Albuquerque Development Thread

[bleuler]

Wow. Very good news. That’s been in short supply lately. Appreciate the posts!

[ABQalex]

The Albuquerque City Council unanimously approved the lease and development agreement with Theia Group for the Orion Center. It now goes to the Aviation Department and Theia Group to sign it, then on to the mayor for his signature as well to make it final. It will then officially begin June 1st.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...agreement.html

"The Theia Group project is a tremendous opportunity for the city of Albuquerque in our ongoing efforts to be a central hub to the fields of aerospace technology and create jobs in higher paying engineering, chemistry, physics and other science related fields," Albuquerque City Council President Cynthia Borrego (5th District) said in a statement to Business First prior to Monday's vote.

Theia Group Vice President James Reid Gorman previously said in a statement the development will be "one of the largest construction projects" in the country.

As of March, the company had openings that appeared on job boards, including those for a spacecraft systems engineer and software operations lead. It also recently expanded in Albuquerque with the takeover of facilities formerly occupied by Raytheon Co. — representing a multiyear commitment to establishing a presence here.

"Our number one focus right now is ramping up these facilities because these facilities are going to be driving a lot of the talent that migrates to the Orion Center when it opens," Gorman said during Monday's city council meeting.

Albuquerque Business First has a story about what happens next with the Orion Center now that the agreement has been approved. The next steps include approvals of its plans by the Development Review Board and an environmental assessment required by the FAA, which Theia Group says its requirements for the study have been completed. If all goes quickly and to plan construction of the Orion Center facilities should get underway this summer.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...buquerque.html

Development Review Board approval

Albuquerque's Development Review Board was set to consider plans for the project this week, but the discussion was deferred to April 28.

Small told Business First that a site plan, site infrastructure list and plat would be submitted this month with DRB review in late April and final approval in June.

FAA approval

Gorman previously told Business First the Federal Aviation Administration was requiring the company to do an environmental assessment study.

A representative for the agency was unavailable for comment on the environmental assessment. But in an email to Business First, Davis wrote that the company "has completed our requirements for the environmental assessment."

Here are the most recent video updates of the two Amazon construction projects going up on the Westside. Unfortunately, the videos indeed are no longer able to be embedded here, so I've provided the thumbnail photos and the links to view the videos on Vimeo.

Project Nico

https://vimeopro.com/dronebros/const...ideo/544437334



Project Chico

https://vimeopro.com/dronebros/const...ideo/544430417



https://vimeopro.com/dronebros/const...ideo/535702585



The video above is a bit older but I still thought I'd share it because it also shows more of the interior of the fulfillment center. I find the main working space to be very fascinating and cool. I could just imagine walking up and down those staircases and seeing the vastness around me and the hub of activity below.

I also thought I'd share it because at the beginning it focuses on the third project site in close vicinity. I really wonder what it's going to be. Below is a screencap I made of the site. Perhaps it's just going to be something like a drainage pond, solar field or something to do with the PNM power substation next door, but they're making a point of showing it, so I'm hopeful it might be another structure of some kind.



The Amazon Hub location and delivery station in the Meridian Business Park is apparently being expanded by 14,400 sq ft. A permit was issued last month for the project. Albuquerque Business First in its weekly round up of commercial building permits for that time period showed the estimated cost of the work on the permit as being $2.5 million.

The permit for the largest project in terms of estimated cost was issued on April 8 to Crystal Jordan for an addition at 7300 Meridian Pl. NW. The project is estimated to be about 14,400 square feet. The estimated cost of the work is about $2.5 million. The work will be done by BRR Architecture Inc. and Ryan Companies US Inc.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...k-april-5.html

Amazon is also only apparently leasing the structure for at least five years. That's according to an online real estate listing for the site which does mention that Amazon is likely to be a long-term tenant for whoever might purchase the property. I wish I could find a pic of the property as it looks now!

https://www.marcusmillichap.com/prop...-mile-facility



KOB-TV has a story about the growth at Mesa del Sol and the newly booming home construction going on there after several years of slow growth.

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news...-boom/6087519/



Channel 13 has a story about the city improving and expanding the entrance to Mesa del Sol on University Boulevard.

• Video Link

Here's more info about the project on the city's website. The project will cost $8 million and includes widening the road and improvements to the bridges over the Tijeras Arroyo.

https://www.cabq.gov/municipaldevelo...o-mesa-del-sol



Here are a couple of pics of the nearby completed I-25/Rio Bravo interchange reconstruction project that I recently came across.





The mayor and leaders from the Air Force Research Laboratory and the group NewSpace New Mexico unveiled a new hub for the commercial space and directed energy industries in the city and state. The space is called Q Station and occupies the former Urban Outfitters location in Nob Hill which became vacant last year after the store moved to Coronado Center. Below are pics of the space and a couple of quotes from the article describing its purpose.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2383119/h...-nob-hill.html

Gabe Mounce, director of the Space Force Accelerators program at AFRL, told the Journal that Q Station will help the Air Force collaborate with potential partners in Albuquerque’s growing commercial space sector, making connections with startup founders and venture capitalists in the space.

"By being here too, companies get exposed to not just resources in New Mexico, but potential funding streams, to the venture capital community,” Mounce said.

Randy Trask, president of the New Mexico Trade Alliance, said the space will be open to partner organizations and members of the business community that are deemed to be an integral part of the community’s directed energy and commercial space ecosystems.

“We don’t want to compete with shared working spaces, we want our shared working spaces to thrive,” Trask said. “This is an enclosed membership to encourage collisions within this particular industry sector.”

Trask said the expectation is that members will use the space for meetings, get-togethers and on a drop-in basis, forming organic partnerships with like-minded Burquenos.

“We want that constant activity,” Trask said.

Mounce said the Air Force has focused on doing more outreach to the private sector in recent years, but added that bringing businesses to Kirtland Air Force Base for meetings can be a challenge.

Having the space in Nob Hill, rather than behind the fence, makes it easier to form connections organically and may appeal to out-of-state employees, who may be familiar with similar spaces in Austin, Boston and Los Angeles, Mounce said.

Here's another report about Q Station from KRQE which adds more information about the project.

https://www.krqe.com/news/technology...b-in-nob-hill/

The New Mexico Trade Alliance was recently awarded a $750,000 grant for the station. That money will go to help buy communication technology for the space.

The space will include:

State of the art communications technology designed to create a hybrid work environment, post COVID-19.
A co-working space for Q Station partners and the companies working with them.
Accessibility for those who are currently working with AFRL or who may have an interest in doing so.
Temporary free space to out-of-state and international companies and local start-ups that are working on space and directed energy technologies who want to grow or expand operations in New Mexico.

Another chicken-focused restaurant has announced its plans for locations in Albuquerque. Slim Chickens has announced an agreement with a franchisee to open at least ten and maybe twenty new locations across New Mexico and El Paso. The franchisee also currently operates the Del Taco locations in the state.

Ekstrom is targeting Farmington for the first Slim Chickens in New Mexico, which he is expecting to open in September. Ekstrom said he has letters of intent out to developers and landowners in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. Once a letter of intent is accepted and the leasing process starts, it takes six to eight months for a location to go live, he said. The hope, Ekstrom said, is to open a few stores in the Albuquerque area by the end of the year.

Another recent announcement from a restaurant chain of its intentions to enter the Albuquerque market is Noodles & Company, which announced in March that it was trying to find a franchisee to develop multiple locations here.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...anchisees.html

John Ramsay, vice president of franchise sales for Noodles & Co. told Business First on Monday that New Mexico — specifically the Albuquerque-area — is a prime target for the company to grow its franchise of fast-casual restaurants. As of Monday, Noodles & Co. is in talks with a few groups for franchising in the Albuquerque area, Ramsay said.

While deals aren't in place yet locally, Ramsay said he envisions about five to seven restaurants in densely populated areas in New Mexico. He specified Central Avenue near the University of New Mexico, the Northeast Heights, Uptown, the Westside, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe on Cerrillos Road as ideal locations for possible Noodles & Co. restaurants. Generally, each location employs about 20 people.

[ABQalex]

A recent pic of the construction of the Allaso High Desert apartments from Pavilion Construction on Facebook.


https://www.facebook.com/pavilionconstruction/

Two pictures of the work being done at the Allaso Journal Center site, also from Pavilion Construction on Facebook.




https://www.facebook.com/pavilionconstruction/

At the Environmental Planning Commission's monthly meeting in April it was revealed that Titan Development is planning to build another multifamily project in Journal Center. The project will be on the northwest corner of the intersection of Jefferson and Masthead. The property is currently an empty lot. Titan went before the EPC with a request to change the zoning for the property to allow for the project, which they approved.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/...NoD_4_2021.pdf

The argument for changing the zoning was that Journal Center is mostly built up, and allowing it to change with more mixed uses and residential is beneficial to the overall goal of the IDO to capture growth in established corridors and centers in the city. It's also a nationwide trend for office and business parks to add residential components and become live/work/play kinds of places.

Below is an aerial pic of the Journal Center area to give an idea of where the new Titan project will be built. It's at the lower left corner where it says "Future Development"



The 135-unit Reserve by Markana apartments on Alameda Boulevard NE across from Tin Can Alley have been completed. Below are a few pics from an apartment listing website.

https://www.apartmentfinder.com/New-...tments-fb4drbs





























Legacy Development is planning another Markana-branded apartment project in the Far Northeast Heights. The Peaks by Markana will be a 120-unit complex located off of Modesto Avenue near Louisiana and Alameda NE. It is currently before the Development Review Board for approval.

https://www.cabq.gov/planning/boards...genda-archives





A new 333-unit apartment complex on Woodmont Avenue near Paseo del Norte and Rainbow Boulevard NW is also before the DRB.







A mixed-use project including commercial uses and a 256-unit apartment complex on the southwest corner of Unser Boulevard and McMahon Boulevard NW is also currently before the DRB for approval.



The 171-unit Overture Andalucia luxury 55+ apartment project that faced a fight last year with NIMBYs on the Westside, who deemed it as too tall with 3 stories, is finally under construction. It had to agree to lower its site several feet by excavation and shuffle the buildings around in order to gain approval from the EPC.

https://www.abqwestside.com/







There really are a lot of apartments recently completed, going up and in the pipeline in Albuquerque. I've compiled a pretty comprehensive list but I haven't updated it with some of the most recent projects that have been revealed in the last 2 or 3 months. I'm gonna try to get it as complete as I can to share here eventually. It was nearing 6,000 units the last time I added it all up. These recent announcements and revelations could push it to well over 8,000 or more!

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque News reported late last month that the Monterey Place apartment building is under construction. It says the project got underway earlier in April after a financing delay because of the pandemic. The project will have 42 residential units and 2,200 sq ft of commercial space.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Monterey Place, a future 42-unit apartment complex near El Vado, finally kicked off construction this month following a long pandemic-related financing delay. The project, which will include some groundfloor retail space, is slated to take one year, according to Ryan Whitt, the construction director at PacifiCap.

The story also mentions that the developer has plans for another new mixed-use project across the street from the El Vado and Monterey projects. DAN had reported earlier this year that the developer purchased the old Motel 21 property that is currently an empty lot with just its sign remaining.

Rennaker is the developer of El Vado and expects to begin construction of a project at the old Motel 21 property across Central in 2022. He is also behind the forthcoming overhaul of the Imperial Inn, near Central and I-25.

The Monterey Motel itself completed its renovation and addition earlier this year in January. It has been open for guests since about that time as well. It is planning a grand opening soon and its MoMo Lounge just opened to the public on Wednesday. Below are pics from the Monterey Motel Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/montereymotel_abq/































I recently came across these neat aerial pics of the Franz at Country Club Plaza apartment building on a real estate site. I thought I'd share them for the neat perspective they give of the growth and transformation of this area. Country Club Plaza's developer, Jay Rembe, has plans for another apartment building behind the Aveda Institute structure. It would go in part of the Albuquerque Little Theater's parking lot, which is visible in the lower right corner of the 1st pic below.

https://www.commercialexchange.com/p...erque-nm-87104









The conversion of the former Express Inn motel on Central just west of Downtown has been underway since earlier this year. The project will include 67 apartments and a small 840 sq ft commercial space. Below are renderings of the finished project from a real estate site and a pic of it under construction from a poster on Instagram. As you can see, it has now been christened as the Millennium Flats.

https://cie.carnm.com/listing/aJYANd...erque-NM-87102












https://www.instagram.com/p/CM5jj_YsblR/

The Ibiza Townhomes at 9th and Tijeras were recently completed. Below are a few pictures from a real estate listing while they were still being finished. They include a few nice aerial shots of Downtown Albuquerque. I wish they could've covered the entire block with more townhomes and gotten rid of the adjacent parking lot as well!

https://www.estately.com/listings/in...eras-avenue-nw

















Here's a more recent Facebook video from the developer showing the finishing touches. The developer also posted on his Facebook that all 6 units have been sold.

https://fb.watch/5DrUpPtqUL/

KRQE reported recently about a proposal and agreement the city is considering to sell and renovate its portions of the Rosenwald Building downtown. The proposal calls for, and is contingent upon, the city and APD agreeing to lease about 1,100 sq ft on the ground-floor for a new Downtown police substation. In return, the developer would renovate the 2nd floor with residential uses and the rest of the ground-floor with commercial uses. The developer would also renovate and furnish APD's space free of charge.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...wn-substation/



The Albuquerque City Council's Public Safety Committee reviewed the proposal last week and unanimously recommended that it be approved by the full council. Some councilors did have initial confusion and concern with the terms of the deal, but the mayor's team satisfactorily explained the deal to them. The deal calls for the city to pay $2,064.33 a month in rent for an initial term of 13 years and 9 months for the substation space. That means that when the initial lease term is over the city will have essentially paid the developer back through rent the $350,000 sale price of the city's share of the building.

https://cabq.legistar.com/View.ashx?...0-AE5AF68655A8

Some councilors obviously thought that wasn't a great deal, but the mayor's staff explained that the overall desired intent is to get the building renovated and occupied. That the point of MRA projects is not necessarily for the city to make money on these deals, but to leverage city property and financing tools to improve and revitalize Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas.

The city doesn't own the entire building, just the 1st and 2nd floors and a share of the basement and common areas. The mayor's staff told councilors in the committee meeting that the city has repeatedly tried to purchase the third floor and the other areas of the building it doesn't own, but the other owner has always denied their offers. The hope is that the owner of the 3rd floor may be more willing to sell to a private developer or even join in on the planned renovation with the developer.

In the meeting it was revealed that the developer proposing to purchase the city's share of the building is the Garcia Family, who own car dealerships and several other downtown buildings. Their current project downtown is the Glorieta Station redevelopment project on the eastern edge of Downtown Albuquerque.



Downtown Albuquerque News reported late last month that the county's effort to demolish the old house at 6th and Central to build supportive housing may move forward without needing to go through the city council. At the time, a hearing officer was ready to reverse the Landmarks Commission's decision and remand the case to them, which he did. Doing that leaves few options for the commission but to let the demolition go forward, though they could impose a 120-day period to again try to come up with an alternative to demolition.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

A city land-use hearing officer appears ready to reverse a Landmarks Commission decision denying a demolition permit to a developer looking to build a 45-unit apartment complex at 6th and Coal.

Though word of a final decision from Steven Chávez had yet to be published by the city as of last week, he didn't mince words at a recent appeal hearing: "It's my belief that the Landmarks Commission erred grossly," Chávez said. "They don't have authority to just outright deny the application."

The commission didn't impose such a delay in January, but it could well do so if it is asked to review the case again. The prospect of another delay - something that could in any event only be decided at the commission's next meeting - was clearly on the mind of Jennifer Facio Maddox, an architect with Dekker/Perich/Sabatini who is working on the project on behalf of DBG Properties, which currently owns the property, and Bernalillo County, which is looking to put up the apartments.

"All of the things that would normally happen under that 120-day review purview have been reviewed," she said. "I think going back to the hearing is just going to delay this."

Chávez concurred: "I agree it's going to delay it," he said, explaining that he was likely to remand the case back to the Landmarks Commission anyway.

The Landmarks Commission took up the case again at their meeting earlier this month but it has not yet been reported what they did at the meeting regarding the demolition. However, their staff report did recommend not imposing a delay and letting the demolition go forward.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/...pplemental.pdf

[ABQalex]

LQ Digital, a California company, will be bringing 100 jobs to Downtown Albuquerque. It says that Albuquerque beat out three other finalist cities in their search for a new location.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...buquerque.html

A Bay Area company helping clients acquire new customers plans scores of jobs in Downtown Albuquerque.

The company, LQ Digital, uses various digital tactics to help clients attract more business, including search engine optimization and marketing, social media and contact center services. By the end of the year, LQ plans to have built a workforce of 100 in Albuquerque, adding to its nationwide workforce of about 300, according to CEO Katy Keim.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...23010748249440

The Century 14 movie theater in Downtown Albuquerque re-opened earlier this month after more than a year of being closed due to the pandemic. It announced its re-opening shortly after Bernalillo County reached the least-restrictive Turquoise level in the state's restrictions. I'm so glad the theater re-opened, especially since downtown movie theaters in other places either closed permanently or had their planned projects called off completely because of the pandemic's devastating effect on the industry.

https://www.krqe.com/news/business/a...ces-reopening/

• Video Link

The Albuquerque Convention Center has also re-opened for events after more than a year of being closed. The general manager says that they are filling up fast with events. He credits it to the pent-up demand caused by such a long closure. The Convention Center is also currently having some work done on the skylights over the West Complex atrium and has completed the switch to its new indoor track. Last year's NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships were canceled, but the new track is an important investment that will surely keep the event and others like it coming here in the future, including the 2023 event that is already scheduled.

https://www.krqe.com/news/business/a...le-filling-up/

• Video Link


https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status...61898058256387

The Albuquerque Journal also recently had a story about local hotels backing the effort to impose a 2% fee on hotel stays within the city limits that would exclusively go toward creating a tourism marketing district to better compete with other cities that have done so or which have bigger marketing budgets than Albuquerque. The hope is to take advantage of the pent-up travel demand in the country and help Albuquerque regain its footing with tourism and visitors now that the city and state are opening back up and relaxing restrictions.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2384622/a...rket-city.html



Coincidentally, Albuquerque has made the top 20 of a list of best travel destinations this summer.

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news...ummer/6112445/



The city recently reported that the Albuquerque International Sunport's passenger numbers are going up and in March were at the highest level since the pandemic began. The number of flights and non-stop destinations served are also near to being back to the pre-pandemic levels. They expect more flights and all destinations to return by the summer.

https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/news/abq-...mic2019s-start

Delta and Southwest recently announced the return of flights to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Austin and Los Angeles. Southwest also is expanding the number of flights to Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Las Vegas and Oakland.

https://www.krqe.com/news/business/s...-from-sunport/

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...lis-route.html

The Friday before Mother's Day saw the highest daily passenger count since the pandemic began, with more than 10,000 passengers being screened by the TSA at the Sunport. Before the pandemic the Sunport averaged about 15,000 passengers a day.

https://www.koat.com/article/more-th...rted/36369224#

The Sunport ended last year with a shockingly low 1,816,411 million passengers. That's most likely the lowest number since it was designated an international airport in the early 1970s. But it wasn't alone, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport lost its crown as busiest airport in the world to an airport in China because of the pandemic's dramatic effects on U.S. air travel.

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

Below are a few pics from Mattophoto of the Sunport after its most recent renovation that was completed early last year. Another renovation in different areas should get underway this year.

https://www.mattophoto.net/abqsunport

























The Ronald McDonald House at The Highlands recently had its grand opening and welcomed its first family as guests.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...301280554.html



The sky bridge over Central Avenue connecting The Highlands with Presbyterian Hospital is completed and has officially opened to coincide with the opening of the new Ronald McDonald House. Below are pics of the completed sky bridge, also from Mattophoto.

https://www.mattophoto.net/abqskybridge

















A recent pic of the Presbyterian Hospital expansion project, posted by them on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?s...35263329888899

[bleuler]

The lounge in the Monterey looks really cool, as do the rooms

Regarding downtown- saw that the 4th and Marquette project was on hold for now. Something like 80 million away from being feasible

[ABQalex]

Originally Posted by bleuler

The lounge in the Monterey looks really cool, as do the rooms

Regarding downtown- saw that the 4th and Marquette project was on hold for now. Something like 80 million away from being feasible

Yes, below is the recent report about that by KOB-TV. It's really more like the project is canceled, unfortunately. The mayor says he would like to revisit it in a second term, but there's no guarantee he will get one with the hellish year we're having with murders in the city right now.

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news...yards/6112483/

The proposed skyscraper at 4th and Marquette will not be funded in this latest investment project.

Keller said developing the property would have cost taxpayers too much money.

"I was really excited about the opportunity for that project but unfortunately all the proposals have had a $50 to $80 million hole, so unless we find $80 million, we want to spend on those, I think we'll revisit it in hopefully a second term," Keller said.

I'm sorry I've been MIA most of this month on this thread. I'm trying to get it caught up with my posts over at SSC. Lots of stuff is going on in the city development-wise! I'm hoping to get everything here caught up today and this weekend.

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque has made a list of the 15 most affordable downtown areas to live in the country, based on zip code data. It came in at number 3 in a list that also includes cities like Reno, Colorado Springs, Louisville, Winston-Salem and Huntsville.

https://www.aol.com/finance/most-aff...110000306.html

3. Albuquerque, New Mexico — 87102

Selected monthly owner costs: $976
Median rent: $714
Monthly cost of utilities: $203
Monthly public transportation pass: $30

Albuquerque is a Southwestern gem nestled in the center of New Mexico. Just outside the limits of this affordable ZIP code lie the charms of Old Town Albuquerque, the ABQ BioPark Aquarium and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. Albuquerque is also the home of the world's longest cable-car route, the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway, offering breathtaking views of the valley below from a height of 10,378 feet.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...22941862247333

The building permit for the Lofts at One Central project was issued two Fridays ago and its first building inspection took place yesterday.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=128819336



The building permit for Canvas Artistry's new location at One Central was issued last month and the work is also underway. They announced on Facebook that they will move from Nob Hill and open later this summer. The nearly 10,000 sq ft space will be located on the third floor of the south wing of the building, above the space that's reserved for a hoped-for bowling alley. This is the huge restaurant project that was nearly killed by the pandemic and riot aftermath last year. I'm glad that it is going forward!

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=113381072

https://www.facebook.com/CanvasArtistry/



Also under construction and opening soon at One Central is Yummy's Mini Donuts & Ice Cream. They will occupy space on the ground-floor of the west wing of the building.

https://www.instagram.com/yummysabq/





The Paleta Bar and Spring Rollin' recently opened a joint location on Gold Avenue near 4th Street in the building most famous for the "Stay Gold" mural painted on its side a couple of years ago. Items from sister brand Pho Kup are also available at the location. The grand opening celebration featured a car show, live music and merchandise booths on the sidewalk and parking lot adjacent to the building.

https://www.instagram.com/paletabar_dtabq/

https://www.instagram.com/springrollin_dtabq/









Curious Toast cafe has announced on its Instagram account that it will finally be opening next month in the historic home located at 718 Central Avenue SW. The project was first announced last year before the pandemic, but was sidelined by it. In the meantime, the structure found use as artist studios and pop-up gallery space. Those uses will continue even with the new cafe's opening. The exact opening date is June 9th.

https://www.instagram.com/curioustoastcafe/


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

Unfortunately, Villa di Capo next door closed last night after 40 years in business in the historic Skinner Building. The two sisters who own the restaurant told KRQE that they want to retire. The good news is that they have sold the building to family friends who intend to open a new restaurant in the space next month. The new restaurant will serve tapas and steaks.

https://www.krqe.com/news/business/d...-this-weekend/

https://www.krqe.com/news/business/p...one-day-early/


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin...ue,_New_Mexico)

Another new establishment featuring tapas has announced on Instagram that it will be opening soon in Downtown Albuquerque. Damacios Bar & Tapas is by the owner of Cake Nightclub. I haven't been able to find where they might be opening downtown. I'm kind of wondering if it might even be the new establishment going into the Skinner Building. They sound similar enough. We'll just have to wait and see!

https://www.instagram.com/damacios_abq/



One other fairly new establishment in Downtown Albuquerque that I want to mention is HoneyRose Nutrition smoothie and juice bar. It's located on 7th Street between Central Avenue and Copper Avenue. It opened in late March. It's the sister operation to JulieAnn's Fashion Boutique that opened last year and is next door.

https://www.instagram.com/honeyrose_nutrition/





Castle Coffee last month announced that it will move to the opposite end of downtown. They have purchased the historic building at the southeast corner of Arno Street and Tijeras Avenue in EDo across the street from the Lofts at Old Albuquerque High. They are currently located just west of Downtown Albuquerque proper on the northeast corner of 8th Street and Tijeras Avenue.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5UQsmlh2x/



I had been following the restoration and renovation of the historic building they are moving to for the last couple of years. I hoped something nice would end up in the building. It received new windows and doors that are more historically appropriate and much better looking than the hideous, cheap windows and doors it had before. Many of the original openings were also fully or partially blocked up before.





I hope we'll see more of these old corner-store type of buildings that are located in the neighborhoods surrounding Downtown Albuquerque restored and brought back to life in such a way. Another recent example is Slow Burn Coffee in the Mountain Road corridor. It opened last year in a restored building on the northeast corner of the intersection with Forrester Street.

https://www.instagram.com/slowburncoffee/

[bleuler]

I think it’s awesome that the coffee scene has really exploded. When I lived here 20 years ago there wasn’t much

[ABQalex]

A pic of the construction progress on the new Tierra Adentro charter school building in the Sawmill Area from their website.

https://www.tierraadentronm.org/



KRQE has a story about new infrastructure projects in the Sawmill Area, including the extension of Bellamah Avenue through the area. The story also delves into the history of the effort to redevelop the area. The story features the original redevelopment plan as a PDF file embedded within the story on their site.

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



• Video Link

Downtown Albuquerque News earlier this year had a graphic showing the proposed alignment of the Bellamah Avenue extension.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/



Downtown Albuquerque News this past week also had a story about exciting plans for the Sawmill Area. 516 Arts and Outpost Performance Space are planning to team up and construct a new 31,000 sq ft building as a new home for their venues. They will rent out part of the space as a way of making income. The building will be located at the southwest corner of 18th Street and Bellamah Avenue NW.

516 Arts and Outpost Performance Space, two organizations that have become household names in the Downtown and university-area cultural scenes, are planning to build a new $10 million 31,000-square-foot arts center at the corner of 18th and Bellamah in the Sawmill neighborhood.

The building would be divided up roughly into thirds, with Outpost and 516 controlling about one-third each and a new non-profit administering the rest of the space, which could potentially include artist studios, an arts-focused business incubator, a café, and a combined film screening area and lecture hall.

The project will cost $10 million and they hope to get construction underway in August of next year. Below is a quote from the article about the financing effort so far and the expected timeline for the project.

So far, the capital campaign has raised $2.6 million for the effort, which does not include $500,000 in funding that the City Council appropriated this week in an amendment to a larger budget bill sponsored by City Councilor Isaac Benton. That move still needs a signature from Mayor Tim Keller, but he has previously endorsed the project in a statement posted on a special website set up to attract donors. The state legislature also contributed $1.1 million toward the center in this year's infrastructure spending package, and Bernalillo County is set to consider a contribution in the coming weeks, supplementing about $450,000 raised thus far from individuals and private foundations.

If all goes to plan, workers would break ground in August of 2022, finishing up in early 2024 ahead of a spring opening.

Another quote from the story which includes more about the financing effort and move of the venues.

The project would see both 516 and Outpost move out of their present locations in the coming years, selling their buildings to help the larger fundraising effort in the process, 516 Executive Director Suzanne Sbarge told DAN. 516 will keep its name, she added, even though it refers to its present address on Central.

The story includes a neat map which shows other upcoming or under construction projects for the area, including an early learning center by Explora.



The story also mentions that Chad Rennaker of the El Vado project, etc. will construct the building for the arts organizations and also plans to build 40 apartments on the site, which is very exciting! This will push the number of residential units constructed in the area to just over 500.

Pacificap, the organization led by Chad Rennaker that also redeveloped El Vado and the Monterey Motel, would oversee the construction of the complex. Pacificap also plans to develop 40 apartments on the site in a separate project.

Chad Rennaker's company also built the National Institute of Flamenco building across the street, which includes 15 apartments on its upper two floors. They also are constructing the new Tierra de Adentro charter school.



Here's the breakdown of residential units constructed or proposed in the Sawmill Area since it has been under redevelopment:

Arbolera de Vida - 93 units
Artisan @ Sawmill Village - 62 units
Madera Crossing - 58 units
NIF Housing - 15 units
Pacificap Apartments - 40 units
Sawmill Crossing - 80 units
Sawmill Lofts - 60 units
The Mix - 47 units
Villa Nueva - 46 units

Sawmill Area - 501 units total

Jim Long, the owner and developer of Hotel Chaco and the Sawmill Market, also has plans to eventually construct high-end apartments in the area.

Here's a recent walk-through video of the Explora X-Studio expansion project posted on its YouTube channel.

• Video Link

Downtown Albuquerque News on Monday had a story about plans for the Rail Trail. It said that the at-grade rail crossing at Marquette Avenue will be the first step and phase of constructing the trail.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Initial construction on a railside trail connecting Lomas and the Rail Yards should begin by roughly the end of the year, Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Manager Karen Iverson told the Barelas Community Coalition last month.

Phase one of the project will be a new crossing at Marquette that would allow local traffic to cross the tracks, a more direct route between such attractions as the convention center, the Fusion Theater, Villa Myriam Coffee Roasters, and a forthcoming museum dedicated to neon signs (map).

In the story it also delved into the status of the possible extension north and west to the Sawmill Area and the eventual ultimate vision that may come to pass for a complete loop connecting many of the amenities and attractions in the greater Downtown/OldTown area.

Meanwhile, the final results of a separate feasibility study looking at a trail from Lomas to Sawmill via the rail spur have yet to be released.

In the bigger and even longer-term picture, the city would like to see the trails become part of an 8-mile walking and bicycling loop, Iverson said, connecting Sawmill to the bosque trail and returning to the Rail Yards via Santa Fe Avenue in Barelas.

MRWM Landscape Architects posted this pic on Instagram on Tuesday of a planning session in the Rail Trail area. In the pic description they highlight a $100,000 grant that the city has recently been awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts for beautification and art along the proposed trail.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPBMLYGLBd3/



Glorieta Station last weekend posted pics on Instagram of a private event and tour of the project, including the Cantina Real structure. I'm hoping the venue is getting ready to open soon and I wonder if it is going to be an actual restaurant. Either way, it came out great!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CO3EmNOrMy5/





A few pics showing the Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites hotel project downtown from a real estate listing and posters on Instagram. The last pic is a bonus skyline view from the same set as the last hotel pic.


https://www.rockethomes.com/homes/40...erque-nm-87102


https://www.instagram.com/p/CO0ozE7tDyv/




https://www.instagram.com/p/CO9Svz4lFmq/

Another bonus skyline pic taken last weekend during the practice rounds of the 2021 NCAA Men's Golf Tournament Albuquerque Regional at the UNM Championship Golf Course. The event wrapped up on Wednesday. The pic was posted by the Oklahoma University men's golf team on Instagram.


https://www.instagram.com/p/CO80_6Dt4_L/

[ABQalex]

The Albuquerque Journal recently had a story about the Albuquerque housing market in April, which saw another record set in median sales price and growth year over year, with over 20 percent growth! The inventory of houses also grew for the first time recently, a good sign for those looking to buy a house.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2389307/a...-for-sale.html

Albuquerque home prices continued their meteoric rise in April, but an uptick in new listings may be a cause for optimism for potential buyers.

The median sales price for a detached single-single family home in Albuquerque hit $283,375 in April, a jump of more than 20% since April 2020, according to monthly figures from the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors. The mean sales price in April hit $328,768, up $21.4% over the same period.

A key factor driving the recent home price growth has been a persistent lack of inventory, as more buyers have competed for fewer available homes. In April, however, the number of new single-family listings in metro Albuquerque increased 22.5% compared to last April, the first month in 2021 GAAR statistics have shown a year-over-year increase in listings.

However, despite the uptick in houses available and after being tied with three other cities the previous month, Albuquerque in April also had the lowest inventory of homes available for sale in the country, according to the latest monthly report by Remax. The Albuquerque Business First story below delves into that and also looks into how local homebuilders are trying to increase supply to deal with the shortage.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...e-country.html

A month after tying with three other markets for the lowest monthly supply of houses, the Albuquerque metro now stands alone.

Re/Max published its monthly report Monday and found Albuquerque's 0.4 supply to edge out Denver, Seattle, Manchester, New Hampshire, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina for the lowest among 53 metro areas surveyed.

Homebuilders are looking to keep pace as well with Pulte Group's Wade Messenger describing the housing market as "gangbusters" to Business First this month as the homebuilder makes progress on its 400-home planned Broadmoor Heights subdivision in Rio Rancho.

Hakes Brothers opened its first 37 homes to buyers this month in the Legacy@Sierra Vista subdivision in Los Lunas, according to previous Business First reporting.

John Garcia, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico, said the industry is dealing with three L's: lots, lumber and labor. Garcia said, for one individual house, lumber prices have increased $25,000 on the low end up to $36,000.

"We're holding on. When the market's hot, you got to play. And the builders are playing and doing their best," Garcia said.

Albuquerque Business First also recently had another story about housing availability and new construction in the metro area. It quoted numbers from the St. Louis Fed which show that Albuquerque recently had its best month for homebuilding permits issued since before the Great Recession, with 308 permits issued in March. That's the most in a month since 324 permits were issued back in August 2007, almost 14 years. We're still a long way off from reaching at least 500 permits issued every month like we did for much of the 2000s, but we're getting there!

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...r-heights.html

According to the St. Louis. Federal Reserve, in the Albuquerque MSA, there were 308 single-family permits pulled in March, compared to 184 a year ago.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ALBU735BP1FH

Albuquerque has made a list of top 20 large cities for best value in high-end apartments in the country. RentCafe looked at factors like location, size and price. Albuquerque had the highest share among the top 20 cities for well-located high-end apartments. Albuquerque came in at number 9 out of the 100 largest cities in the country.

https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartm...ry-apartments/



Albuquerque Business First has a story about the mixed-use project at Unser and McMahon that I posted about earlier in this thread. It says preliminary site work has gotten underway and the project has signed at least one tenant, a gas station. The leasing agent says that about 60 percent of the commercial space is committed and under various stages of the leasing process. He also says that the retail shells could be ready for tenants in 8-9 months.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...ks-ground.html

Strickland said a fueling station has signed a lease, but declined to disclose its name and added that several other leases are in various stages of the leasing process. The field of tenants could include a bank, restaurants, other food concepts and a dental office, among others, he said. Strickland said about 60% of the space is already spoken for with commitments.

Construction on the retail center is in the early stages, with grading ongoing for the next three to four months. The infrastructure and access points are also being built. From there, Strickland said the shells for the retail tenants should be ready five months from there.

The 80-room Comfort Suites hotel at the airport was recently completed. It's located at 1401 Woodward Road SE in the cluster of hotels just west of the airport.

https://www.choicehotels.com/new-mex...s-hotels/nm220



















Another new hotel is apparently planned right next door to the Comfort Suites, at 1441 Woodward Road SE. It will also have 80 rooms and is a new brand for the city, Avid Hotels by IHG. That's according to a hotel development website.

https://www.lodgingdevelopment.com/H...nt-Albuquerque

https://www.ihg.com/avidhotels/conte...what-to-expect





KRQE recently had a report about the New Mexico DoT's priorities and plans for the Albuquerque area over the next few years. They include the I-25/Montgomery-Montaño interchange rebuild and a new interchange in Los Lunas. The price of the interchange rebuild has apparently now gone up to $100 million and is still scheduled to get underway in about two years.

• Video Link

Below are the two most recent video updates for Project Chico and Project Nico on Vimeo. Thankfully the videos are able to be embedded here again. The Amazon signs are now up on Project Chico and its exterior finishing touches are pretty much complete. Project Nico is finishing up its exterior as well.

Video Link

Video Link

[ABQalex]

A pic posted last Sunday by Pavilion Construction on Facebook of the progress at the Allaso Journal Center apartments.


https://www.facebook.com/pavilionconstruction/

A few recent pics of the Broadstone Nob Hill project from posters on Instagram and Facebook.


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...60794025910200


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...22342214736698


https://www.instagram.com/p/CO6GA73n6pu/

Recent construction pictures of the Luminaria Senior Community apartments from the Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership on Facebook, and a new rendering as well from the new website for the apartments.

https://www.facebook.com/realGAHP/









https://www.luminariaapts.com/

[ABQalex]

The Regal Cinemas at Winrock in Uptown Albuquerque has now also re-opened. It re-opened to movie-goers Friday with a reduced capacity of 50 percent. The Regal locations at Cottonwood Mall and the High Ridge area in the Heights also re-opened on Friday with the same reduced capacity. They all had been closed for over a year, since March of last year. Hopefully the 4D theater project at the Winrock location may now get back on track as well!

https://www.abqjournal.com/2392160/r...-santa-fe.html



KOB-TV also had a report Friday night during the re-opening of the theater at Winrock.

https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news...17412/?cat=500



Albuquerque Business First has an article about the new Fogo de Chão restaurant under construction at Coronado Center. It includes a rendering of the Albuquerque location. It looks like it's gonna be very nice and fancy! It says that it will open in the fall.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...-coronado.html



The building permits for the 243-unit Markana Uptown apartment building in Uptown Albuquerque were issued earlier this month. Albuquerque Business First in its weekly roundup of building permits issued in the city for that time lists the estimated construction costs on the building permit as being more than $37 million. Four total permits were issued for the project.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=100040023

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...ay-3-2021.html

The permit for the largest project in terms of square footage and estimated cost was issued on May 4 to Juan Astiazaran for a new building at 6500 Americas Parkway NE. The project is estimated to be about 397,570 square feet. The estimated cost of the work is more than $37 million.

The old Rio Grande Title Company building in Uptown Albuquerque is being demolished to make way for the Markana Uptown project. The demo site is at the southwest corner of Indian School Road and Americas Parkway NE. Below is a pic from Resolut.NM on Instagram showing the demolition as of this past Tuesday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPB-QC_FdE-/



Below is information from one of the Civic North RFP submissions that reveals two more exciting urban residential projects planned in Uptown Albuquerque. The information came from FBT Architects when giving their recent projects and work experience. It describes two podium-style apartment projects in Uptown Albuquerque that were in design at the time of the submission to the Civic North RFP. The two projects are a 287-unit structure at Coronado and a 255-unit structure at Winrock.



I really hope these two projects come to fruition. It looks like the Markana Uptown project will be coming to fruition, so Uptown would really be on a roll with all the other projects at Winrock and the Uptown Transit Center TOD project as well. I really want Uptown to develop into a more urban place. It will be a nice area and alternative for those kinds of people who will never give Downtown Albuquerque a chance.


https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/6301...e-NM/21144903/

[bleuler]

Wow. There’s a ton going on. Appreciate the summaries

I call that black building in uptown the “darth Vader “ building

It’s great that uptown is turning up the volume so to speak

Same thing needs to happen downtown- but there doesn’t seem a will or lack of cash to make it spark. Really need dense high rises in my humble opinion. Need people there 24/7. Helps with safety as well

[ABQalex]

A couple of recent pics from Downtown Albuquerque News of the Bernalillo County @ Alvarado Square project that is nearing completion.




https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Another recent pic of the new Bernalillo County government headquarters from a poster on Instagram.


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

Pics from Downtown Albuquerque News and various posters on Instagram showing the progression of demolition at the old Bernalillo County jail in Downtown Albuquerque over the last month. The north tower is pretty much gone now except for the pile of rubble. Work has now begun on the larger south tower.


https://www.instagram.com/p/CN-I_6QHCW6/


https://www.instagram.com/p/COJ6HapFdcy/


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


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


https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/


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


https://www.instagram.com/p/COX7VqQl7uL/


https://www.instagram.com/p/CObfTQ8Fu2u/


https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

The BioPark's new $28 million Asia exhibit at the Rio Grande Zoo had its groundbreaking ceremony this past week. It will cover 4.5 acres and is expected to be completed by fall 2022.

• Video Link

https://www.cabq.gov/artsculture/bio...n-asia-exhibit





KRQE has a story about the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History's effort to raise $800,000 for a 5,000 sq ft storage building on the museum site for its Cold War artifacts. The storage building will be called the "Museum Artifact Center" and the items will be viewable.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...war-artifacts/

“A huge part of our collection is from the Manhattan Project and the Cold War era just because we tell the story of the atomic age from its early developments to today’s peaceful uses,” said the Museum’s Deputy Director, Jennifer Hayden.

However, the Museum is running out of room for all of their artifacts. “Our museum has the largest collection of unclassified weapons in the entire world and currently we only have one fifth of them on display for public viewing,” said Hayden.

• Video Link

The new Westgate Community Center structure was damaged in a fire recently. Luckily, the damage isn't too extensive, but it will delay the opening of the new building. It also looks like it was arson. The new structure overall looks great though. It will be great when it finally opens!

• Video Link

The new Route 66 Visitor Center on the West Mesa had its groundbreaking in late March and it is under construction. It's expected to be completed in April next year.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...ks-ground.html



KRQE this past week reported that the Albuquerque City Council is putting money aside to begin planning a celebration for the upcoming Route 66 Centennial in 2026.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...l-celebration/

• Video Link


https://www.jacksonfineart.com/ernst...ue-new-mexico/

[ABQalex]

The Bernalillo County Commission at its meeting earlier this month approved $44 million in bonds to build an affordable housing apartment complex on Mesa del Sol. The complex will have 318 units and will be the first multifamily project of any kind built there.

• Video Link

The Gateway Apartments will be built on the southwest corner of University Boulevard and Bobby Foster Road SE. Overall it's a $56.7 million project that will have an estimated economic impact of $69 million. It will probably also inspire and open the door for other multifamily projects to be built on Mesa del Sol!

Below are renderings and a layout of the project from their recent submittal to the Development Review Board for approval of the project plans.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/...ay_19_2021.pdf









This project alone is more residential units than Mesa del Sol has seen built before this year in the seven years since the first homes broke ground there in 2013. With the 400 or more new single family homes expected to be built there this year, Mesa del Sol will have over 1,000 residential units soon. That's about 2,500 people living there when the units are all completed.

That is a much greater number of people living there than do now. Add in the people employed on Mesa del Sol and you will have about 5,000 people there for businesses to tap into. That may make more retail, etc. begin to happen at Mesa del Sol. The oldest saying is that retail follows rooftops, so this project will immensely help with attracting all that to Mesa del Sol.

Last year before the pandemic a new hotel, shops, grocery store, gas station and other amenities were announced for Mesa del Sol. Now that we are putting the worst of the pandemic behind us and preparing to open fully we may now see those plans get back on track. This new project will only make the case stronger for those things to actually happen.

• Video Link

A 256-unit apartment project by Thomas Development Co. on Transport Street SE near the airport was also before the DRB this past week. It is going before them with a request for guidance as to what the DRB will be requiring of them in their later submittal of a site plan for building permit application. They also want to consolidate the existing two lots on the site into one.

Below is a layout of the project from the DRB's files. Because of the slope of the site the north building will have a partially underground parking garage and will be 4 stories. From the layout it looks like it might be urban in design as well. The other buildings look to all be pretty standard suburban-like apartment designs.



Also in this area is a 78-unit apartment project under construction on Mulberry Street SE, adjacent to Kirtland Park. It began construction late last year. Below are the two building permits issued for the project.

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=120293649

https://posse.cabq.gov/posse/pub/lms...ctId=120920554

I haven't been able to find any renderings or good pics of the project construction. The closest I've found is a pic taken earlier this year and posted on Instagram showing the general area with the apartments under construction in the background. It's barely visible in the left center background of the pic below, lol


https://www.instagram.com/p/CLN_h2KlpN4/

This is the same area just west of the airport where The View ABQ (originally The Cottages of New Mexico) student housing village that was built in 2014 is located, and where a few new hotels have been built or are planned, and where the Optum Health flagship clinic was built a few years ago. Below is an aerial view of the area from an inactive real estate listing for one of the empty lots in the area. It highlights and labels most of the new developments that have occurred in the area, albeit sometimes with outdated names. Hopefully this lot has been purchased and something big is planned there as well!


https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1321...ue-NM/3826639/

[ABQalex]

A story from KRQE about all the development happening right now in Albuquerque. It focuses on all the new apartment projects popping up lately. It says that the largest one, the 333-unit project at Paseo del Norte and Woodmont Avenue NW, is under construction. It also highlights the mixed-use project with 256 apartments at Unser Boulevard and McMahon Boulevard NW. It also mentions the Gateway Apartments on Mesa del Sol and the Lofts at Winrock and the dual-branded hotel project at Winrock. It ties much of the development to the huge projects that are under construction or planned in the city.

https://www.krqe.com/news/business/m...und-the-metro/

“When we see large projects like Amazon, it’s not uncommon to see kind of the tentacles of that project go out,” said Brennon Williams, planning director for the City of Albuquerque. “It’s not uncommon for those two to kind of depend upon each other and work off of each other as it relates to one gets started and then inevitably, the other one is coming in.”

According to the city’s Development Review Board, many of the new construction projects applying for permits are apartment complexes. In addition to the potential apartment complex at the mixed-use center in the works near Unser and McMahon, a massive 333-unit complex is already under construction at Paseo and Woodmont, south of Ventana Ranch and minutes from the Amazon warehouse.

[ABQalex]

KRQE tonight also has a story about the prospects for a downtown stadium for the New Mexico United. The feasibility study that is supposed to come up with a firm plan for the stadium and possible locations is due soon, in late June or early July, according to the story.

https://www.krqe.com/sports/local-sp...s-own-stadium/

New Mexico United is working to get its own stadium as three more United Soccer League teams open their own stadiums this year. The team and the City of Albuquerque are waiting on a feasibility study to see where a stadium could go and what it should look like. The team has its sights set on downtown.

“This could be much more than a soccer stadium, this could be a community center. This could be a place where we have art installations, it could be something we have activated every single day. It could drive a lot of economic development, and ancillary benefits for the community if it’s downtown,” Peter Trevisani, President of the team, said.

The results of the feasibility study are expected to be released in late June or early July.

KRQE last month also had a story examining the possibility of a stadium at the Rail Yards.

https://www.krqe.com/sports/local-sp...nited-stadium/

While the city waits to get the results of a recent feasibility study that will reveal the best location for a new New Mexico United soccer stadium, it looks like the Rail Yards is very much still in the mix as a potential spot. City officials and neighbors took a private tour through the Rail Yard site Wednesday and during that meeting, the mayor’s office said nothing is set in stone, but acknowledged the Rail Yards is a strong competitor for a possible stadium.

[ABQalex]

Huge economic development projects were hinted about back when the state was considering expanding the LEDA program and now they are being hinted at in this story about PNM's quest to add 700 MW of power generation capabilities.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2393769/p...eneration.html

New Mexico offers some of the nation’s lowest-cost renewable generation for large customers, thanks to nearly 300 days of sunshine every year, plus billowing wind on the state’s eastern plains. Those readily-available, low-cost renewable resources helped attract Facebook to Los Lunas, and state agencies are now using clean energy as a major selling point to lure more companies here.

“Some major projects are in the works that we can’t discuss and that could be announced in the next few months,” Fallgren said. “We want to be prepared.”

Here's Albuquerque Business First's story about PNM's RFPs for more power generating capabilities, which also mentions the economic development angle.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...-proposal.html

Public Service Co. of New Mexico (PNM) on Monday put out two request for proposals (RFP) seeking 700 megawatts in reliable power capacity from prospective energy developers.

The two proposals focus on electric demand “to serve PNM’s forecasted economic development load growth needs by and before” June 2022 and 2023, according to a news release.

PNM spokesman Ray Sandoval said the two proposals are considered “all source,” meaning that PNM isn’t just looking at solar or wind.

“It's going to be everything,” Sandoval said.

[ABQalex]

Albuquerque Business First reported today about Titan Development breaking ground on the Allaso Journal Center apartments. They of course are already under construction and have been for a few weeks now.

https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquer...partments.html

Construction is underway for the first multifamily project built at the Journal Center office park.

Titan Development confirmed to Business First that it is targeting December 2022 for the completion of the 158-unit Allaso Journal Center apartments, but hopes it will begin the leasing process by fall 2022.

"Breaking ground on this project, and finally getting multifamily in the Journal Center, I think it's been a dream of many stakeholders within the Journal Center for a long time to create a live-work-play district," said Josh Rogers, Titan's vice president of development. "We recognize the character and quality of Journal Center and what it represents as being one of the great office parks of the Albuquerque metroplex."

In the story they also mention the Allaso High Desert apartments that are also under construction and the Allaso Vineyards apartment project that they say will get underway later this year.

Allaso Journal Center's property operator will be Greystar Management, according to a news release. Pavilion Construction and ORB Architecture are the project's general contractor and architect, respectively. The two companies also worked on Titan's Allaso High Desert apartments, which broke ground in February near the base of the Sandia Mountains. Titan hopes to have the 281-unit project completed by 2023.

Rogers added that Titan's Allaso Vineyards project is slated to break ground in October. The 111-unit apartment complex will be located near Ventura Street and Holly Avenue, he said.