facts.

https://www.abqjournal.com/business/...4dcb8997f.html

One of Albuquerque’s tallest buildings outside of Downtown is being turned into apartments, and a city councilor and the mayor want to incentivize the project with a tax abatement.

The city administration is also asking for tax abatements on three other housing projects: affordable housing in the International District, new townhomes near the University of New Mexico, and a food hall and long-term residency inn across the street from Presbyterian Hospital.

“We know we have a massive housing shortage,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “So the sooner we can develop more units, the better for everyone in Albuquerque, because it relieves housing stress, whether it’s housing prices or folks who are unhoused. ... I think everyone in Albuquerque has probably seen what Central and San Mateo looks like, and it is, unfortunately, a reflection of some of the biggest challenges that we’re facing in our city. And one of these projects would literally make that awesome housing.

Even developing expensive apartments can benefit people who need cheaper housing, according to the Director of Metropolitan Redevelopment Terry Brunner. The city lacks all types of housing, so creating new market-rate housing or apartments could give people who can afford that type of housing the opportunity to move into it and leave available the more affordable apartment or house that they’re living in for someone who needs lower-cost accommodations.

Keeping the industries involved in housing development, like builders and financers, working year-round also makes it easier for affordable housing to be developed, Brunner said.

From vacant space to apartments on San Mateo

A Houston-based developer plans to turn the vacant office building at 300 San Mateo into housing.

The 10-story, 101,000-square-foot Two Park Central Tower sold in August 2023 for just under $2 million. The development project will create 101 units in the old office building and is being undertaken by Route 66 Multifamily, LLC, according to a summary from Albuquerque’s Metro Redevelopment Department staff.

“I was born and raised here, so I remember when that building was full of people during the work day, and what that meant is that there were restaurants all around it that were also busy,” Keller said.

The same company plans to convert the neighboring 17-story Bank of the West tower into 160 apartments with “high-end” features like a roof deck, a pool and pickleball court, according to the city staff summary.

The area has recently seen disinvestment — the Walgreens across the street and the Walmart a few blocks away were shuttered last year.

The developer takes “a very long-term view, and what they see is available space and real estate at an iconic intersection on Route 66,” Keller said. “They see, obviously, that Nob Hill has its own wonderful aspects and is not far away. And they also see access to the VA and (Kirtland Air Force Base) going in the other direction, and it’s close, even to Uptown. ... If you look at a 40-year horizon, it’s a great place to invest, and right now also very reasonably priced.”

City Councilor Nichole Rogers and Keller’s administration want to give the developer a break on taxes.

The Two Park Central Tower property tax bill is currently $87,090, but is expected to increase to $205,238 after the apartments are developed. Rogers will ask the city council at the Sept. 4 council meeting to approve a seven-year tax abatement that could save the developer a total of $744,332 on its property tax bills.

Rogers tried to get the tax abatement added to last week’s city council agenda at the last minute as an emergency action. But the council voted against it. Several councilors said they wanted more than a few days to think about the tax abatements before voting on them.

Getting the approval is an emergency, Brunner tried to convince the council. People keep breaking into the tower, Brunner told the Journal, and lighting fires or throwing furniture from the roof. City officials are worried that someone could be injured or the property could be set on fire. The city has tried to stop the break-ins by putting mobile units on the site and welding iron bars onto the first floor.

The developer is eager to start, Brunner said, and getting the project into the construction phase could cut down the number of trespassers.

What is a tax abatement?

The city of Albuquerque offers tax abatements for projects in the city’s 22 metropolitan redevelopment areas, most of which are in older parts of the city like Downtown or on Broadway.

For seven years, the tax abatement freezes the developer’s taxes at the amount they paid before the property gets any new buildings or upgrades. The developer might be transforming a vacant lot into new housing, for example, which dramatically increases the value of the property. Without the tax abatement, the property tax would have a corresponding increase.

Technically, the city takes the title of the property and leases it back to the developer, exempting the property from property taxes, and the developer makes a payment in lieu of taxes to Bernalillo County that is equivalent to the pre-development property tax.

“It’s a really good technique to relieve developers of that tax payment in the first seven years of the development, which helps, usually, with their initial cash flow and getting them going on the project,” Brunner said.

The city’s tax abatement program is relatively new, and about 10 properties have been approved for it.

“But it is rising pretty dramatically in popularity, partially because the assessor is now assessing at highest and best use, so some folks that are on vacant lots are seeing a larger property tax bill,” Brunner said.

After the seven years are up, the property taxes will be based on the property’s value at that moment and presumably go up. In the long term, the tax abatement program can increase city revenue, according to Brunner, because it can incentivize developers to build when they might otherwise leave the property vacant.

Developers have to get the tax abatement approved by city council before securing a building permit.

More affordable housing and townhomes

The only affordable housing project of the four is the 70-unit Somos affordable housing complex being developed by nonprofit Sol Housing and planned for the corner of Central and Alcazar SE. The project would set aside 84% of the units for income-restricted affordable housing. The land has been vacant for almost 20 years, according to a planning department staff analysis.

The city already owns the vacant land that Sol Housing wants to turn into affordable housing, so the property tax is $0. But Sol Housing will own the property, and the tax bill is expected to be $81,647 annually after the development is completed. A tax abatement would save $514,376 over seven years.

Titan Development is requesting a tax abatement for a new resident inn and food hall that would be built on a vacant lot at the corner of Central and Cedar NE. The project would include a 14,900-square-foot food hall and 126 units in a residence inn. Because of the project, the annual property taxes are expected to increase from $4,164 to $162,597. If approved, the tax abatement could save the developers $998,128 over seven years, according to a memo from development department staff to the mayor’s office.

Sunlight Properties and Garfield Townhomes could get a tax abatement for 16 town homes planned in the University Heights neighborhood. The townhomes would be built on a vacant lot on Garfield. The current property tax bill of $1,509 would increase to an estimated $25,511 after development, so approval of the abatement could save the developer $151,209 over seven years.

Yet another of the mayor’s RFPs ended with failure recently. The Housing Conversion RFP along east Central was canceled because they say they didn't receive any responsive submissions. I did a FOIA request for the submissions and I found that they had one. That lone submission was for the Park Central project.

https://www.cabq.gov/mra/documents/0...ion-notice.pdf

The city canceled that RFP where the Park Central project could've received $4 million in gap financing to help make sure it comes to fruition, yet now the administration and area representative are urging quick action by the city council to approve its tax abatement rebate request, saying time is of the essence and quick action is required.

I completely agree that we need to act quickly and help this project along in any way we can. But how does it make sense to cancel and delay an RFP where $4 million in city funds could've greatly helped this project along, yet now act like approving less than a million dollars in tax abatements is crucial for the project to be successful and not to be trifled with or delayed by the city council (again, I'm not saying that's not true, I just take issue with the contradiction and hypocrisy by the administration).

It just doesn’t make sense and is yet another infuriating example of the city, mayor and his administration fumbling everything they do and wasting time and resources. It also follows his pattern of shifting blame and responsibility. It's an "emergency" when others drag their feet, but not when they themselves cancel an RFP and essentially deny funds that the project applied for, nor when they are issuing threats to place liens over a spotlight in order to appease the neighbors.

It's absolutely maddening and infuriating!

The city and Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency have retooled and once again issued a Housing Conversion RFP, which will now apply to all the Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas in the city, not just along East Central.

https://www.cabq.gov/mra/documents/h...ersion-rfp.pdf

Again, the Park Central project seems like a no-brainer and perfect and deserving candidate for this money - and they appied for it and actually made the lone submission to the original RFP! Why delay getting that money out, why not just award them the money in the original RFP and work with them to fix whatever issues they identified with the application to deem it as non-responsive (I don't even believe that excuse for canceling it). Instead, we waste more precious time.

It's just like when they canceled the Greater Downtown Housing RFEI because they weren't happy with where and how many responses they received, it's completely nonsensical and infuriating.

Nothing but mismanagement and incompetence by this mayor and his administration!

[ABQalex]

Further down San Mateo from the Park Central project, a small grocery/convenience store has recently opened.

The 505 Supermarket is trying to help fill the void left behind when the Walmart location closed. They have stated and responded to others on their social media that in addition to staples like milk, eggs and bread, they will also try to stock fresh fruits and vegetables and meat, instead of just being another convenience store with limited healthy options.

I really hope they are successful! This is just in front of where I used to live in the International District. I would've loved to have it so close by if I still lived up there. I'm gonna try to go by and patronize it just to show my appreciation for what they are trying to do for the area.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61563072553719

[ABQalex]

The city recently issued a Request for Information for a 3.5 acre plot of land along San Mateo Boulevard at Kathryn Avenue. It's just north of the new Community Safety Department headquarters that was completed and opened at the end of June. The city is looking for a mixed-use development at the site. The deadline for responses is September 18th.

https://www.cabq.gov/mra/documents/k..._rfi_final.pdf

The Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency (“MRA”) invites ideas for development of a vacant city-owned parcel located at Kathryn Avenue and San Mateo Boulevard SE. This parcel is adjacent to and directly north of the new Albuquerque Community Safety Headquarters, which features dedicated space for training and community collaborations. A marketplace is planned for an area north of the Community Safety headquarters and south of the parcel that is the subject of this RFI.

With this RFI it looks like the city has abandoned plans to build a new and replacement facility for the nearby Albuquerque Fire Rescue Station 11 at Southern Avenue and Ortiz Drive SE. The site was also originally supposed to be the location for a new Southeast Area Command Center for the Albuquerque Police Department to replace the existing one on Louisiana Boulevard near Phil Chacon Park. The city ended up renovating and expanding that existing facility instead. Perhaps that's the new plan for Fire Station 11 as well.



Below are a couple of pics of the new Community Safety Department headquarters structure and a story from KOB-TV when it opened back in June. At the end of the story they also mention the second ground-up ACS facility that's being built on the Westside as part of a public safety complex with new APD and AFR locations as well.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/new-a...onal-district/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The brand new headquarters for Albuquerque Community Safety Department is officially open.

ACS broke ground in April 2023. They held a ribbon cutting Saturday morning to celebrate the new building in the national district.

“What you see behind you, but also what you see and feel on your streets every day, is the first of its kind and the only of its time,” said Mayor Tim Keller.

He’s talking about the Albuquerque Community Safety headquarters. People came out to celebrate the grand opening Saturday morning with music and good food off San Mateo in the International District.

“It’s really about growing our department refining our policies, our procedures, our trainings,” said Maria Ruiz Angel, an Albuquerque associate administrative chief.

The flagship building will be home to ACS staff and first responders. It will be used as a training facility, and community members will be able to use the building as a collaborative space.

“That allows us to really broaden out our safety systems in a much more innovative way, that’s conducive to what the community needs and what they want,” said Angel.

The new building is the latest tool to address the homeless issue in Albuquerque. They plan to expand into the neighboring lot and are in the process of building another community center.

“In partnership actually with fire and police and our Housing, Healthcare, and Homeless department, we’ll be having a community center up on the Westside,” said Angel.

Officials say the new community center coming to the Westside of Albuquerque will open sometime next year.

A recent bit of good news in the International District is that the area may receive a grant of $50 million from the federal government to go towards revitalizing and expanding its public housing units. The city must first come up with and submit a plan as to how it will spend the money.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...onal-district/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development will provide the City of Albuquerque’s International District with millions of dollars if they devise a plan to revitalize the area. The city has two years to create a strategy to develop the neighborhood by improving and creating more public housing.

“The idea of this planning grant is to develop a plan around housing, the neighborhood, and the people so that we can revitalize our housing. Transform the neighborhood, make a difference for our residents and people in the neighborhood,” said Executive Director Linda Bridge, Albuquerque Housing Authority.

The grant would provide Albuquerque with $50 million.

[ABQalex]

Here's an interesting thing that I found over Mother's Day weekend during one of Newspapers.com's free trials that i never knew about before and wanted to share. There was once a proposal for a 31-story mixed-use structure in the area of Central west of San Mateo, across from the Hiland Theater.

The building was proposed by a developer from Phoenix but was massively opposed by neighbors and city leadership and ultimately killed when it was denied a zone change for mixed-uses, and because it exceeded by 48 feet the height allowed by the airport overlay.

It would've been Albuquerque’s tallest building up to that point, standing 310 feet tall. It would've had 3 levels of underground parking, retail, restaurant and office space, as well as 120 apartments on its upper floors.

Below are clippings from the Albuquerque Tribune and Albuquerque Journal from early 1973 when the tower was first announced and being considered.

(Albuquerque Tribune - January 17, 1973)





(Albuquerque Journal - February 17, 1973)



(Albuquerque Tribune - February 22, 1973)



Additionally, here's a letter to the editor published on January 30, 1973 in the Albuquerque Journal speaking about the opposition to the tower and plans. I agree with the writer's sentiments completely. How sad, absurd and unfortunate that we still deal with this sort of opposition more than 50 years later, only against 3 and 4-story buildings rather than 30-plus-story structures.



I really wish all structures such as these that were once proposed in the city had gotten built. We'd have multiple impressive clusters of highrises throughout the city if they all had been built. I've posted over at SSC before that there once were twin 22-story buildings proposed in Uptown Albuquerque in the late 1980s. Uptown would've had a great focal point and peak if they had been built, much like Albuquerque Plaza provided the peak and focal point for the skyline of Downtown Albuquerque.

Similarly, the cluster of two buildings at San Mateo and Central would've been even more substantial and impressive had this structure been built. The area was always envisioned as a new urban center for Albuquerque to rival Downtown, similar to what Uptown eventually became. San Mateo in the 1950s was the backbone of Albuquerque’s postwar boom. That was a time when we were just transitioning to building our cities in a suburban manner catering entirely to the automobile, but we still had some holdovers of urban design such as street grids and building up to the sidewalk, urban storefronts, etc.

It was a transition period and this area of Albuquerque to this day is often a dichotomy of urban density, high pedestrian counts and heavy transit usage within an auto-oriented design and framework. I believe its future and best hope for success lies in embracing its more urban elements and getting away from its auto-oriented ones.

https://www.homes.com/property/801-o...5jz9e482mmszt/





https://www.homes.com/local-guide/al...-neighborhood/



https://www.apartments.com/317-palom...ue-nm/jl9d5x5/



https://www.homes.com/school/albuque...ggdrxds66glrh/

[ABQalex]

Here are some nice pics of the Hiland Plaza project that its architects recently posted on their website.

https://www.designgroupnm.com/portfo...-hiland-plaza/







Another project nearby that may get going soon is The Sixty Six at Central Avenue and Adams Street NE. They recently applied for building permits for the 96-unit project.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=205215038

Here's an updated rendering of the project which shows it with a brightened color scheme of mostly white/gray instead of charcoal/black as originally proposed.



One of the projects which will go before the city council next week for a redevelopment tax abatement is the Garfield Townhomes in Southeast Albuquerque. It's a 16-unit market-rate project by the same developer who recently built the Ocotillo Ridge Townhomes near Highland High School. He also built the townhomes at Cornell and Silver SE near UNM a few years ago.

In fact, the Garfield Townhomes are pretty much an exact copy of the Cornell townhomes, except with the addition of two more units in each building. Below is a description, renderings and comparison pics to the existing project from its submittal to the Albuquerque Development Commission earlier this summer.







The project has already applied for its building permit.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=180355503

Another proposed project in this area of town is the Pueblo Revival-style apartment complex at Wellesley Drive and Silver Avenue SE. The site was recently cleared of the historic but rundown compound which originally occupied the property. Presumably it's in preparation for construction of the new apartments.





https://x.com/packedbags74/status/1801378122824130876







The Parador apartments on Yale Boulevard and Silver Avenue SE near UNM are currently under construction. Below is the most recent pic that I can find of them, from the end of May. It's from the same poster on Twitter as the above pics of the Wellesley compound demolition.

https://x.com/packedbags74/status/1796236518308417983



Here are renderings of the completed project from the architects' website.

https://www.mullenheller.com/project...ks/el-parador/





Another project just across Yale in this area south of UNM that I posted about earlier this year over at SSC is a proposal to renovate two existing historic homes along Harvard Drive for a new coffee shop, restaurant and community meeting space. An exciting element of the project is a proposed addition and new structure between the two houses that is described as an "elegant glass box" The addition will also have an outdoor patio space on its upper level.











I'm very excited at the prospect of what this might entail and look like, but of course the neighbors are vehemently opposed to the project over fears of 'commercial creep' into the mostly single-family area. They recently appealed to the city council to oppose the Environmental Planning Commission's approval of the plans and requested zone change.

The area is mostly older and historic low-slung single family homes, but it's also directly adjacent to historic commercial areas and urban nodes along Yale Boulevard and Silver Avenue. The Bricklight District along Harvard Drive is also directly across Silver Avenue from the site.

https://www.homes.com/local-guide/al...-neighborhood/



I understand the concerns about commercial uses creeping further and further into the single family areas of the neighborhood, but this is a very gentle and reasonable way to have such a thing in the neighborhood. It also will be a community benefit with its meeting space. How anybody could oppose such a thing, as well as a restaurant and a local coffee shop is beyond me, all things considered. At least the homes will be reused, not torn down like happened north of Silver Avenue a few years ago.





This area and neighborhood is next to UNM and is the perfect place to develop these sorts of funky little businesses and uses in historic, former single family homes. That's why I was so disappointed when those homes north of Silver were torn down. That feel and usage already sort of existed in those homes.

Here also is another small project in Southeast Albuquerque near UNM that I first found about last year and which I wanted to take this opportunity to post about now. A 9-unit townhome project is being planned on Coal Avenue and Cedar Street SE next to Presbyterian Hospital. They applied for their building permits last year and it now says that they are ready for issue.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=189609701

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=189577856

[ABQalex]

UNM's president gave an update and presentation yesterday in front of the Economic Forum about the university's economic impact and its plans for developing its land holdings in the South Campus area and adjacent to the main campus at University Boulevard and Central Avenue NE.

Apparently the In-N-Out location is now supposed to open earlier than expected, in 2026, and they are close to signing a lease for the larger commercial center known as Lobo Crossing. The anchor tenant for that commercial center that they are going after was identified last year as a Target location. Hopefully that may be the lease they are getting ready to sign!

Another exciting announcement that President Stokes made was that the university is planning housing and a hotel for the property at University and Central. It seems the housing will include both student and regular multifamily elements.

This is really exciting and great news! I hope to find out more about the University and Central plans especially.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...mic-forum.html

University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes, Ph.D., outlined how the university is advancing growth in New Mexico, at the Economic Forum of Albuquerque on Aug. 28.

The presentation highlighted the most recent university-generated economic impact report that shows UNM, overall, accounted for 47,000 jobs, $1.9 billion in labor income and $5.2 billion in economic output across New Mexico.

“We have the responsibility of leveraging our own resources, whether financial, physical or intellectual to help local economies succeed,” Stokes said.

One of the projects Stokes outlined in her talk was the South Campus tax increment district development, or TIDD.

The development project was approved by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2023 and is a collaboration between the University, City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and the State of New Mexico, according to Stokes.

The TIDD allows for gross receipts tax and property tax generated by Lobo sports and the UNM Science and Technology Park to be reinvested to improve public infrastructure in the South University area, she added.

“That’s about 4% of gross receipts tax that’s generated and we’re able to use those receipts for roadways, parking garages, sidewalks, water and sewer pipes, that you need to be able to develop an area,” David Campbell, executive director of the Lobo Development Corporation, said in an interview after the event.

The TIDD project is bordered by Basehart Road, University Boulevard., Gibson Boulevard and I-25. In the area will be a new Raising Canes restaurant, expected to open this October, and the much anticipated In-N-Out location which plans to open in 2026, according to Stokes.

“On the intersection of University and Cesar Chavez, you have Albuquerque’s major sports facilities for baseball, football and basketball, and you don’t have a sports bar where you can get a green chile cheeseburger anywhere in walking distance, so building out that sports and entertainment district is huge,” Campbell said.

Stokes also announced that project officials are close to signing a lease for a major retail center of 31 acres just south of UNM's baseball complex, that will start construction in 2027.

The plans also include the northwest corner of Central Avenue and Girard Boulevard, which will become multifamily and residential housing facilities, along with a hotel that will be overseen by the Lobo Development Corp.

“Meeting the expectations of our local and regional economies is really a never-ending responsibility,” Stokes said.

Here's a proposed layout for the Lobo Crossing commercial center that I posted over at SSC earlier this summer. It shows a two-story anchor space that I imagine is where the Target location will be built, if we can land it. As I said over there at SSC, I'd even settle for a Walmart location to replace the one that closed last year on San Mateo Boulevard. I also hope we can get a large grocery store location in the second anchor space.

(Click the links directly below the embedded images to see them in their original size)

https://www.crexi.com/lease/properti...ew-development


https://images.crexi.com/lease-asset...000_resize.jpg


https://images.crexi.com/lease-asset...000_resize.jpg

This whole project in the South Campus isn't exciting in terms of urban development, but it is exciting in terms of what it may bring closer to Downtown Albuquerque. Stuff that we've never had this close before, like Target.

[ABQalex]

Here's a recent story by KOB-TV about The Highlands project across from Presbyterian Hospital. The redevelopment tax abatements for the proposed food hall and long-term stay hotel will also be going before the city council next week.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/plans...rian-hospital/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – If you’ve been to Presbyterian hospital downtown, you’ve seen the empty lots across from it. They’ve been sitting that way for decades.

The Springhill Suites hotel went up on the corner a few years ago in the first phase of a massive project called The Highlands.

Now, with one vote of approval from Albuquerque city councilors, we could see progress continue on that part of Central.

“People love food halls. They like the variety,” said Terry Brunner, director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency.

It’s one of the next steps in the multiphase The Highlands Project.

“They are filling in vacant spaces, vacant lots with no buildings on them, and really providing an economic development opportunity for that part of Central,” said Brunner.

The Springhill Suites opened in 2021. The next phases include a food hall market, a long-term residence for hospital workers on assignment or family of hospital patients, and an apartment complex.

“It really will get a lot more people out into that area. That’s why they need the food hall is they should have people staying in that long-term stay area, people that are at the hospital now have dining options and things like that. So it should amplify the activity in that area,” Brunner said.

Brunner says this is the kind of growth Albuquerque needs in historically blighted areas.

“You had some older buildings, not much in a commercial way, or hotels or anything in that area for 20 plus years. And so it’s nice to have somebody take the opportunity to redevelop it,” said Brunner.

Brunner believes finances and interest rates have played a role in the timeline for the local developer on the project.

City councilors could make that aspect easier for them with the approval of tax abatement at an upcoming meeting.

“It just means they won’t be reassessed. It means that the assessor can’t come in and now assess that property as if there was a large building on it,” said Brunner.

Brunner says that break will save this local developer about a million dollars.

“Because we will freeze the taxes at the level they’re at for seven years, which gives them a lot more revenue or a lot more cash, in a sense, on the front end of the development. They’re not paying an increased property tax because there’s a new facility on that property,” Brunner said.

Incentivizing one project for the sake of the whole area.

“This whole corridor down Central from the University of downtown, we hope is changing and for the better,” said Brunner.