Phoenix Development News (3)

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

I spent a few months working in San Diego in 2003 when Petco was nearly completed and remember how that downtown went from nothing to a booming city, it was unbelievable. The same thing - to an extent - is happening right before our eyes. We are 15 years behind Denver and San Diego. Perhaps when our time in the spotlight is over Albuquerque is next.

Just kidding, I've been to Albuquerque enough times. There's no reason for anyone to move there.

The case Between New Mexico and Arizona is quite interesting. Up until about 1950 they were pretty much the same, actually for a long time New Mexico was more populace with older traditional settlements and a unique culture. They are similar in size and have similar geography and climates. And ABQ even sits on a more substantial river than Phoenix.

And then Arizona just took off and New Mexico didn't. Why ABQ and new Mexico did not become the de-facto center of the southwest is kind of puzzling.

[biggus diggus]

one of my business partners is from NM, he'll just tell you stories about how the state is constantly broke, has no clue how to attract businesses, spends all their money on welfare projects etc.

Santa Fe (and to an extent ABQ) is one of my favorite places to visit but after a few days you start to realize there's nothing attractive about it as a place to live. There's a very depressing poverty mentality among the residents there. Paying for everyone's college educations isn't exactly going to help the state's budget.

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by biggus diggus

I spent a few months working in San Diego in 2003 when Petco was nearly completed and remember how that downtown went from nothing to a booming city, it was unbelievable. The same thing - to an extent - is happening right before our eyes. We are 15 years behind Denver and San Diego. Perhaps when our time in the spotlight is over Albuquerque is next.

Just kidding, I've been to Albuquerque enough times. There's no reason for anyone to move there.

LOL damn w/ the ABQ burn.

It's quite exciting and sounds encouraging...two of my favorites cities to visit

[ASU Diablo]

Originally Posted by RonnieFoos

Barrister is the one I would really like to see go. That would be the finishing touch on that entire stretch of Jefferson.

same here. Been saying this ad nauseam. They need to get off their ass and get this done!

[CrestedSaguaro]

Originally Posted by ASU Diablo

LOL damn w/ the ABQ burn.

It's quite exciting and sounds encouraging...two of my favorites cities to visit

I actually like ABQ and thought about moving there a few times in my life. Mainly due to the outdoor recreation opportunities that NM provides. I think the problems with ABQ growth are as Biggus mentioned, plus it's got a climate similar to Colorado Springs. It can be nice in Winter one moment or BAM, you can get a foot of snow. Also, I believe it's limited in how much real estate it can actually grow due to mountain boundaries to the East and reservation land to the South and West.

Strangely, they were still able to build commuter rail. So they do have one thing up on us

[CrestedSaguaro]

Here you all go. Info on 3200 Tower III. No renderings yet, but looks like they are proposing anywhere from a 190' to 250' residential tower directly adjacent to the parking garage on the Northeast side.

Also, plans look to include 2 additional levels of parking to the garage. Architect will be CCBG. This is very prelim and could change quite a bit I'm sure.

[kemachs]

Originally Posted by RonnieFoos

I actually like ABQ and thought about moving there a few times in my life. Mainly due to the outdoor recreation opportunities that NM provides. I think the problems with ABQ growth are as Biggus mentioned, plus it's got a climate similar to Colorado Springs. It can be nice in Winter one moment or BAM, you can get a foot of snow. Also, I believe it's limited in how much real estate it can actually grow due to mountain boundaries to the East and reservation land to the South and West.

Strangely, they were still able to build commuter rail. So they do have one thing up on us

I mean, the climate in Albuqueque can be seen as a positive as well, depending what you want in a winter. They have a true - yet mild - 4 seasons, and the summer isn't nearly as oppressive as PHX. I don't see the weather as a big hindrance to their growth (see Denver, worse climate and booming like crazy), but I wouldn't argue the other points mentioned. Would love to see the poverty and crime issues improve, as I think there's a lot of potential there.

Side note, why is there so much animosity between New Mexico and Arizona!? Does this go way back? Both are beautiful states with their own strengths, anchors of a culturally rich region, and as an outsider it seems like they would embrace eachother.

[RumbleFish]

Does anybody know what is being built on the east side of 44th street between Oak and McDowell? It looks like a fairly large project

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by RumbleFish

Does anybody know what is being built on the east side of 44th street between Oak and McDowell? It looks like a fairly large project

Long empty culdasac being turned into generic apartments.

[RumbleFish]

Originally Posted by Obadno

Long empty culdasac being turned into generic apartments.

Thanks! Good use of that lot. Any renderings or do you happen to know the name of the project?

[muertecaza]

Originally Posted by kemachs

I mean, the climate in Albuqueque can be seen as a positive as well, depending what you want in a winter. They have a true - yet mild - 4 seasons, and the summer isn't nearly as oppressive as PHX. I don't see the weather as a big hindrance to their growth (see Denver, worse climate and booming like crazy), but I wouldn't argue the other points mentioned. Would love to see the poverty and crime issues improve, as I think there's a lot of potential there.

Side note, why is there so much animosity between New Mexico and Arizona!? Does this go way back? Both are beautiful states with their own strengths, anchors of a culturally rich region, and as an outsider it seems like they would embrace eachother.

For me, the half-joking animosity I feel toward New Mexico goes back to the 1906 "joint state" proposal to admit New Mexico and Arizona into the Union as one state. New Mexico was apparently all for it, but Arizona voted it down with an ~80% majority. I've read at least one person say that mostly white Arizona settlers didn't like the idea of joining with the more Hispanic population and culture of New Mexico, but I don't know the source of that or how true it is. I don't feel any animosity toward New Mexico's culture, but as a matter of regional pride and stubbornness, I consider it an obligation to my forebearers to maintain the animosity between the two states.

Other than that, any rivalry between the two states is probably just one of those natural regional things between the only two states that I would call exclusively "Southwest."

[biggus diggus]

I never knew there was a rivalry

[ABQalex]

New Mexico has had budget surpluses totaling billions of dollars in the last few years. Our GDP is the third-fastest growing in the country. We've added thousands of jobs in the last few years. Albuquerque alone has had over 9,000 new jobs announced since February of last year, half of them being tech jobs, including 1,900 new jobs at Sandia National Laboratories.

Albuquerque has $4 billion in private investment coming just from Facebook, Intel, Netflix and NBCUniversal. Boeing, Raytheon, Honeywell, Northrop Grumman and Jabil are other major corporations adding jobs and investing here lately. The entertainment industry is on fire here with major movie and television productions filming everywhere you look.

Albuquerque has had 5,000 units of residential infill since 2014 when we came out of our recession. We have the new $135 million Albuquerque Rapid Transit, the nation's first Gold-rated BRT line that has already seen more than $725 million in transit-oriented development along its route. The New Mexico United USL Championship soccer team is planning a new $100 million downtown stadium and adjacent district that will have an arts and entertainment element from Meow Wolf, which is one of the team's sponsors.

Albuquerque and New Mexico are doing just fine.

[biggus diggus]

Glad to hear it, you seem like a proud new Mexican. It's a pretty state.

[xymox]

Originally Posted by kemachs

I mean, the climate in Albuqueque can be seen as a positive as well, depending what you want in a winter. They have a true - yet mild - 4 seasons, and the summer isn't nearly as oppressive as PHX. I don't see the weather as a big hindrance to their growth (see Denver, worse climate and booming like crazy), but I wouldn't argue the other points mentioned. Would love to see the poverty and crime issues improve, as I think there's a lot of potential there.

Side note, why is there so much animosity between New Mexico and Arizona!? Does this go way back? Both are beautiful states with their own strengths, anchors of a culturally rich region, and as an outsider it seems like they would embrace eachother.

I have a good friend who left Vegas for ABQ - to be closer to his wife's family. Outside of the labs - there's almost zero work there. He has to work remote for a company out of Boise. (and has to travel there frequently - with no direct flights between ABQ and Boise he winds up changing planes in PHX all the time) Jobs are the biggest problem - and with politics being the way they are they can't seem to attract anything and keep it. Intel came and is leaving. Facebook came with the datacenter - but may also be leaving after the state is trying to bill them for the power lines they built to it. I feel the animosity between the states has a lot to do with politics - the red vs blue state thing. Maybe they find their way out of it - but I wouldn't expect to see it in my lifetime.

Had to edit: Looks like there has been some positive change from the last time I looked at the actual numbers - note the change between 2017 and 2019: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_economic_growth_rate#2017_list

So maybe I'll see it in my lifetime...

[phoenixwillrise]

Originally Posted by xymox

I have a good friend who left Vegas for ABQ - to be closer to his wife's family. Outside of the labs - there's almost zero work there. He has to work remote for a company out of Boise. (and has to travel there frequently - with no direct flights between ABQ and Boise he winds up changing planes in PHX all the time) Jobs are the biggest problem - and with politics being the way they are they can't seem to attract anything and keep it. Intel came and is leaving. Facebook came with the datacenter - but may also be leaving after the state is trying to bill them for the power lines they built to it. I feel the animosity between the states has a lot to do with politics - the red vs blue state thing. Maybe they find their way out of it - but I wouldn't expect to see it in my lifetime.

Had to edit: Looks like there has been some positive change from the last time I looked at the actual numbers - note the change between 2017 and 2019: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_economic_growth_rate#2017_list

So maybe I'll see it in my lifetime...

I am sure it's a nice place driven thru there a couple of times, but as a sports fan I would have a tuff time getting behind a place that has zero pro sports and yet cannot support a college football team.

[ABQalex]

Intel isnt leaving, they've added nearly 600 jobs and invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the last two years in Rio Rancho.

Facebook isn't going anywhere either. The first phase of their data center opened earlier this year with 150 of its eventual 300 permanent employees.

The issue with the transmission line has been resolved. In addition to the $1.5 billion for its data center, Facebook is also investing $800 million into the renewable energy infrastructure of the state to power their facility. That includes solar and wind power. They already have a $45 million solar energy array on site.

The $300 million Encino wind farm soon to be under construction in Torrance County is also part of that investment. It's adjacent to the recently-completed $500 million El Cabo wind farm. Those are in metro Albuquerque, but the $900 million Xcel Energy wind farm is also currently under construction in southeastern New Mexico. New Mexico is now the third-largest producer of wind energy in the nation. Billions of dollars of new wind farms have been built mostly across the eastern portion of the state. These wind farms are actually providing power to Arizona, namely Tucson and Phoenix.

[ABQalex]

Originally Posted by phoenixwillrise

I am sure it's a nice place driven thru there a couple of times, but as a sports fan I would have a tuff time getting behind a place that has zero pro sports and yet cannot support a college football team.

Albuquerque has pro sports, just not major league. The New Mexico United soccer team and Albuquerque Isotopes baseball team. Both are one step below the major leagues. The New Mexico United was tops in attendance for all minor league soccer teams this past season. The Isotopes as well have been in the top 5 in attendance in their league every year of their existence since 2003.

For college sports, Lobo basketball has always been the hot commodity in town and they are well-supported and have been in the upper echelon for attendance in NCAA basketball ever since the Pit opened in 1966. Even in the recent down years they were at the top of all programs for attendance, coming in 29th last year. They are off to a good start this year and attendance is up as well.

Lobo football has always played second fiddle and will be rebuilding under a new coach after Bob Davie was fired this season. When Lobo football was good under Rocky Long and Dennis Franchione they were well-supported and serious plans were being developed for a massive stadium renovation and expansion.

[TJPHXskyscraperfan]

Originally Posted by Obadno

The case Between New Mexico and Arizona is quite interesting. Up until about 1950 they were pretty much the same, actually for a long time New Mexico was more populace with older traditional settlements and a unique culture. They are similar in size and have similar geography and climates. And ABQ even sits on a more substantial river than Phoenix.

And then Arizona just took off and New Mexico didn't. Why ABQ and new Mexico did not become the de-facto center of the southwest is kind of puzzling.

Honestly, I would prob rather have their weather.

[TJPHXskyscraperfan]

Originally Posted by kemachs

I mean, the climate in Albuqueque can be seen as a positive as well, depending what you want in a winter. They have a true - yet mild - 4 seasons, and the summer isn't nearly as oppressive as PHX. I don't see the weather as a big hindrance to their growth (see Denver, worse climate and booming like crazy), but I wouldn't argue the other points mentioned. Would love to see the poverty and crime issues improve, as I think there's a lot of potential there.

Side note, why is there so much animosity between New Mexico and Arizona!? Does this go way back? Both are beautiful states with their own strengths, anchors of a culturally rich region, and as an outsider it seems like they would embrace eachother.

Well, it’s the one western state we can truely say we are better than,lol.