Albuquerque Development Thread

[ABQalex]

KOB-TV has a story about the new Whole Foods and Sierra Trading Post locations coming to the Westside at Cottonwood Corners. The video story includes views of the demolition and construction that is going on, which is pretty extensive at the Sierra site/former Toys R Us location, which will have space for other tenants as well.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/whole-foo...ty-shopping-spaces-near-cottonwood-mall/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Spirit Halloween will need to find somewhere else to go on Albuquerque’s Westside. KOB 4 confirmed Sierra and Whole Foods plan to fill two long-empty Cottonwood Corners spaces, with both stores aiming to open by early 2027.

Sierra will move into the storefront left empty when Toys R Us closed in 2018 at Cottonwood Corners in west Albuquerque.

Whole Foods will take over the former furniture store space between Michael’s and Best Buy.

“I think that’d be great, we need that store particularly on this side because if not we have to travel to the heights to get what we want from there, so I think that’d be fantastic,” one shopper told KOB 4.

Developer SimonCRE said it is talking with other retailers and expects more announcements soon.

There are rumors now swirling that a new Trader Joe's location will be coming to the Westside as well. Some are even saying that it will also go into Cottonwood Corners, but I find that hard to imagine. I'm not aware of any places across the country where Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are located in the same shopping center.

SimonCRE did say that they would be adding about 10,000 sq ft of space to the shopping center adjacent to the former Toys R Us location. Sierra will be taking up about 20,000 sq ft of the existing 29,000 sq ft space. If you add the leftover and new square footage it would easily allow for an average Trader Joe's location with 15,000 sq ft of space and a few other smaller tenant spaces.

Perhaps this is why the demolition and construction at the former Toys R Us space looks so dramatic and extensive compared to what is going on at the space where the Whole Foods will be located.

I guess we shall see whether the rumors are true and whether they do locate at Cottonwood Corners as well.

[ABQalex]

With the city and state’s first In-N-Out location apparently under construction at Gibson and I-25, the second location on an outparcel at Cottonwood Mall is progressing as well. It was scheduled to go before the Environmental Planning Commission this week but has been deferred to next month's meeting. It's apparently to allow for better notification and updating the plans to address city staff questions and concerns.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/envi...Coors%20Blvd%20Bypass%20NW_DeferralR.pdf

[ABQalex]

KOB-TV now has a story about the third In-N-Out location in the city that's planned for the Oxbow Center development at Coors and St. Joseph's NW. They've now posted a public notice sign on the property for an application for building permit for the project.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/albuquerque-metro/in-n-out-plans-third-location-in-albuquerque/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – In-N-Out hasn’t even opened its first New Mexico restaurant yet, but the legendary burger chain is already eyeing a third location in the Duke City.

A public notice sign announcing the new location has gone up at Oxbow Center by Coors Boulevard and Saint Joseph’s Drive. The development is already home to a new Raising Cane’s and Olive Garden close to Saint Pius X High School.

In-N-Out is already planning two other locations in Albuquerque. The first location is expected to open in 2027 near The Pit as part of UNM’s South Campus development.

The second location is slated to be built outside of Cottonwood Mall, close to Dillard’s.

KOB 4 has reached out to In-N-Out burger for details on an expected opening and any further plans for locations in New Mexico. We are waiting to hear back.

[ABQalex]

Albuquerque Business First last week had a story about a planned development project whose site has been put up for sale. The owner is touting the development plans which have already been drawn up and approved for the site, but a new owner could of course come up with their own project and plans.

I've mentioned this project before as "Universe View" in lists of apartments planned in the city while it's gone before various city planning entities over the last few years. The plans that have been drawn up include 196 apartments, 162 townhomes and 20,000 sq ft of commercial space.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2026/06/09/west-albuquerque-development-land-sale.html

Red Sky Realty is seeking a buyer for a $16.5 million parcel of vacant land on Albuquerque's Westside, with a fully sketched-out development plan already in place.

The property is about 30 acres of entitled mixed-use land located off the intersection of Universe and Rainbow Boulevards NW. Site planning is complete for a proposed project featuring housing, along with neighborhood-serving commercial uses.

It is planned to include 20,009 square feet of commercial space and 358 residential units — 162 townhomes and 196 apartments. The townhomes will average 1,650 square feet; apartments will be about 900 square feet. The site includes parking and open space throughout.

Gregory Kantor and Jeffrey Kantor of Red Sky Realty are representing the property owner, who has not been disclosed. The listing went live on May 26. The conceptual project is estimated at $124 million, with the residual land valued at $22 million.

The asking price is $16.5 million, or about $550,000 per acre.

Gregory Kantor said he is seeing strong residential growth and increased demand for commercial services.

He added that the Westside's proximity to neighborhoods, schools, retail and major roads — strong combined with residential growth — makes it a prime development location.

The completed engineering, planning and geotechnical work could allow a developer to move forward more efficiently and reduce the construction timeline.

“As Albuquerque continues to face housing supply challenges, sites that are ready for development become increasingly valuable,” Gregory Kantor said.

[ABQalex]

Here are some pics of The Charlie build-to-rent community on the Westside. Leasing has begun on the completed portions of the project. The pics are from its listing on the Apartments.com website. There are more pics to be found at the link, but some are CGI images and renderings. I believe the ones that I've chosen to post below are all actual pics of the completed portions of the project.

https://www.apartments.com/the-charlie-abq-albuquerque-nm/mt2ds2h/

[ABQalex]

Housing New Mexico has officially announced the projects that have been chosen to receive this year’s round of Low Income Housing Tax Credits. As I posted previously, two of the projects are in the Albuquerque metro area.

https://housingnm.org/about-us/news/hous...on-in-loans-for-multifamily-developments

Niko Commons will be located in the town of Bernalillo just north of U.S. Highway 550 and the Bernalillo Rail Runner station. It will have 55 units in 2 and 3-story structures.





Edward Romero Terrace II will be located in Southeast Albuquerque on Tennessee Street between Central Avenue and Zuni Road. As its name implies, it will be the second phase of the Edward Romero Terrace project, just south of the existing first phase that was built a few years ago. It will have 51 units in a 4-story structure.





The Edward Romero Terrace II project will also be adjacent to and just north of the Tiny Homes Village. Bernalillo County announced earlier this year that they will be expanding that project with another phase on the site of the former Albuquerque Indian Center, directly to the east of the existing project.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-me...gram-amid-need-for-transitional-housing/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Bernalillo County says its tiny home project has been a big success, and now, it’s about to get bigger. With a growing need for transitional housing in the metro, the county says it’s trying to meet the demand.

“With this new acquisition, we believe at a minimum we’ll be able to expand to another 18 tiny homes, which would give us a total of 48. We’re playing around with some of the design to see if maybe we can get a few more tiny homes on that property,” said Wayne Lindstrom, Deputy County Manager, Bernalillo County.

It’s been five years since the transitional housing program opened its doors near Central Ave. and Wyoming Blvd, and the county says these days, all 30 units are usually full.

The goal of the center is to be a stepping stone for people transitioning out of homelessness, as they receive treatment or other support services.

...

The project is currently in the design phase, with the goal of having the new homes accepting tenants by 2028.

[nmrunner11]

[]I guess this also means the end of Titan Development's "pause" on multifamily projects in Albuquerque due to the property tax increases brought about by the new property valuations and assessments over the past year or so. Perhaps that was more of a scare tactic and propaganda to try to bring about desired legislative action on the supposed issue.

No matter, all I care about is to see even more development action in the Sawmill Area and more housing built in the city![/I]


Alex- love the content, just so you know, no propaganda on the property tax issue, it's real, it's devastating. However, this property will be applying for a 14 year tax abatement through the MRA program to make this work.

[ABQalex]

Originally Posted by nmrunner11

[]I guess this also means the end of Titan Development's "pause" on multifamily projects in Albuquerque due to the property tax increases brought about by the new property valuations and assessments over the past year or so. Perhaps that was more of a scare tactic and propaganda to try to bring about desired legislative action on the supposed issue.

No matter, all I care about is to see even more development action in the Sawmill Area and more housing built in the city![/I]


Alex- love the content, just so you know, no propaganda on the property tax issue, it's real, it's devastating. However, this property will be applying for a 14 year tax abatement through the MRA program to make this work.

Hello and thank you! I'm glad to hear that the project will hopefully go forward with the aid of the tax abatements, which I fully support! I love that the Sawmill Area is growing and getting better with projects such as these.

I certainly don't mean to diminish or disregard the issue, but there have been plenty of other projects that have been revealed and which have begun planning or have gotten underway over the past year.

I don't think it's the death knell for development that it's being presented as, hence my characterizations.

When local news outlets like the Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque Business First, KRQE, KOB-TV, etc. run stories saying that there is now a dramatic slowdown in projects or that local development companies are now focusing their efforts and business ventures out of state due to these supposed grave issues and an overall anti-development stance by the state and our local governments, I can't help but get perturbed.

I've shown previously in this thread that apartment construction and development isn't down as dramatically as it is being presented by those in the local development and real estate industries.

I've pointed out blatant mistakes and omissions in their accounting and assessment of all the projects that are underway right now and planned in the future.

I said that I'm going to try to update my listing of those projects under construction and planned, and I still plan to do so once I have enough time to devote to that effort.

New projects continue to be announced and I have discovered more on my own as well. It's actually getting hard to keep track. But I do this as a hobby, not a profession, unlike those who have gotten it so wrong.

I am very much pro-development and generally pro-developer, but it gets to me to see our city and state trashed, mischaracterized and lied about by the development community.

As I said previously, there are certain people (mostly with a political ax to grind) who run with these negative stories and bad data in an effort to paint our city and state and leaders in a horrible light.

I've been interested in and following development in Albuquerque and New Mexico since I can remember. My fascination with skyscrapers began when I was little and first saw Albuquerque Plaza under construction while riding the city bus downtown with my family.

Nobody wants this city and state to succeed and develop more than me!

I can't remember a time in my life where this city and state and our leaders have been more pro-development than right now. You have people from all across the political spectrum doing everything they can to address our housing shortage and to attract companies, jobs and development of all kinds to this city and state.

Our city and state really don't deserve to be trashed and painted as anti-development and against businesses and economic growth.

The last few years have actually been very exciting for development of all kinds in this city and state. And based on what I've posted just this year in this thread, we have much to look forward to in the future!

[ABQalex]

Nob Hill News this morning had updates on several projects in their coverage area. They began with projects in the eastern portion of that area. They say that they will do the same for projects in the western portion next week. I'll quote below just a few of their updates for the projects that I found most interesting or which we haven't heard much about lately.

https://www.albuquerquenobhillnews.com/

Serenade at Park Central, Poki Poki and 14 More Updates

As the summer heat descends on Nob Hill and residents commence extracurricular activities and summer vacation plans, it can be easy to lose track of all the projects in different stages of progress around the district.

To help keep you updated, Nob Hill News hit the streets last Friday to find out where things stand with 16 projects. Starting at San Mateo, we moved along Central all the way to Girard to give readers a fresh visual look, and also the latest information we have on each.

Next week, we’ll do it all again heading from Girard along Central to I-25.

Serenade at Park Central

While located at the edge of our coverage area, the vacant and dilapidated San Mateo high-rises on Copper north of Central have not only had a negative effect on the International District, but surrounding neighborhoods and the city as a whole. Hopes were high in January when Mayor Tim Keller and other dignitaries met at the shorter of the two for a groundbreaking of what is to become Serenade at Park Central.

But if you drive by now, six months later, you’d be forgiven for thinking nothing much has happened. But according to city spokesperson Sarah Supple, work has been underway.

“The project is currently in the demolition phase of reconstruction,” she said in an email to Nob Hill News. “They are carefully removing all of the materials in the building that will not be used for construction and assessing the existing plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems that may need significant upgrades.”

Supple said the interior work would continue through the summer and more visible rehabilitation work would begin in the fall.

Immanuel Presbyterian Church

Nob Hill’s historic and iconic Immanuel Presbyterian Church became the property of the state this year. Located on Carlisle near Central—and featuring a 25,000-square-foot sanctuary—it’s expected to be preserved for future uses, which are yet to be determined. After an alert reader wondered if a library could be part of its future, we looked into it.

Former Scalo; Nob Hill Business Center

Back in January, we noticed that the former Scalo site, once a Nob Hill restaurant hotspot that has now been closed for the better part of a year, was showing visible wear and tear.

The large, two-level restaurant space occupies a prime spot at the northwest corner of the Nob Hill Business Center, which is located at Central and Carlisle. While the restaurant space is rumored to become either an Asian or Mexican-themed one, we don’t have any more specifics to share.

Meanwhile, Nob Hill Business Center owner Jim Long did recently share with the Albuquerque Journal a bit about what he envisions for the future of the property—a renovation and leasing revamp effort expected to begin sometime this year.

Solana Nob Hill

While it took many months to be cleaned, cleared and prepped, progress has been made at the site of what will be the Solana Nob Hill development. The three-story, 40-unit, pueblo-style apartment project is located at 208 Wellesley Drive SE, on the southeast corner of Wellesley and Silver.

The site has come a long way from more resembling a landfill to visible ground prep work being underway in recent weeks. We stopped by to take a fresh photo.

The Rev boutique hotel

In late February, we talked to Titan Development partner Josh Rogers about the highly anticipated boutique hotel—The Rev—set to rise at the site of the former Hiway House Motel at Central and Bryn Mawr.

The timeline for completion of the project has been extended and Rogers said the project is “inching towards groundbreaking.”

“There’s no concerns; design is just taking longer than anticipated; it’s a complicated project,” he said.

2900 Central development

A new retail building where Mannies Restaurant once stood has been sitting empty for many months with no tenants. Until now. We learned in February that specialty retailer Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is entering the New Mexico market for the first time this year with four locations. The first—scheduled to open by the Fourth of July—will be in Nob Hill at 2900 Central Ave. SE. Coffee Bean is expected to take up about 2,000 square feet and perhaps (it’s a rumor) a Pilates studio will occupy some of the remaining space. When we stopped by Friday we saw a Zeon Signs worker taking measurements.

I was especially glad to see an update about the Serenade at Park Central project and assurances by the city that work was indeed going on at the site. I was one of those people who didn't really think anything was happening with the project just based upon superficial and quick glimpses driving by over the past few months.

I submitted a FOIA request to the city earlier this year for the building permit files. I was happy to see that it looks like they are indeed going with the original plans for the renovation and will include the glass balconies, etc. that we saw in the original renderings. The plans for the permit lay out details of how such elements will be constructed.

Below are a few screenshots from the files that I received showing a bit of this detail and the work that will be taking place. You can see that they pretty much will be adding a new cladding system over the existing facade, so I don't think we ever will see a very dramatic deconstruction of the exterior where we see the building without a facade.







I was also glad to see that early work has begun at the Solana Nob Hill project. It's such a beautiful project, based upon the renderings. I hope it will come out as nice when it's actually built!

[ABQalex]

One of the projects that I hope we will see an update by Nob Hill News next week is the food hall and extended-stay hotel being built at The Highlands.

Albuquerque Business First yesterday had a bit of an update on the food hall portion as well. They detail more about when it might open, what it might be like, and what tenants might be going into the new food hall, including a couple of familiar names. They say that they've talked to about 25 local restaurants about possibly opening an outpost in the food hall.

Unfortunately, they didn't include any recent construction pics with their story, but I hope that's something we may get from NHN next week!

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...itality-highlands-food-market-titan.html

A new downtown food hall from an international developer and operator is in the works and could open in Albuquerque as early as Easter of next year.

Highlands Central Market, a 12,000-square-foot space at Titan Development's Residence Inn by Marriott International, across from Presbyterian Hospital in downtown Albuquerque, is currently being developed by Onset Hospitality, an international company that will also operate the food hall once it's up and running.

Ed Eimer of Eimer Design is expected to be brought on board soon to spearhead the food hall’s design efforts, while Titan Development is the real estate firm partnering with Onset Hospitality for the project.

The hospitality group has projects ongoing globally in places such as San Antonio, Texas; Montreal, Canada; and Washington, D.C.

“I think what we’re trying to create is sort of a living room for the neighborhood," Onset Hospitality President Jay Coldren said. “There’s kind of a big distinction between food courts and food halls, and I usually think about it like, 'Would you take a date?' You take a date to a food court, you’re probably not getting a second date. But if you take a date to one of our food halls, it’s kind of a fun experience.”

Coldren said part of that “fun experience” entails having a central area where you can eat, drink and hang out for events like cooking demos or paint and sips, like Painting with a Twist.

“We want it to feel like a place that you want to go, you want to drive 20 minutes to,” Coldren said.

The food hall is expected to seat 275 people inside, with outdoor seating and a stand-up bar adding more space for visitors. The team plans to have 11 or 12 vendors at the food hall, all from New Mexico.

“We want to have people that can actually be there frequently,” Coldren said. “If I bring in someone from Texas, they set up and they’re never there. I want people who can come in and be part of the community, can encourage their people who live and work and love their home-based restaurants, because we like to work with chefs who maybe have a back-pocket idea that is really cool.”

Coldren said Onset Hospitality typically doesn’t work with chain restaurants. He said the team has already reached out to and visited 25 local businesses such as Buen Provecho ABQ and Julian's Burgers and More.

They plan to visit nine or 10 more times on “curation visits," according to Coldren.

“We’re just beginning to reach out, we haven’t made any deals and no one has committed to us, to be very candid and clear,” he said. “But what we do is, we start by finding places that we love, and then we sort of talk to the individual operators about what we do. Then, we try to bring in a really interesting mix of people that work well together.”

He described the process as “a little bit of alchemy” and “much less like a broker relationship than you see in most malls or food halls.”

Coldren was unable to provide details regarding how much the project will cost.

[ABQalex]

Here are a couple of pics showing the progress on the new El Mezquite Market location on South Broadway in the former Stadium Supermarket space. Modulus Architects posted them today as disappearing stories on their Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/modulus_architects/3921709007361285115/





I had the opportunity to drove by the store recently with family. The view of the project coming over the Guadalupe Overpass is just awesome and a bit surreal. It's a complete transformation and a much bigger and dramatic presence compared to the old store's rather nondescript and low-slung appearance.

The design is a bit generic and gives off suburban strip mall vibes, but that big new entryway certainly will make a mark on the old neighborhood!

[ABQalex]

A new toy store has opened in the former Globe/Central Furniture building on Broadway Boulevard just north of Lead Avenue.



Duke City Toys is an existing business that seems like it has a pretty big and loyal following/customer base. They moved the store to this location from elsewhere in the city. They say that it's the biggest independent toy store in this part of the country.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1344280147745584&set=pb.100064908335078.-2207520000



Here's a short video posted on Instagram showing more of the store during its opening weekend earlier this month.

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZWJLnpFFtm/



While I hope that this site will eventually be redeveloped into something more substantial and mixed-use, I do really like this new use. It's certainly a cool and nice thing to bring people to the area and have around for awhile.

While looking again for the first pic above to share of the property, I was reminded that a couple of the other listing photos when it was for sale were really nice aerials that showed the area where the new small apartment projects are planned along the Broadway corridor.

In the first pic below you can see the site behind the old church on Broadway and Gold in the upper-left corner where one of the projects with four units will be built. In the second pic you can see where the other project with four units will be built. It’s the empty lot next to the structure covered in murals in the upper-center of the pic.

[ABQalex]

Here's a great pic of Sunday's rainbow as seen from Downtown Albuquerque. It was posted to the Pictures of New Mexico group on Facebook yesterday. I had been hoping to find a picture with just such a scene ever since the rainbow appeared over the city that day!

(Click the link directly beneath the embedded image to see it in its original size)

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122295663194282886&set=g.1061947753884363


https://images2.imgbox.com/b6/37/c9nB2ZOu_o.jpg

In the bottom-left of the pic you can see the new storefronts that were added last year to the side of the historic Valliant Printing Company building on Gold Avenue. They were added in an effort to make it easier to lease the space by breaking it down into smaller spaces.

Below are a few pics of the new storefronts and the building, along with a leasing layout. They are from a real estate listing for the space.

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/615-Gold-Ave-SW-Albuquerque-NM/25582923/









Here are a couple more nice pics of this area of Downtown Albuquerque from a recent real estate listing for a condo in the Quickel Building lofts.

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

https://www.homes.com/property/600-central-ave-sw-albuquerque-nm-unit-3f/0kwsef8dw05gg/


https://images.homes.com/listings/116/80...ral-ave-sw-albuquerque-nm-unit-3f-20.jpg


https://images.homes.com/listings/116/83...ral-ave-sw-albuquerque-nm-unit-3f-18.jpg

[nmrunner11]

Originally Posted by ABQalex

Hello and thank you! I'm glad to hear that the project will hopefully go forward with the aid of the tax abatements, which I fully support! I love that the Sawmill Area is growing and getting better with projects such as these.

I certainly don't mean to diminish or disregard the issue, but there have been plenty of other projects that have been revealed and which have begun planning or have gotten underway over the past year.

I don't think it's the death knell for development that it's being presented as, hence my characterizations.

When local news outlets like the Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque Business First, KRQE, KOB-TV, etc. run stories saying that there is now a dramatic slowdown in projects or that local development companies are now focusing their efforts and business ventures out of state due to these supposed grave issues and an overall anti-development stance by the state and our local governments, I can't help but get perturbed.

I've shown previously in this thread that apartment construction and development isn't down as dramatically as it is being presented by those in the local development and real estate industries.

I've pointed out blatant mistakes and omissions in their accounting and assessment of all the projects that are underway right now and planned in the future.

I said that I'm going to try to update my listing of those projects under construction and planned, and I still plan to do so once I have enough time to devote to that effort.

New projects continue to be announced and I have discovered more on my own as well. It's actually getting hard to keep track. But I do this as a hobby, not a profession, unlike those who have gotten it so wrong.

I am very much pro-development and generally pro-developer, but it gets to me to see our city and state trashed, mischaracterized and lied about by the development community.

As I said previously, there are certain people (mostly with a political ax to grind) who run with these negative stories and bad data in an effort to paint our city and state and leaders in a horrible light.

I've been interested in and following development in Albuquerque and New Mexico since I can remember. My fascination with skyscrapers began when I was little and first saw Albuquerque Plaza under construction while riding the city bus downtown with my family.

Nobody wants this city and state to succeed and develop more than me!

I can't remember a time in my life where this city and state and our leaders have been more pro-development than right now. You have people from all across the political spectrum doing everything they can to address our housing shortage and to attract companies, jobs and development of all kinds to this city and state.

Our city and state really don't deserve to be trashed and painted as anti-development and against businesses and economic growth.

The last few years have actually been very exciting for development of all kinds in this city and state. And based on what I've posted just this year in this thread, we have much to look forward to in the future!

Alex - your work here is incredible! You are a great follow and I love popping in here and catching up on everything. I'd love to meet you for coffee sometime if you are up for it, and i can talk you through the property tax issue and we can talk development. Call my office if you'd like 505-998-0163 and ask for Josh.

[ABQalex]

Originally Posted by nmrunner11

Alex - your work here is incredible! You are a great follow and I love popping in here and catching up on everything. I'd love to meet you for coffee sometime if you are up for it, and i can talk you through the property tax issue and we can talk development. Call my office if you'd like 505-998-0163 and ask for Josh.

Oh wow, thanks very much, I appreciate it! Again, I just do this for a hobby and I only compile publicly-available information and other people's publicly shared pics, etc. to present here as a way to track and document Albuquerque’s development and growth. I wish I had the ability and time to travel all across the city on a regular basis to track and take pictures of these projects myself. I truly appreciate the kind words and offer. Thanks again!

[ABQalex]

The first section of the Central Crossing project has been completed. Below are a couple of pics that Downtown Albuquerque News had this morning. As their caption states along with the pics, it's not of much help right now in terms of connecting Downtown and East Downtown. It's greatest utility right now is for accessing the Rail Runner station, until the portions east of the tracks are completed.

DAN had a two-part story last week where the city stated that those portions are slated to get underway soon and be completed sometime next year.

More details and a firmer timeline are expected to be announced soon, including for the overall portion of the Rail Trail from the Rail Yards to Lomas Boulevard. The city is also suing the federal government for the $11.5 million in RAISE grant funds that was canceled last year under the current administration.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Part one of Central Crossing is finished

The pedestrian and bicycle ramp leading from First up to the railroad tracks is finished and open. So far, however, it isn't of much use to anyone except those accessing the Rail Runner platform. The continuation of the path across the tracks is presently staked out but not yet under construction. The ramp on the other side is also not yet under construction. More updates on the project's progress and remaining timeline are expected in the coming weeks.

Here's another pic of the completed portion of the project that ABQ Ride posted today on its social media accounts.

https://www.instagram.com/abqride/p/DZvk_CdDMiY/



And here are a couple of pics that the New Mexico Rail Runner posted on its social media accounts today, including an awesome aerial view showing the project lit up at dusk. I only wish the pics were larger!

https://www.facebook.com/nmrailrunner/po...cqmvz1sjkTiFujwHoYTFDZb7vRhDpqqrhgwmhXBl

[ABQalex]

The city has opened a temporary Route 66 visitor's information station in Downtown Albuquerque on the the ground-floor of the Rosenwald Building. It has information about local attractions along the route and the entire city, free souvenirs and postcards (that they'll mail for you), and neat Route 66-themed photo-ops both inside and out.

It's staffed and open daily except Mondays from 10 am to 7 pm. It will be open through the end of the Route 66 Centennial year.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-me...n-station-opens-in-downtown-albuquerque/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The year 2026 marks 100 years of Route 66, and to celebrate the historic centennial, a new information center right along the Mother Road has opened in downtown Albuquerque.

The Route 66 Information Station, operated by Visit Albuquerque—the official destination marketing organization for Albuquerque—resides at the one spot in the entire United States where Route 66 crosses over itself: 4th and Central in Downtown Albuquerque. That’s because the original highway established in 1926 ran north and south, but in 1937, the route was realigned to go directly across New Mexico.

“Route 66 Crossroads Information Station is the gateway to Route 66 here in Albuquerque, telling our story and being able to introduce visitors to businesses, attractions, restaurants, all the great things that they should check out here in Albuquerque,” said Brooke Jung, Visit Albuquerque vice president of Destination Development and Community Engagement.

The information station inside the Rosenwald Building is free to visit and filled with loads of information about the historic highway. Guests will also find Route 66-themed photo-op stations, souvenirs like stickers, air fresheners, and postcards that the station will mail for you, for free.

In addition, you’ll find Visit Albuquerque staff ready on-site to help plan your visit in the city. “We really wanna see people engage with our incredible attractions and businesses and learn more about Albuquerque,” Jung explained. “We want them to walk away just feeling that super friendly and welcoming vibe of Albuquerque that we know and love.”

The Route 66 Information Station had a soft opening on May 26 and has been open for about one week. During that time, Jung said the station has seen over 50 visitors from around the world, some of whom were driving the Mother Road from start to finish, so over 2,000 miles between Chicago, Illinois, and Santa Monica, California.

“We’ve had great feedback of people saying that they’ve loved their time in Albuquerque and have learned more things that they’re getting excited to see and do while they’re here on their road trip,” said Jung.

The information station, located at 320 Central Ave. SW, will be open through the end of 2026, Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jung encouraged both New Mexico locals and out-of-staters to stop in.

https://www.visitalbuquerque.org/route-66-centennial/visit/visitor-centers/



The visitor's information station is located at the Route 66 Crossroads, where the original and classic alignments of Route 66 through New Mexico intersect.

https://www.instagram.com/dtabq.acd/p/DYies7gGNM9/



I think it's great that they chose this spot to highlight and encourage people to explore both alignments through Albuquerque along 4th Street and Central Avenue!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/historicroute66/posts/2953623191507186/

[ABQalex]

Legacy Development has announced that they've won an award for Hotel Andaluz as the most-improved property from fellow Hilton franchisees and hotel owners. They've been renovating the entire hotel over the past 20 months and debuted their new food and beverage concepts last year, Char and G. Toti.

Below is a link to the announcement made this past week on Legacy Development's LinkedIn account and pics of the renovated hotel from its website and Facebook account.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7473493114121388032/



https://www.hotelandaluz.com/

https://www.facebook.com/hotelandaluz

[ABQalex]

Here are some pics of the former Wells Fargo building conversion project. They were posted this past week on LinkedIn by Sarita Nair, the secretary of the state Department of Workforce Solutions. She and her team toured it as part of the state’s affordable and workforce housing efforts through the department's Office of Housing.

Like with the Serenade at Park Central project, it looks like they are mainly doing the interior demolition and removal of materials right now. But I'm glad to see that work is underway!

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7472738230098894849/

[ABQalex]

In the background of the last pic above taken from the top of the former Wells Fargo building, you can see the Nobis Albuquerque Rehabilitation Hospital construction site off in the distance along I-25.

Below is a set of pics where you can also see the hospital site in a couple of them. The entire set of pics shows nice views of Downtown Albuquerque and its environs and the sites of various past, present and future projects in the area.

The first pic also shows the former Wells Fargo building and the dumpsters that have been brought in for the gutting of the interior of the structure.

The pics were taken early last month and posted on Vecteezy, a stock photo website.

(Click the links directly beneath the embedded images to see them in their original size and to be able to zoom in on various areas better)

https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/80320528-...que-city-grid-with-streets-and-buildings


https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resou...rid-with-streets-and-buildings-photo.jpg

https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/80320531-...que-industrial-area-and-sandia-mountains


https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resou...rial-area-and-sandia-mountains-photo.jpg

https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/80320536-...rque-neighborhoods-with-sandia-mountains


https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resou...borhoods-with-sandia-mountains-photo.jpg

https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/80320527-...uerque-with-highway-and-sandia-mountains


https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resou...h-highway-and-sandia-mountains-photo.jpg

https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/80320533-...own-albuquerque-skyline-and-city-streets


https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resou...erque-skyline-and-city-streets-photo.jpg

https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/80320524-aerial-view-of-downtown-albuquerque-high-rise-buildings


https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resou...lbuquerque-high-rise-buildings-photo.jpg

https://www.vecteezy.com/photo/80320529-aerial-view-of-downtown-albuquerque-buildings-and-streets


https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resou...uquerque-buildings-and-streets-photo.jpg