Albuquerque Development Thread

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque News reported this morning about Jim Long's plans for another hotel and two market-rate apartment buildings in the Sawmill Area on the northern edge of Old Town. The hotel would have 120 rooms and the apartment buildings combined would have about 220 units. All three structures would have ground-floor commercial space. He hopes to begin construction on the projects early next year.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Heritage Hotels and Resorts, the company behind Hotel Albuquerque, Hotel Chaco, and the Sawmill Market, plans to build two new apartment complexes and a new hotel in what would be a major new set of developments in an already-booming Sawmill neighborhood.

The apartment complexes, which combined would add an estimated 220 market-rate units to the area, are to be located on the southeast corner of Bellamah and Twentieth. Some 100 of them would come fully furnished and targeted at short-to-medium-term renters, with the rest designed for traditional long-term leases, possibly up to ten years in length, Heritage CEO Jim Long told a gathering last week at which he gave a first look at the projects.

The 120-room boutique hotel, located just west of the Sawmill Market, would take on a different vibe in its architectural style and decor than Hotel Chaco: "This will be a little bit louder, a little bit more interesting," Long said.

All three structures would feature ground-floor retail - but no national brands - and "self-contained" parking lots or structures that would not border the street, he added.

The past two years have not been kind to the hospitality and tourism business, but Long is clearly bullish on the Old Town and Sawmill area. He said that Hotel Chaco, which opened in 2017, "has become very successful," and that Sawmill Market, which opened just a few days before the 2020 lockdown began, has been "a really fantastic addition to the district."

"This is the place people want to be," he said. "They want to experience Old Town."

The plan is to begin construction of all three buildings during the first half of 2023, staggering the groundbreakings into two-month intervals. Each is expected to take two years to build. The businesses that presently occupy the apartment complex construction zone - Mama's Minerals and Spur Line Supply Co. - will be moved to other spaces for the duration, Long said.

This is really exciting! Especially if all the other projects in the area pan out. Remember the plans for the Sawmill Arts Center and the affordable apartment building just east of these new planned apartment buildings. Also the Explora early childhood learning center that is planned just to the southeast of this area.

Jim Long has always said that he had plans for market-rate apartment buildings in this area. Below is a master plan for the area produced by Moule and Polyzoides a few years ago. It showed the potential for new structures in the area. The hotel site west of the Sawmill Market wasn't yet envisioned.

https://www.mparchitects.com/site/projects/20th-and-bellemah-master-plan



Here's a nice recent aerial pic of the Sawmill Area from the Sawmill Market's website. The apartment buildings would go on the lower right corner of the pic over the parking lot. The hotel structure would go to the left side of the view, west of the Sawmill Market itself.

https://www.sawmillmarket.com/

[ABQalex]

Northrop Grumman has broken ground on a new 25,000 sq ft facility at Max Q that will create an "undetermined" amount of new jobs. It's expected to be completed early next year.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...4/12/northrop-grumman-to-join-max-q.html

As New Mexico’s space economy continues to blast off, Northrop Grumman is investing in that sector's future with a new facility.

The Virginia-based company, which has a focus on defense, security and aerospace, announced today that it is building a 25,000-square-foot facility in Albuquerque. The stand-alone building will be part of the future Max Q multi-use development located near Kirtland Air Force Base.

“This expansion will enhance our ability to support our customers’ missions as their national security space needs evolve,” Troy Brashear, VP of national security systems for Northrop Grumman, said in a press release. “In addition to creating new aerospace jobs, we look forward to working alongside our local customers as Albuquerque flourishes as a hub for advanced space technology initiatives to protect our country.”

Northrop Grumman’s facility will support not only Kirtland but also “customers across the company’s enterprise in space system mission management and operations and cybersecurity," the release stated. Northrup Grumman expects construction to be finished in February 2023.

[ABQalex]

KOB-TV has a story about how the Development Review Board is trying to handle the boom in development in Albuquerque and the number of projects they are dealing with lately. They will now split their weekly meetings into two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/dev...bq-planning-department-to-adapt/6449186/



In the agenda for this week's DRB meeting a new apartment project was revealed for the UNM campus, and the next apartment project by Jay Rembe for his Country Club Plaza development was also introduced for consideration of approval.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/development-review-board/DRB2022/DRB%20Agenda_April_20_2022.pdf

The UNM project is going to replace an old fraternity house. I'm not certain whether it will be open to the general public or if it will be a student housing project, but below are the site plan, massing and proposed layout for the project. It will have between 36-39 units in three stories above a partially underground parking level, owing to the slope of the site.





The Country Club Plaza project is The Clyde, which was previously detailed in Jay Rembe's Downtowner submission to the 1st and Silver RFP last year. It was also the project that was supposed to go on part of the Albuquerque Little Theater's parking lot. However, the project now is planned to be located on the north side of Central Avenue, across from the existing Country Club Plaza developments. I don't know what caused the change in plans.

The Clyde will have 34 units in a 4-story structure with 1,700 sq ft of ground-floor commercial space fronting Central Avenue. Parking and residential vehicle access will be behind the building to the north.





Downtown Albuquerque News in reporting recently about the name change and renovation project for the Hyatt Regency noted that there will now be two projects in Albuquerque named The Clyde in honor of Mayor Clyde Tingley, the hotel and this apartment project. Note the discrepancy in the number of apartment units for The Clyde from the earlier announced project, possibly due to the change in sites. I also was envisioning a compound of buildings when they used the word "village" to describe the project previously.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

In nod to Tingley, Heritage rebrands Hyatt as "The Clyde"



The hotel group announced this week that its prominent Downtown core property would be renamed for the former New Mexico Governor and Albuquerque Mayor. The rebranding comes with a two-year renovation project.

It may not be the only such historical tribute in the works: Developer Jay Rembe filed paperwork with the city in late 2020 saying that he was working on plans for "a village of 41 small apartments" across Central from the Country Club Plaza also to be called The Clyde. Reached this week, Rembe declined to comment on the naming situation except to say that "it is great to see a new rebrand paying tribute to our history. Jim [Long, the Heritage CEO] and his team do a great job and he is a great steward of New Mexico."

Another of these small apartment building projects that I've been keeping my eye on is currently waiting for approval of its building permit application. It was submitted last summer. It will be located on Rio Grande Boulevard in the North Valley on the site of a dilapidated old apartment complex which was demolished. It will have 36 units in 3 stories above an underground parking level. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find renderings for the project, but below is a pic of the old apartment complex on the site and the cleared lot as it is currently. An interesting thing to note from the building permit application is that Scott Anderson is listed as the architect. He has designed Michael Dreskin's projects, including Cascade Crossing, which has an underground parking level as well. That may give us an idea of how this project will end up looking like. It also makes me wonder if Michael Dreskin is involved in developing this project. The owner is listed as another person, but his other projects didn't always list him as owner, so who knows.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=141156569





Another small apartment project that is also awaiting approval of its building permit application is The Overlook at Valley View on the Westside. I've posted about this project before but there has been an update in the plans and new renderings have been produced for the project. It originally was going to have 7 apartments above ground-floor commercial space. The new renderings seem to indicate about 16 apartments now. There will still be 10,000 sq ft of commercial space, including a 5,000 sq ft Anytime Fitness location. The building permit application for this project was submitted earlier this year in January.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=152585903









There's also a planned small infill apartment project in the Heights at Chelwood Park Boulevard and Copper Avenue NE. It will have 10 units in two 3-story structures. The address for the project will be 12710 San Jacinto Avenue NE. A building permit application was submitted in February and is currently under review by the city.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=153781986











Finally, another small apartment project that I've been meaning to post about is one that will be located just south of Downtown proper in Barelas. It's a 7-unit project in a 3-story structure on a vacant lot on Iron Avenue west of 6th Street. It's next to the four small homes that the Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership built in about 2016 to offer affordable home ownership in the neighborhood. The building permit application for the project was submitted in January and is currently under review by the city.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=150911221

[ABQalex]

The owner of the Hotel Zazz posted a video on her Instagram account yesterday showing the new mural being painted on the front of the building. She also shows some of the other exterior renovation work and painting being done at the former University Lodge.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccg2MoioMoc/

I was glad to see this and see that it is indeed following the rendering that was released in the Forbes article last month.



And she currently has Instagram stories up showing the mural work up close and as of today. Watch them before they disappear!

https://www.instagram.com/stories/sharmindharas/2820004828131296325/

Here's another Instagram story that she linked to showing the view of the hotel today from across the street

https://www.instagram.com/stories/nmbarbermo/2820043841205592032/

The mural is being painted by Mauricio Ramirez, who also did the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera mural in Downtown Albuquerque. Check out his Instagram account, he has done a lot of neat murals across the country.

https://www.instagram.com/mauriciopaints/


https://www.instagram.com/p/CB3SEYblxEi/

The owner also posted another video on her Instagram account last week, showing the lobby demolition and renovation work. Obviously the hotel isn't gonna be ready this month, like the Forbes article stated, but it's great to see that the renovation project is indeed fully underway!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcWIdP0K0lq/

Here's another post she made earlier this month with videos showing more of the renovation work, including the pool area.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb_tEh3OZYu/

Another post last month where she shows the windows being replaced.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca2T5YxuBNj/

In one of the pics from that post you can see that the exterior mural design motif is also being carried over into the interior. Below is a post made today on the Hotel Zazz Instagram account showing one of the renovated rooms displaying the design motif above the bed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ccirq7PurDd/

[ABQalex]

Albuquerque Business First has a story about Legacy Development's current and upcoming projects in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. It includes a nice construction pic of the Markana Uptown project, which is up to the third level of concrete and steel construction on its south side. I believe on top of this will be wood framing for the upper 5 levels of the structure.

A great thing to note from the story is that almost all of the rest of their projects in Albuquerque are scheduled to get underway before the end of the year, including the Markana Flats in Uptown on the other side of I-40. I'll just quote the snippets about the Albuquerque projects. That will also help comply with the rules for not posting articles in their entirety.

The story mentions an accompanying slideshow of renderings for the projects, but as of right now there isn't one.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...-pipeline-apartment-hotels-for-2022.html

Legacy Development & Management plans for 2022 include nearly 1,000 units spread among projects in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

The multifamily and hotel projects are in various stages of development, said Legacy's president and CEO Aleem Kassam. View the accompanying slideshow to see renderings of Legacy's ongoing projects.


▪︎Markana Uptown: Preliminary work on the 243-unit project began last October, though a timeline for completion has yet to be set.

▪︎Peaks by Markana: Construction is underway on Phase I of the project, which totals 120 units. The city of Albuquerque issued a building permit for multiple family buildings at 6700 Modesto Ave. NE on March 29 as part of The Peaks by Markana project. The project is estimated to be about 21,564 square feet and cost about $14 million. The work will be done by Pavilion Construction LLC and Humphrey's & Partners Architects LP.

▪︎Peaks by Markana Phase II: This 120-unit project, planned for the Northeast Heights between San Pedro and Louisiana boulevards, was heard by the Albuquerque Development Review Board in March. Kassam expects Phase II to break ground in June.

▪︎Markana Flats: The 151-unit apartment complex will be constructed in an empty lot located next to the Metro Center office building along Constitution Avenue between Louisiana Boulevard NE and Mesilla Street NE. Kassam expects to break ground in the fourth quarter of 2022.

▪︎Sunport Hotel: While it remains in the planning stages with the city of Albuquerque, Legacy has plans for a five-story hotel that will encompass 112 rooms across 73,595 square feet near the Albuquerque International Sunport. The project remains conceptual at this point, Kassam said. The hotel would be located off Sunport and University boulevards at 1500 Sunport Ave. SE, down the street from Interstate 25.

Here's a pic and a link to the video of a different version of the Markana Uptown 3-D animation that I posted before in this thread. It's from the architect's LinkedIn page and was posted back in February. It shows a monochromatic gray coloring for the building, instead of the brown accents from the other version. I'm not sure which is the version that is being built, but we shall see!

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/orb-archi...rough-activity-6898048601184980992-ApQL/



Here's a pic from earlier this month of the Peaks by Markana first phase construction.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbyHa3WP3zz/



Here's a site pic from an earlier article by Albuquerque Business First about the Peaks by Markana second phase.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...opment-plans-next-markana-apartment.html



And here's a site pic from an earlier Albuquerque Business First article about the planned Sunport hotel.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...evelopment-plans-hotel-near-sunport.html



Here's another rendering of the Markana Flats apartments from Legacy Development's website. Unfortunately, it is tiny, but it's different than the others we've seen before. I've tried finding a larger version but to no avail.

https://www.legacy-hospitality.com/investments.php

[ABQalex]

A new tower crane has gone up in Albuquerque for the Markana Uptown project. A poster on Twitter posted the pic below this past week. The mobile crane is still apparently in use as well at the site, as you can see it in the upper right corner of the pic.

https://mobile.twitter.com/MDAndersonABQ/status/1518971587386507264



The poster and people commenting didn't seem to know what project the crane was for. Poster claystorm, whose social media posts I've linked to before, thought it might be for the nearby Element Hotel project, but you can see the Hilton Garden Inn, which is directly south of the Markana Uptown site.



I do wonder if the Element Hotel project will also get a tower crane. Both projects have fairly tight sites they are working with, which seems to be the deciding factor for whether a tower crane is used for shorter projects like these, in the 5-8 story range.

I've been hoping and looking to find pics of the Element Hotel construction but haven't had any luck. It's had several inspections already and from those it looks like it's doing foundation and footing work but maybe also some vertical work already as well.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=139898772

As a bonus, here's a nice pic showing the view north from the Hilton Garden Inn over the Markana Uptown site and towards the mountains. This view will be changing significantly when the project is completed and there's a 7-story structure in front of the hotel!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCZsngypNk0/



Albuquerque Business First last week had a story interviewing Heritage Real Estate's new Vice President, Jackie Apodaca. She talked about new projects for Park Square in Uptown and Albuquerque Plaza in Downtown Albuquerque. Albuquerque Plaza will be getting a new co-working space called "The Firm" and Park Square will be undergoing a renovation that will bring in new upscale commercial tenants and amenities.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...e-real-estate-jackie-apodaca-new-vp.html

Jackie Apodaca just started as vice president with Heritage Real Estate Co, and while her role is still being defined, the list of priorities is long. Particularly at some of Heritage's premier Albuquerque real estate.

Apodaca comes to Heritage by way of residential brokerage Coldwell Banker Legacy. Her resume also includes marketing and project management experience at The Walt Disney Company, Mattel and Omnicom Group, according to a news release.

She believes her real estate experience, financial analysis and ability to connect clients to the right property align with her new role at Heritage, which oversees the acquisition, leasing and management of offices, retail, hotels and more in New Mexico.

The marketing experience will come in handy as Apodaca considers a redesign of Heritage's website and marketing brochures.

Apodaca said Heritage has plans to bring in some new tenants at its Park Square office park in Albuquerque's Uptown, and plans for a co-working space at the WaFd Bank Building in downtown.

These developments are in the preliminary stages and timelines are still being finalized, she said.

Apodaca spoke with Albuquerque Business First on what led her to Heritage and where her role and her responsibilities will look like as VP.

Albuquerque Business First: What are some of the projects/developments you'll be overseeing for Heritage?

Jackie Apodaca: One of the projects I am working on is a redesign of a portion of the 19th floor of the WaFd Bank Building that will be called The Firm. It will be a premium co-working space where we will provide the finest amenities New Mexico’s Class A office space has to offer. Businesses and individuals will be able to rent luxurious offices, desks, and conference rooms for both short-term and long-term needs while taking advantage of the exceptional on-site benefits and amenities. 

I will also be supporting [Heritage president] Suzie Lubar with the planning and development of a major renovation at Park Square, where we will be bringing in high-quality, local vendors including the incomparable Gruet Winery, a high-end men’s clothier known as Eternity Men, a high-end women’s clothier known as Eternity Women, a wellness studio, and two mini-food hubs featuring fresh, curated food and beverage options for our Park Square tenants and the broader community.

Fabletics recently opened at ABQ Uptown. The Fabletics Men Instagram account posted pics of the Albuquerque location to mark the occasion.

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









The Fogo de Chão restaurant at Coronado Center also recently had its grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony. It's been open since last summer but put off its grand opening due to the pandemic. The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce posted the video below of the ceremony on its LinkedIn account. I've also included a few pics of the restaurant hosted on Google.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/the-albuq...3%A3o-activity-6912125549926596608-QjxY/

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque News on Friday had a pic of the at-grade crossing construction at Marquette Avenue. The project is running behind schedule but progressing.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/



KRQE earlier this month had a story about the Rail Trail expansion study for the pathway north and west to the Sawmill Area. The study came up with a preferred option to elevate part of the trail where it leaves the mainline of the BNSF tracks and curves west along the railroad spur. It seems the name "Spur Line Trail" is what they have settled on for this part of the trail.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-me...-of-connecting-major-albuquerque-trails/

• Video Link



The study produced the images below visualizing what the elevated line and overall trail in this area could look like. There are two different styles for the renderings, one inspired by the Rail Yards structures and the other a more general, late-1800s railroad Steampunk style. Below also is a link to the page for the project on the city's website with a link to the study.

https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreation/featured-projects/rail-spur-trail











Downtown Albuquerque News recently also had a bit of an update about the Arrive Hotel project. It linked to an article that offered some exciting news, in that it stated the hotel in Albuquerque will apparently indeed end up having a full-service restaurant included. Remember that the restaurant had been cut previously as a cost-saving measure. Some bad news is that they said there hasn't been much work happening lately at the site after the initial interior demolition work.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Hotel Blue owner still saying it will open in 2023

We haven't noticed much work on the building lately following an initial burst of interior demolition, but parent company Palisociety told Hotels Magazine recently to expect an opening of it and six other spots around the country this year.

https://www.hotelsmag.com/news/palisociety-announces-brand-expansion-plans/

Palisociety, the Los Angeles, California-based hospitality company founded by Avi Brosh, announced its expansion plans for 2022 and 2023 with the launch of six new hotels across its signature brands Palisociety and ARRIVE, along with the debut of a new brand, Le Petit Pali.

With 14 properties currently in operation, Palisociety’s collection of hotels operate under three brands — Palihouse, Palihotel and ARRIVE. Slated to launch in 2023, the Le Petit Pali properties will be designed as a bespoke bed & breakfast offering to complement the group’s current portfolio. The brand will debut with three hotels in California, scheduled to open in summer 2023.

Besides the all-new brand, Palisociety is looking forward to the addition of six new hotels:

ARRIVE Albuquerque: The redesigned and renovated 1960s hotel in downtown Albuquerque will feature 135 rooms, an indoor/outdoor signature Italian restaurant, pool lounge, patio and meeting space. Expected to open in 2023.

The building permit for the project hasnt actually been issued. I'm wondering if that's why work hasn't progressed past the demolition phase. I hope the city isn't holding up this project unnecessarily.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=151233136

Here's a pic of the hotel structure from last month which shows the construction fencing and a bit of the exterior exploratory demolition that was done to reveal the original hotel walls under the later renovations that were made over the years.

https://mobile.twitter.com/JohnMeddUK/status/1504111251613360131



Here also is a recent pic of the Imperial Inn, which is progressing. It's had a few inspections performed on its building permit this past month.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=145865502



The building permit for the new structures on the site hasn't been issued yet, though.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=150396396

The project's financier recently posted on its website and social media accounts about the $5.8 million loan it made for the project. The posts include new renderings that I had never seen before.

https://www.clearinghousecdfi.com/impact...state-imperial-inn-motel-albuquerque-nm/

[ABQalex]

Below is information in a post I made over at SSC replying to poster Cactus Hibs who asked if anybody had information or updates about the Highlands East project. I thought I'd post it over here as well:

The most recent tidbit about the project that I've seen was in an Albuquerque Business First article back in mid-March about Titan Development’s new apartment project in San Diego. I meant to post it back then but never got around to it, especially since it wasn't really about a project in Albuquerque, but it did have some information about the Highlands East project.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...ks-ground-on-california-multifamily.html

Albuquerque's Titan Development has bolstered its out-of-state presence, adding a San Diego apartment project to its portfolio.

Titan, in a joint venture with Santa Fe-based Thornburg Real Estate Ventures and Southern California-based Malick Infill Development, broke ground on a 94-unit development Monday in San Diego. The 53,805-square-foot project will be called 4250 Oregon. The partners expect construction to be completed in June 2023, according to a news release.

...

With Titan's 4250 Oregon project underway, Rogers said the company will turn its attention to the 228-unit Highlands East mixed-use development. As of January, Titan expected the project to break ground in May. Rogers said he's "hoping for some news" in the next two-to-three months.

We're now in May, and as you can see from that quote, we may see movement soon on the project if that timeline pans out. Below is the Albuquerque Business First piece from January linked to in the quote above. It highlights the Highlands East project as one of 10 projects to watch in Albuquerque for 2022.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...10-projects-abf-is-watching-in-2022.html

Highlands East

The next step of the Highlands master-planned community will be a mixed-use residential and retail project: Highlands East. Developed by Titan Development and Maestas Development Group, it will be one of the city’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency’s priority public-private redevelopment projects in 2022. Highlands East will have 228 multifamily units and 4,000 square feet of retail space at the ground level. As of Jan. 4, Titan Development’s Amy Calderon said a groundbreaking was planned for May.

Another Business First article from that time, back in mid-March, that I meant to post offered some information and news about projects on Mesa del Sol, including the Gateway Apartments. The expected timeline for the apartment project groundbreaking came and went and I don't believe it has broken ground yet. But I expect it will get underway sometime this year. The story also mentions a small grocery store in the works for Mesa del Sol, which would be really great and exciting if it comes to fruition!

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...que-real-estate-submarkets-to-watch.html

Mesa del Sol

Netflix is embarking on a second billion-dollar expansion at Mesa del Sol following its purchase of Albuquerque Studios in 2018. Filming has been underway since then, but the California streaming giant is further stretching its local reach. Netflix’s known projects include a 120,000-square-foot office building, a 50,000-square-foot special effects warehouse, a post-production facility, 10 sound stages, dedicated space to construct sets and more.

Another California-based company, Kairos Power, began construction on a manufacturing campus at Mesa del Sol in the fall of 2020, where it plans to make as much as a $125 million investment. The company’s Albuquerque laboratory is designed to test its high-temperature salt technology, according to its website.

The International School at Mesa del Sol — a charter school that teaches those in Kindergarten through 12th grade — is also nearing completion.

And while construction on hundreds of homes continues, the retail component is in its early stages.

In December, longtime friends Stephen Stone and Walter Schuler, who are the owners of Five Mountains Brewing, confirmed they were headed to the first floor of the Aperture Center — an 80,000-square-foot building at Mesa del Sol — for the development’s first on-site brewery. They expect it to open in late 2022. Mesa del Sol LLC managing partner Steve Chavez said a 6,000-square-foot grocery store is another development set to come online soon.

At full build-out, Mesa del Sol LLC CEO David Campbell estimated the community could have up to 37,500 residences with a population of 100,000 people.

“We’ve had a good year. We’ve continued to build and develop new homesites. I’d say we have approximately 400 homes that are currently occupied,” Campbell said. “We’ve got 180 lots that have been developed now, on which houses are about to be built. We’re going from 400 to about 580 [homes] this year.”

Campbell said a groundbreaking will be held in late March or early April for a 314-unit apartment complex at Mesa del Sol.

Michael Fietz, president and managing member of Westway Homes, said Mesa del Sol is the place for Westway to “raise its banner” as a startup homebuilder because it got in early. The company was founded in 2018, and in 2019 it broke ground on 136 new residential lots, which was the first residential activity at Mesa del Sol in years.

Other homebuilders have since started to build at Mesa del Sol like Pulte and Abrazo Homes.

Below is yet another article from Albuquerque Business First at the end of March which looked at three major development areas in the Albuquerque metro area, including Mesa del Sol. The story brings up the possibility of a new soccer stadium for New Mexico United at Mesa del Sol, which would be my preferred option now that building it in an urban setting in or near Downtown is pretty much off the table. Building it at Mesa del Sol would help with the development momentum there and probably would also accelerate and prioritize the building of a new interchange at Bobby Foster Road and I-25 for a more direct connection to Mesa del Sol from I-25. I think it could also help Mesa del Sol more fully realize its New Urbanist vision that is being ignored lately (eg, new homes are now being allowed to have front-facing garages in the development).

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...leaders-target-steps-master-planned.html

A trade school to support local construction companies in Rio Rancho; new, big-space fulfillment and distribution centers to add to what already exists along Atrisco Vista Boulevard on Albuquerque's far westside.

Maybe a new soccer stadium that overlooks the city of Albuquerque at Mesa del Sol.

For these master-planned developments in the Albuquerque Metro, the "backbone" is in place. That means core infrastructure like roads, sewer, water and drainage that a community needs. It also means schools, transportation and health care services, experts have said.

...

Branding itself as "The City of Future" given its location near Kirtland Air Force and Sandia National Laboratories, Mesa del Sol is in a good position to accommodate users with robotics, autonomous transportation and green energy, said David Campbell.

Campbell, the CEO of Mesa del Sol LLC, has said the development can hold up to 100,000 residents and 37,500 households at full build-out. He added that the development would "love" to be the home of a soccer stadium.

Mesa del Sol is home to Netflix, which is embarking on a second billion-dollar expansion at Mesa del Sol following its purchase of Albuquerque Studios in 2018. As part of the expansion, Netflix is adding about 300 acres at Mesa del Sol to its local portfolio to build.

Ongoing infrastructure improvements on-site include the International School at Mesa del Sol, which is nearing completion and the city of Albuquerque will pump about $8 million into better access to the development. Those improvements include storm drainage, widening roads, and adding curbs, gutters and sidewalks where University Boulevard crosses the Tijeras Arroyo river near Mesa del Sol's entrance off Interstate 25.

The Albuquerque Journal late last year had a story interviewing United owner Peter Trevisani about the team's plans for a new stadium going forward after the stadium bond defeat. He also mentioned the possibility of Mesa del Sol for the new soccer stadium. He also mentioned the that the nearby Indian pueblos may be interested in partnering with the team for the project. I think that would be a disaster to locate the stadium far away from most of the urban area and on a reservation. I also don't imagine much spillover development and economic activity could be spurred by such a deal. I appreciate the financial help they could provide to build the stadium, but really, we've seen how disastrous building facilities like this in the middle of nowhere can be with the former Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2455863/new-mexico-united-back-to-the-lab-for-now.html

Back to the Lab for the short term, back to the drawing board for a permanent home.

That’s New Mexico United’s current outlook in the wake of Albuquerque voters rejecting a bond issue last month designed to fund a downtown stadium for the USL Championship soccer franchise.

United owner/CEO Peter Trevisani said the club still intends to construct a soccer-specific stadium in the Albuquerque area and has no plans to relocate. “We’re not going anywhere,” he said.

...

Trevisani estimates stadium planning and construction to be a three- to five-year project and said he is weighing numerous options. Relocation is not among them.

Trevisani mentioned several sites for a potential stadium project, including Albuquerque’s West Side and the Mesa del Sol area, where United has locker room and practice facilities. Trevisani said local casinos have also expressed interest in a potential partnership, but he said those discussions are preliminary. He declined to name the casinos.

Mesa del Sol is somewhat inconvenient to get to now and sort of out of the way, but it's at least beginning to develop into a key area and activity center for the metro area, with great potential for future improved connectivity. And in the context of the entire metro area it's not really in the middle of nowhere, more like in the middle of it all. Again, I think Mesa del Sol is now the right place for a new soccer stadium, all things considered.

As was mentioned above, Mesa del Sol is already the site of the team's practice facilities. Below are pics from earlier this year of the field house being built at the facility. It will include offices, a locker room and training space.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaCzHIfLB0A/

[ABQalex]

KRQE had a story last week about Winrock Town Center. It says that the park construction will be breaking ground next week on the 18th. They interview Scott Goodman and Darin Sand of Goodman Realty for the story. They also say that the dual-branded hotel and apartment projects at Winrock will get underway later this year.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-me...s-away-from-long-awaited-groundbreaking/

• Video Link

Below is a link to the post that Scott Goodman made on LinkedIn recently, re-sharing the Goodman Realty post with info graphic for the ground-breaking ceremony. In it he says that it's one of many such ground-breakings this year at Winrock.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6924126913313603584/



This is very exciting! If the marquee and major projects at Winrock Town Center really do get underway this year, to go along with the Element by Westin Hotel, Markana Uptown and Markana Flats projects, then this year will really be transformative for Uptown. It will be right up there with years in the eighties when the Sheraton and Marriott hotels and most of the office buildings were built. It will mean over 600 urban-style apartments and nearly 300 hotel rooms added to Uptown, plus a major draw in the park!

Below is a pic looking to the east towards Winrock Town Center from the Marriott Hotel that was taken and posted on Instagram earlier this year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CaiqC2HpjET/

[ABQalex]

Albuquerque Business First last week had a look at the former Hyatt Regency hotel as it begins its two-year renovation project and transitions into The Clyde Hotel. It's part of Business First's regular "The Inside Look" feature, looking at development projects in Albuquerque. It includes pictures looking at some of the changes that have already been made to the hotel and its public spaces.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...s-restaurant-coming-to-former-hyatt.html

A landmark building along Albuquerque's skyline now reflects one of the state's most prominent figures over the last century.

Last month, the Hyatt Regency became The Clyde Hotel. The hotel is named after Clyde Tingley, who served as chairman of the Albuquerque City Commission, which was the equivalent title of mayor in 1925. Nine years later, Tingley was elected as New Mexico's 11th governor.

The rebrand stretches beyond a name change for The Clyde Hotel, which is owned by Heritage Hotels & Resorts. Heritage's rebrand pays homage to Clyde and his wife Carrie with their photos on a timeline that outlines Clyde's life and political career. Heritage renovated a restaurant on-site and named it after Carrie Tingley.

The lobby, hotel bar and hotel rooms will all be renovated with a refreshed look. The ground-floor renovations will start in the coming months and the hotel rooms will be touched up over the next two years, starting in 2023.

The background: Heritage wanted to own the hotel because of its landmark status and being visible among the city of Albuquerque's skyline. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Heritage reevaluated how it can highlight and elevate the property while paying homage to Albuquerque's past. Heritage relied on historic context from museums in the state, archives and a PBS special on Clyde and his wife Carrie or inspiration in the renovations and rebrand to The Clyde Hotel. Heritage's VP of sales and marketing Molly Ryckman said Heritage last renovated the hotel in 2018 with a focus on the meeting spaces.

The details: The exterior of The Clyde Hotel already reflects Heritage's rebrand which became official April 1. Inside the hotel, there is a timeline that outlines Tingley's life and political career. It starts when he was born in 1882 in London, Ohio and continues up to his death in 1960. The timeline is bookended with old headshots of Clyde and Carrie Tingley. As you walk past Carrie Tingley's headshot, there is a door to a soon-to-be-open restaurant aptly named Carrie's,

The hotel lobby will get a fresh look as well the 1922 Bar & Lounge in the lobby, capping off Phase 1 of the ground-floor renovations. Upon completion, each of the 392 rooms will be renovated in the 20-story building for Phase 2.

The status: Carrie's is weeks away from opening and serving customers. Heritage will start renovations of the lobby and the bar later this summer which will likely take a couple of months. The renovations of the hotel rooms will likely start the following year, which Ryckman expects to take about a year to complete.

[ABQalex]

The new grocery store on Mesa del Sol is indeed underway and scheduled to open this summer. Albuquerque Business First has a look at the new Mesa Market, which will be located on the ground-floor of the Aperture Center. The grocery store will have 6,000 sq ft with a coffee bar and outdoor patio. The project developer says it can grow as Mesa del Sol grows. A barbershop and salon is also in the works. The story also mentions the new microbrewery which is in the works at the Aperture Center and expected to open later this year.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...ocery-store-to-open-later-this-year.html

Mesa del Sol residents often have to drive 20 minutes to stock up on groceries.

In a few months, the owners of a future on-site grocery store plan to mitigate that problem for the growing community. Mesa Market will be a 6,000-square-foot grocery store located on the ground floor of the mixed-use Aperture Center. The space will also include a coffee bar and outdoor patio.

Separate from the grocery store, but in the same building, will be an additional 2,000 square feet reserved for a barbershop and salon.

Kiki Salcido, owner of Mesa Market and K2 at Simply Real Estate, hopes to replicate the feel of a farmer's market within the store. His inspiration came from grocery stores in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Los Angeles. He said he wants to cater to the out-of-staters who have come from those markets, namely to work on projects for Netflix. Albuquerque Studios, which is owned by Netflix, is a short walk from the 80,000-square-foot Aperture Center.

Salcido said the Mesa Market has been in the works for a little over a year. Initially, he said, lower traffic counts made it hard to bring a grocery store to Mesa del Sol. But as more developments have emerged, and support has continued to increase from residents and workers — and from Mesa del Sol developer Steve Chavez — Salcido decided to move forward with the venture.

"The goal of making it a small market is to be malleable with the community. If it grows, we can grow," Salcido said. "Since Hollywood is coming here, we want to match that energy."

Contractors will pour concrete in the next week and Salcido wants to open Mesa Market within 90 days. HB Construction is the general contractor and Scharles Wilder is the architect. Salcido said the investment in Mesa Market is more than $1 million.

...

The buildout of Mesa Market will coincide with the buildout of Five Mountains Brewing — the first on-site brewery at Mesa del Sol. The owners of Five Mountains Brewing expect to open the brewery later this year in another suite located in the Aperture Center.

[ABQalex]

The agenda for this month's Albuquerque Development Commission meeting was posted online today. The Downtown Housing RFP is on the agenda and its submissions were revealed. Unfortunately it's a big letdown. No new projects were proposed and instead two existing projects and proposals were submitted for the $2.2 million in funding from the RFP.

Mark Baker's The Villa Agave project and Jay Rembe's The Downtowner proposal were the only two submissions to the RFP. The ADC staff is recommending both submissions be awarded funding. The Villa Agave would get $400,000 and The Downtowner would get $1,800,000 in funding. The Downtowner of course was the lone submission and awardee of the First and Silver RFP previously. This RFP was open to any project, so that's why The Downtowner was able to be submitted again for more city help.

https://www.cabq.gov/mra/albuquerque-development-commission/adc-agendas-archives

Unfortunately, in the submittal it was revealed that The Downtowner proposal has been reduced in size to 5 stories and 168 total units. That's down from 6 stories and 200 total units originally. The new proposal breaks down to 155 traditional apartments plus 13 live/work units. The ground-floor, structured parking has also been reduced to 48 spaces. There will still be a ground-floor commercial space/cafe on the southwest corner opposite the Silver Street Market. Twelve co-working units/offices have also been added to the proposal, ala The Franz.

https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fapp.box.com%2Fs%2Ft4970kazt0tcsaetebsxb9nd0hnaorsp

The Villa Agave project remains the same, with 15 apartments consisting of 6 studio, 6 one-bedroom, and 3 two-bedroom units. The interesting thing is that in the submission they say that the project is in jeopardy without the financial help from the RFP. They say that the rise in construction costs and building materials is to blame for that. The project now has a total development cost of just over $5.1 million.

https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fapp.box.com%2Fs%2Fq9irsabt27qjzzokau33ab8dnyh8240x

The total development cost for The Downtowner is still the same, $31.4 million, so I'm assuming it also was impacted by rising costs and that's why it was reduced in size and scope. There weren't any updated renderings for the proposal included in the new RFP submission. Instead, a disclaimer was added to the submission stating that the renderings don't reflect the changes made to the proposal.

I have to say this is indeed a big letdown and disappointing. I was hoping for exciting, new proposals for this RFP. I do remember having trepidation, though, when the RFP was left open to existing projects and proposals. However, with that allowance, I sorta was anticipating/hoping to see the Garcias have a proposal for Copper Square, Union Square, the old County Courthouse or the Rosenwald Building with this RFP. They were at the pre-proposal meeting, if you'll remember. But no, nothing from them.

I also gotta say again that I think a lot of developers are tired of being burned by this administration in these RFPs and that's why they aren't responding. They see that the administration has just canceled previous selections, put previous RFPs on pause, and seemingly disregarded the selection criteria. They don't want to spend the money putting together a proposal where something like that can happen. It's frustrating.

[ABQalex]

The groundbreaking ceremony for the park at Winrock Town Center took place yesterday. The mayor and lieutenant governor were in attendance. The KOB-TV story below notes the trolley that will also be part of the project. I had took note of it on the site plans before but didn't know if it was a confirmed part of the plans. I assume it will be an electric vehicle trolley like is being built at the BioPark.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/groundbreaking-ceremony-held-for-new-winrock-park/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Work is getting started again on the new Winrock Town Center in Uptown Albuquerque.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new park was held Wednesday in front of the Regal Cinemas. Renderings show the new Winrock Park will include a pond that will use reclaimed water.

Also up for construction will be a 7-story hotel with condos, an apartment complex, restaurants, retail, and even some healthcare offices.

“There will be cafés in the park, so you can come have brunch around the water. There’s an amphitheater with 750 seats, a stage that backs the water, and a place for evening events, concerts at the park, theater at night, even yoga on the grass during the mornings,” said Darin Sand with Goodman Realty.

The plans also call for a trolley that will do a circuit around the site. The park is expected to be complete in about 12 months.

More buildings will start construction in the fall.

Here's KRQE's coverage of the groundbreaking.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/winrock-begins-construction-on-park-lake/

• Video Link

Here are a few pics of the ceremony by the mayor, Scott Goodman and various other attendees on Twitter.

https://mobile.twitter.com/scottgoodmanusa/status/1526774035740340224



https://mobile.twitter.com/MayorKeller/status/1527040452788047873





https://mobile.twitter.com/OrlandoABQ/status/1526980772007014401





An updated layout and site plan for the development was on display at the ceremony. Below are a couple of pics of it to get a look at how the development is planned to be built out currently. (Click the links directly beneath the embedded pics to see them in full size)


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FTDs5a5UEAA9GzX.jpg:large


https://www.krqe.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2022/05/winrock-site-plan-medium.jpg

Here's an Albuquerque Journal story announcing the groundbreaking with more details and info about the project.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2498083/winrock-to-break-ground-on-park-pond.html

The latest stage in development at Winrock Town Center is here.

Goodman Realty Group, the developers behind the property in Uptown Albuquerque, announced plans this week for the groundbreaking of the development’s central park on May 18.

...

Once completed, a sprawling 2.5-acre park with a central 374,750-gallon reclaimed water pond will take up space in what once was the center of Albuquerque’s first indoor shopping mall.

Construction on the park is estimated to take about a year to complete.

Darin Sand, Goodman Realty vice president of development, said the park will tie together the center, which will eventually become a live-work-play hub complete with restaurants, multifamily housing, hotels, office space, retail space and medical offices.

Already, Winrock Town Center is home to medical offices like New Mexico Orthopaedics, department store shopping like Dillard’s and Nordstrom Rack, and a multitude of restaurants.

Goodman said construction on the housing and lodging portions of the property is slated to begin this year with the first hotel likely to break ground this fall.

Currently, about 800,000 square feet of development is in place, but the final vision, according to Sand, includes about 1 million square feet of retail space, about 100,000 square feet of office space, 120,000 square feet of medical space, roughly 350 to 400 apartments, 30 condos and two 150-room hotels.

...

In addition to the large pond, Sand said the park will also feature a play area, a small amphitheater, an electric trolley, educational spaces, a cafe and a restaurant.

The groundbreaking comes about 15 years after Goodman Realty took over ownership of Winrock Town Center.

To date, around $210 million has been invested in the project with an estimated completed price tag of $550 million, according to the company.

[ABQalex]

One thing I noticed looking at the Winrock rendering again and with the news reports, is that the trolley is seen in the rendering. And it looks remarkably like the one that the BioPark is building. So perhaps it will indeed be the exact same as the one at the BioPark.



Below is a story with images about the BioPark electric trolley/tram from earlier this year on KRQE. I thought I had posted it here then but realize now that I never did get around to posting it in this thread. As the story says, the old BioPark mini train which this is going to replace is not going away, but will instead run around the Heritage Farm at the Botanic Garden.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/biopark-plans-to-launch-new-electronic-tram/



• Video Link

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque News reported this morning that the Albuquerque Development Commission at its meeting yesterday approved and awarded the $2.2 million in funding for the Downtown Housing RFP to The Downtowner and The Villa Agave. The funding breakdown will be as recommended by ADC staff, $1,800,000 for The Downtowner and $400,000 for The Villa Agave.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

'Downtowner' apartment project advances

The Albuquerque Development Commission signed off yesterday on $1.8 million in funding for the 168-unit complex, which will be located at Second and Silver. A project of developer Jay Rembe, the complex is seen as key to encouraging more residential buildings in the Downtown core (DAN, 12/9/21). The design, meanwhile, is straight out of the urbanist playbook, with most units under 400 square feet, ground floor live/work studios, a café Rembe hopes will be open for three meals per day, and just 48 parking spots, something it is hoped will maximally encourage non-car transport options.

The commission separately awarded $400,000 to the Villa Agave development, a project at Seventh and Copper converting a former convent and nursing home into 14 housing units. The developer on that project is Mark Baker, who also built the 505 Central Food Hall. More details here.

Below are renderings and layouts for the projects. After getting a chance to thoroughly go over the submissions I want to note that The Villa Agave may include a commercial space. I had wondered why the number of residential units was sometimes given as 14 or "at least 14" residential units. The reason for that is because one of the ground-floor units has the potential to instead be built out as a commercial space. I hope this does happen and it becomes a mixed-use project as well!

















From the above layout and compared to the original renderings, you can see how The Downtowner proposal was changed. The second level with outdoor courtyards of the previous proposal was basically removed and the upper floors with the "E" shape were reversed to now face north towards the parking area. The parking area is also far less structured and more like a parking lot, with some building overhangs. It's a project that's been greatly reduced in quality IMO, but c'est la vie, I guess. We can only lament and imagine what might've been!



Downtown Albuquerque News also reported about the $1.4 billion city budget that was passed by the city council on Monday. It noted that millions in matching funds were included for the possible "Space Valley Center" in Downtown Albuquerque. Unfortunately, the report confirms something that I was worried about ever since I found out about the project earlier this year, when it was said that it would be located near the Convention Center. The proposed location for the project is the parking lot north of Civic Plaza. That essentially woold mean any hope of a pertorming arts center or new tallest building on the site is gone. The Civic North RFP is essentially over and done with now.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

The budget also includes several million dollars worth of potential matching funds for the regional "Space Valley" proposal that has applied for a major federal grant. The plan includes a sort of headquarters building and conference center to be built in the parking lot just north of Civic Plaza.

Ugh, what a nightmare! I'm very excited for the Space Valley Center and want it to go forward, but not at that site. That site has for decades been considered as a site for a new performing arts center. The Civic North RFP offered us the chance to finally see it built and now it is potentially gone for good. Surely another site can be found for the Space Valley Center near the Convention Center.

The Innovation District, Springer Square, Innovate ABQ, all of those sites could be used and this project would fit into the mission or vision of all of them. The parking lots directly south of the Convention Center East Complex or even the triangle of land north of it could also possibly be used.

The new Marquette at-grade crossing, along with the Space Valley Center north of the East Complex, could really kickstart some nice redevelopment of the Warehouse District on 1st and 2nd north of the Convention Center. I know it's an awkward and tight plot, but surely something innovative and ingenious could be done with it.

We need people in this city to really start coordinating and thinking these things through and not just doing things totally uncoordinated, half-assed and piecemeal!

BTW, here are recent pics of the new Marquette Avenue crossing by poster claystorm on Twitter. The new roadway and paving is completed and it looks like the project is pretty much done. As he notes, all that's needed is the crossing arms.

https://mobile.twitter.com/claystorm/status/1525565593541304324

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque News also reported yesterday morning that La Montañita Co-op will be building a new grocery store at Avanyu Plaza. Albuquerque Business First and others earlier this year had reported about a possible grocery store at the development. I had hoped it would be a Sprouts or even a Trader Joe's location, but this is certainly a very nice addition to the project!

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

La Montañita opening new grocery store at Twelfth and Menaul

It will be part of the larger development there that also includes the new U.S. Eagle Credit Union branch and the forthcoming 12th Street Tavern. The associated press release (here) does not specify whether the nearby La Montañita location at Rio Grande and Matthew will remain there or be moved to Twelfth and Menaul, though general manager James Esqueda is quoted as saying that the deal will "expand our footprint in Albuquerque." Esqueda didn't return a message seeking further details yesterday.

La Montañita posted the news on its Facebook page with a photo of the deal signing. In replying to comments it was revealed that this new location will indeed replace the current Rio Grande Boulevard location. They say that their lease at that location will be coming up for renewal and they decided to build/lease a new location at Avanyu Plaza rather than renew at their old location. They also revealed that this store will be bigger, at 18,000 sq ft, which will allow them to offer more products, including those produced or appealing to Native peoples. They say the new, larger location will also mean 80 new jobs will be created.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158548186833038&id=93112908037



The current phase of commercial structures at the site are being completed and tenants are moving in or finishing out their spaces. USEagle Federal Credit Union recently opened its new downtown branch at Avanyu Plaza.

https://www.useagle.org/us-eagle/about-us-eagle/locations/avanyu-branch



Other new tenants in this current commercial phase that's being completed are 12th Street Tavern, Itality Plant-Based Foods, RudeBoy Cookies and the Rainwater Wellness health spa. Below are a few pics and renderings of 12th Street Tavern and Itality. I haven't been able to find any of the spa or RudeBoy Cookies' new location, unfortunately.

https://12thstreettavern.com/

















https://www.italitynm.com/









Here are some more nice pics of the second commercial phase at Avanyu Plaza as it's being completed. They are from a real estate listing for the project.

https://www.jcrenm.com/commercial_property_listings/avanyu-plaza-retail-office-space-for-lease/















Here are a few renderings of the completed project from the above listing. They show how all the tenants will fit into the project. They also show some of the next phase at the northern edge of the site. It's interesting to note the new rendered structure and generic placeholder structure shape right at the corner of 12th and Menaul. I assume either of these is where the new grocery store will be located.









Here's some nice aerial pics of the area around 12th and Menaul showing Avanyu Plaza. They are from a real estate listing for a piece of property where the potential for multifamily development is highlighted. Looking at the area that's something that I'd really love to see, for it to be redeveloped with higher density housing. The park with that incredible public art piece really would be awesome surrounded by dense apartment buildings, as would Avanyu Plaza itself and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. It's yet another area of our city which could be incredible if redeveloped and developed in the right way!

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1303-Menaul-Blvd-NW-Albuquerque-NM/24933686/











Another great public art piece is gonna be located at the 12th and Menaul roundabout. The Albuquerque Journal reported at the end of last year about the selection that was made for the artwork.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2456778/indian-pueblo-cultural-center-adorned-by-statue.html

Upton S. Ethelbah Jr. has dedicated his life to art.

He’s created masterpieces during his journey in sculpture.

His latest – “Pueblo Matriarch” – has been chosen as the public art piece that will be located at Menaul and 12th NW near the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

The piece is a contemporary, stylized, steel sculpture that follows the forms inspired by the aesthetic motifs and movements found in the ceremonial regalia and dances of his Native American heritage – Santa Clara Pueblo and White Mountain Apache.

“‘Pueblo Matriarch’ is going to be the mother of our cultural center, complementing the new expansion on the old Indian School campus,” says Ethelbah, who sculpts under the name Greyshoes, and has strong ties to the area. “I had relatives who worked at the Indian School, and my mother was a nurse for the Indian Health Service hospital that used to be there. I worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs across the street. We lived on Los Tomases Drive, only a few hundred yards from the roundabout. Now I live less than a mile away to the west. I have a lot of roots, history and life experiences that happened right there. It was a natural fit.”

“Pueblo Matriarch” will be a 20-foot-high, fabricated hollow steel sculpture made entirely of welded steel beams and panels that will develop a natural red rust patina over time. The sculpture will be illuminated from without and within, highlighting design elements cut out of the panels. These symbols will include corn, clouds, rain, lightning, and the iconic Avanyu or water serpent.

KOB-TV this past week had a story about one of the last buildings from the old Albuquerque Indian School site that still remains, and its reuse as home to the Native American Community Academy charter school. It highlights the differences between now and yesteryear in educating Native students.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/albuquerq...arding-school-in-albuquerque-repurposed/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Federal Indian boarding schools are getting renewed attention after a new report came out, detailing the abuse that Native American children endured.

New Mexico had dozens of Indian boarding schools. One of them was in Albuquerque, and part of it is being used today to teach Native children. But the mission this time is much different.

Albuquerque Indian School was one of 45 federal Indian boarding schools in New Mexico and one of more than 400 across the nation during the boarding school era from 1819 to 1969. The schools were created to wipe out Native identity.

“The languages, the cultures, religions, traditional practices and even the history of Native communities, all of it was targeted for destruction,” said Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

But today, the Albuquerque Indian School site has a much different story.

“I think our students are resilient, they are coming from tribal backgrounds that really believe in inspiring our kids to have an understanding of language and culture,” said Mikki Carroll with Native American Community Academy.

Native American Community Academy has taken over one of the last standing buildings of the former boarding school.

“We have actually had many students whose families, grandparents have connected here, and shared stories as knowledge keepers at our school,” said Carroll.

The public charter school launched in 2006 and moved into the building shortly after and has, “500 students from K-12.”

Once a place that stripped Native culture, it is now one that fosters and strengthens it.

[ABQalex]

It looks like another nice and exciting entertainment facility is going to be built along the North I-25 corridor in the Renaissance Area near Top Golf. Developers have submitted initial plans to the Development Review Board for an Andretti Indoor Karting & Games location. It's part of a small chain that's mostly located in the South but is apparently making a push to expand into the West and across the country. The closest ones to us are in Texas.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/development-review-board/DRB2022/DRB%20Agenda_May_25_2022.pdf



A location in suburban Phoenix was announced last year, which will be the first in the West.

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2022/04/21/andretti-indoor-karting-games-approved.html

Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, an Orlando-based company that operates go-karting and arcade facilities named after famed race car driver Mario Andretti, is getting closer to starting construction on its first Valley location.

To be built in Chandler, Andretti Indoor Karting & Games received its latest approval from the city's Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday. The commission approved the preliminary development plan for a new 96,000-square-foot indoor karting and entertainment center.

Back in the summer of 2021, Andretti Indoor Karting & Games purchased two parcels on the southwest corner of Cooper Road and the Loop 202 Freeway in Chandler for a combined $4.88 million according to Maricopa County documents.

Besides an indoor racetrack, the company plans on having virtual reality arcade games, bowling, event spaces, multiple restaurants, bars and offices in the space, according to documents filed with the city of Chandler.

...

Currently, there are six Andretti Indoor Karting & Games spread across Florida, Georgia and Texas. In a statement from last year, the company said it would be “debuting several more of their legendary entertainment centers across the United States soon.”

The details of the Albuquerque location are remarkably similar to the one announced in Phoenix. It will also sit on about 10 acres of land and feature a 96,000 sq ft structure. It will have an indoor karting racecourse and other kinds of entertainment and food services, most likely the same kinds as the Phoenix location. Other locations employ about 300-360 people, so this is a significant job creator as well. Below are some more renderings and pics of existing and planned Andretti locations to get an idea of what we might be getting in Albuquerque. It looks very cool and nice!























Here's a video tour on YouTube of the location in Orlando which is also next to a Top Golf location.

• Video Link

[AbqManiac]

I’m looking forward to the Andretti complex but it feels like a slap to the face for the Unser Racing family.

[ABQalex]

The Albuquerque Journal and Albuquerque Business First both reported about the Netflix expansion today. The first building permit was issued recently for the project and work is officially underway. Even more building permits for the project are working their way through for approval. That includes one for 600,000 sq ft of building space. Netflix's local director of operations spoke about the project at the Albuquerque Economic Forum. He expects it to be completed in 2024 and doesn't expect the recent layoffs and turmoil at Netflix to affect the project.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=152733756

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=158494404

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...uerque-studios-expansion-2024-ready.html

Come 2024, Netflix officials expect that thousands of people will be present at its North America Hub at Mesa del Sol.

The California-based streaming giant said construction is underway on the project and dirt is moving for its massive expansion at Albuquerque Studios, which has a price tag of $1 billion.

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On Wednesday, Netflix's director of studio affairs Nick Maniatis spoke at Economic Forum of Albuquerque and updated attendees on the progress of that expansion. With construction in its preliminary stages, Maniatis is confident it will be complete in 2024. The work includes a 120,000-square-foot office building, a 50,000-square-foot special effects warehouse, a post-production facility, 10 sound stages, dedicated space to construct sets and more. The expansion will create about 1,000 production jobs and another 1,467 construction jobs.

... 

The overall campus has room to expand to the east where Netflix has plans for backlot studios and is leasing land from the state for "future development."

"We're going to have a good looking studio out there and bring a lot more production to the state," Maniatis said. "This is going to be a major hub for us."

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Earlier this month, the city of Albuquerque issued a commercial building permit for a foundation at 5650 University Blvd. SE — the site of Albuquerque Studios at Mesa del Sol. The work description for the permit reads: "Foundation only for Mill Building 1 and Overall Site." The "mills" at Albuquerque Studios will be the production sets, Maniatis said.

Maniatis said there are plans to add a commissary and day care center to its campus.

As of Wednesday, Netflix has five additional commercial building permit applications that are in review with the city. Four other building permit applications can be found on the portal that are linked to Netflix's expansion, including a draft of a building permit application that totals 600,000 square feet.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2502411/netflix-forging-ahead-with-expansion-in-nm.html

Netflix made a commitment to bringing film to New Mexico with the purchase of Albuquerque Studios in 2018.

The streaming giant then announced a 300-acre expansion in 2020.

On Wednesday at the Economic Forum of Albuquerque event, Nick Maniatis, director of Studio Affairs, North America for Netflix, said the expansion is expected to continue as planned, despite the recently announced layoffs.

“It’s not affecting us at all,” Maniatis said of the Albuquerque production hub. “This is going to be a major hub for us and production will continue to ramp up. None of our plans have changed with the expansion.”

Maniatis did mention that Albuquerque Studios is the only studio that Netflix owns. The production hubs that are located around the world are on a long-term lease.

Work has started on the expansion and Maniatis said a completion date is set for 2024.

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Maniatis also spoke on the collaboration Netflix has with the New Mexico Film Office in getting more New Mexicans trained for jobs within the film industry.

The recently announced Next Generation Media Academy, which will provide an instructional environment unlike any other facility in the state — with state-of-the-art sound stages, equipment, technology, and materials, where production methods, existing and emergent, can be put into real-world practice. A proposed satellite campus in Las Cruces is also in development, with plans to offer bilingual training programs.

“We’re trying to be an integral part of the community,” he said. “We’ve joined the chamber of commerce to give ourselves more of a presence within the community.”

[ABQalex]

Albuquerque Business First reported yesterday about the plans for the Andretti Indoor Karting & Games location that went before the Development Review Board this morning. The story includes a pic of the site where the entertainment facility is planned.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...-plans-for-go-kart-topgolf-location.html

Albuquerque's Development Review Board on Wednesday is scheduled to hear plans for a 95,000-square-foot facility for indoor go-karts.

Sketches and plans submitted to the DRB refer to the tenant as Andretti's Racing and call for the project to be located to the west of Topgolf's venue at 1600 Desert Surf Cir NE. The land is owned by Albuquerque Investors LLC and Woodsonia Real Estate Inc.

Neither Woodsonia Real Estate president Drew Snyder nor representatives from Andretti Indoor Karting & Games could be immediately reached for comment.

Tierra West LLC, an Albuquerque civil engineering and project management firm, represents Albuquerque Investors LLC and Woodsonia Real Estate. In a letter to the DRB, Tierra West president Ronald Bohannan said about 90,000 cubic feet of dirt will be brought in to balance the 9.2-acre site.

Last November, Snyder told Business First that his firm owned a 9-acre parcel next to Topgolf that it hoped to develop for an entertainment user. Snyder's comments came as Woodsonia sold Topgolf to an out-of-state buyer. Woodsonia has another half-acre lot between a nearby McDonald's and Starbucks.

"We'd like to complete those [lots] and sell or develop those properties and finish out the full development," Snyder said to Business First last November. "I'm hopeful with the synergy that Topgolf brought, we can bring in another entertainment-type user on the 9 acres."

Albuquerque Business First back in March also had a look at the Revel Entertainment Center that's next door and just west of the proposed Andretti facility. It's currently building out its concert space that was sidelined by the pandemic.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2022/03/09/the-inside-look-revel-phase-ii.html

The back entrance to the Revel entertainment center is blocked off. An image of a crowd facing a stage is pasted on the doors.

Revel owner and operator Daniel Chavez and a construction crew are now working to re-open those doors, eventually replacing the screams of jackhammers with screams of concert-going fans. Construction began on Revel Phase II in late February and Chavez expects to be hosting concerts at the 4720 Alexander Blvd. NE. venue later this year.

Chavez initially designed Revel on a napkin. He opened Phase I of that design in March 2020, which included a food court with local vendors Perico's Tacos & Burritos, Pizza 9 and Revel Burger along with Uptown Funk Dueling Piano Bar, Draft Day Sports Bar and the Lobby Bar.

Now, he's inching closer to completing his full vision for Revel. The vision? He wants the facility to not just be a venue, but an entertainment hub. A spot where the pregame, the main event and the after-party can all occur.

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The background: With his background in the music industry, Chavez said he wanted to bring a centrally located concert hall to Albuquerque that would be an attractive venue for performers and fans. He began to look for a location via Google Earth and found the former 55,000-square-foot Sports Authority as an option for the hybrid food court and concert hall. Chavez closed on a deal in 2019 and opened the food court in March 2020. The idea was that the food court would exist to support the concert hall, Chavez said.

The details: Revel Phase II will be able to accommodate about 2,500 guests — at full capacity — but can be flexible depending upon the show. There will be a mezzanine level along with big screens on each side of the venue and an outdoor VIP patio with multiple bars. For performers, Chavez said Revel will have bus and crew parking. Performers will also have access to dressing rooms with showers. The ceilings will be extended to hold the sound equipment for the shows.

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The status: Construction began about three weeks ago and Chavez expects the buildout to be finished by mid-July. He ordered a lot of the supplies like steel, HVAC and the elevator ahead of time to avoid construction delays due to supply chain issues. Chavez expects Revel to open its first performances with one-off shows and then will be ready for touring bands this fall.

The investment: Chavez said the entire investment, between acquiring the space and the equipment and the buildout of both phases, will total just over $12 million.

The Icon Cinemas location at Montgomery Plaza on San Mateo in the old Movies 8 discount movie theater space opened last month. The Albuquerque Journal recently reported about it and had a few pics of the renovated theater.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2499040/new-o...o-former-albuquerque-budget-theater.html

The newest location of Icon Cinema may be inside the former Movies 8 location on San Mateo, but according to cinema owner Stetson Snell, the theater is nothing like what you may remember.

The former budget theater has undergone a drastic “multi-million dollar” renovation that’s more than just a new coat of paint, he said.

“It’s a complete remodel,” he said. “… Basically everything new that we could put in the building we did.”

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Snell said the renovation included replacing and updating nearly every part of the eight-screen theater from the movie screens and audio systems down to the fixtures and wall curtains.

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One of the largest changes, Snell said, was switching out the more traditional movie theater seating for Icon Cinema electric leather recliners with electric headrests, which decreased the number of overall seats in each theater.

Snell said the chairs are standard in all Icon Cinema locations, but this theater also features privacy pods — a first for the New Mexico-based company.

Each seat comes with screens able to be raised to separate individual seats from other movie goers or to create “pods” of several movie goers.

...

Snell said each new Icon Cinema’s theater going forward will include the dividers.

Like other Icon Cinemas, movie goers at the San Mateo location have access to unlimited refills of popcorn, sodas and frozen slushies.

Here are a few more pics of the theater from Icon Cinema's Albuquerque Facebook page and by posters to Google.

https://www.facebook.com/iconcinemaABQ/



















The project to convert the former It'z entertainment center space at Montgomery Plaza into the Dion's corporate headquarters is underway. Below is a recent pic of the work from Chavez Concrete on Instagram with the added green chile pizza.

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



A multilevel self-storage facility is also planned for Montgomery Plaza. The ExtraSpace Storage facility will have three stories and 62,000 sq ft of space. It will be in front of an existing ExtraSpace Storage facility northeast of the Icon Cinema and Dion's buildings. It will replace an old Sweet Tomatoes restaurant structure. The plans were submitted to the Development Review Board back in April.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/development-review-board/DRB2022/DRB%20Agenda_April_6_2022.pdf





Albuquerque Business First reported last month that a new "micro-hospital" will be built as part of the redevelopment of the La Mirada Square shopping center site at Montgomery and Wyoming. Nutex Health will build a second Albuquerque ER & Hospital at the site. The first location opened on the Westside back in 2019.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...-er-hospital-to-expand-to-la-mirada.html

Albuquerque ER & Hospital has plans for a location east of the Rio Grande in early 2023 as the three-year-old healthcare provider kicks off the commercial redevelopment of La Mirada Square.

The hospital, which opened its first location on Coors and Paseo del Norte boulevards in 2019, will expand into a new 20,000-square-foot facility.

Tim Bajema, a physician partner with Albuquerque ER & Hospital, said his team had been looking for another location since before the Covid-19 pandemic. Living through the pandemic and seeing healthcare services overwhelmed only further pushed the idea to expand to another location.

"This is a great, unmet need for more health care resources in the city and more hospital beds in the city," Bajema said.

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Early construction has started and Bajema expects to go vertical on construction in the next four-to-six weeks. As of Tuesday, Bajema said the timeline for completion was for February 2023.

A commercial building permit was issued for a 20,759-square-foot new hospital at 4315 Wyoming Blvd. NE — the site of La Mirada — on March 30.

At its Coors and Paseo del Norte location, Albuquerque ER & Hospital has seven ER beds and four in-patient beds. In the building it's expanding to, it will have eight ER beds and six in-patient beds. It's new facility will also include an in-patient pharmacy and a radiology department that can handle x-rays, ultrasounds, CT and MRIs and more, Bajema said.

Albuquerque ER & Hospital has 63 employees and with its new location could add another 60.

In early March, local homebuilder Twilight Homes of New Mexico began work on the La Mirada community. Twilight will build dozens of lots for a new townhome community. Less than a year ago, the early demolition of the Hastings began to make way for a clean space to build the new development.

"This has been a diamond-in-the-rough and something that we've all been sitting back for a number of years, waiting for something to happen at this important intersection, and it's great to see that progress is happening," said Resolut RE's Tidwell.

As the quote above mentions, work has already begun on the residential portion of the project. Albuquerque Business First also had a story in March about the new 66-home subdivision that will be built by Twilight Homes on the southwestern portion of the former shopping center site.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/...ht-omes-housing-community-la-mirada.html

Closed fences surround an empty Northeast Heights parking lot that previously served customers walking into Hastings — the anchor of the La Mirada Square shopping center.

Soon, the parking will be on driveways and in garages for a new housing community at the intersection of Montgomery and Wyoming boulevards, fittingly called La Mirada.

Outside the fence are signs for Twilight Homes of New Mexico, which will build dozens of lots for this new community.

"Twilight Homes specifically chose this central Northeast Albuquerque location because of its proximity to great shopping, restaurants, and schools in the area," the homebuilder wrote in a statement to Albuquerque Business First. "La Mirada is being specially designed to provide buyers with beautiful, top-quality properties in a highly desirable location in the city of Albuquerque."

...

Less than six months ago, early demolition of the Hastings began to make way for a clean space to build the new development. As of Wednesday, several small mountains of dirt are all that is left inside the fences for the construction project.

According to project documents submitted to the city of Albuquerque for a September 2021 Development Review Board Hearing, La Mirada will offer 66 residential lots and have additional space offered for commercial use, specifically for retail.

The new Big Lots location has opened further up the street in the former Stein Mart location in the Sierra Vista shopping center at Montgomery and Eubank. It had its grand opening this past weekend. The Albuquerque Journal had a brief report about its opening. Unfortunately it didn't include a pic of the new location. I haven't been able to find a pic of the new store but below is a pic from Google while it was being renovated.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2499052/big-lots-to-open-new-abq-location.html

Big Lots, a national home goods discount retailer, is poised to open a new location in Albuquerque later this month.

The new 34,000-square-foot location, at 9500 Montgomery NE, opens Saturday, May 21.

The city's second At Home store will be coming to the Westside near Cottonwood Mall in an old Burlington location. The Burlington store moved last year to an old Gordman's location a few blocks away. The new At Home location will have over 105,000 sq ft of space. Renovation of the space is underway. The city's first At Home location with 90,000 sq ft of space opened back in 2015 on the east side at Lomas and Eubank.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms/Default.aspx?PossePresentation=Public&PosseObjectId=136613506





Lastly, here's a pic of the construction of the new Whole Foods location at Carlisle Crossing that was recently posted on the Albuquerque Memories Facebook page.

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=685951212682149&id=100038018297097&set=gm.5114468758632061