Albuquerque Business First has a story about the old church property at University and Gold SE going up for auction. The existing owners are touting it for its redevelopment potential, including plans for a 100-unit project that could be built on the site. I believe this is what they themselves were planning to build before running into NIMBY opposition from the Silver Hill neighborhood.
They also mention that the property could continue to be used as a church or daycare facility, though that's not its best and highest use, being located less than a block away from the UNM/CNM ART station and along Central Avenue, which is supposed to be our densest and most urban corridor.
https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2026/05/28/abandoned-church-listed-for-auction.html
Quote:
A church built in 1979 that sits across from the University of New Mexico is on the auction block, and its owners say it could make way for up to 100 housing units if demolished as New Mexico continues to experience housing shortages.
The 12,991-square-foot church building at 111 University Blvd. SE once operated as the Church of Christ. It now sits vacant on 0.82 acres of residential multifamily high-density zoned land.
The property hit the market for auction on May 26 with a starting price of $100,000.
A backdoor valuation method estimates the land value at approximately $1.37 million, according to the listing.
Dan Rowe and Rahim Kassam bought the property in 2022 at an undisclosed price. It had been vacated as the church's congregation gradually aged out over time.
The two partners are Albuquerque-based real estate developers doing business as Juniper Properties Southwest LLC.
The owners said they see three potential uses for the property: Sell it to a congregation to restore it as a house of worship; convert it into a daycare; or demolish it to build housing.
Rowe would ideally like to find another church to occupy the location. However, he also views it as a strong site for housing that could help with the ongoing shortage in the community. He said that is the most likely result of the auction.
“If it’s not going to serve spiritual needs, then it's going to serve physical needs. It's going to put a roof over a lot of people's heads,” Rowe said.
The church would likely be demolished and rebuilt if new owners decide to develop it as housing, Rowe said. It would be too cost-prohibitive to bring the older building up to code and convert it for residential use, given its age and condition, he said.
Todd Clarke of NM Apartment Advisors and Anita Maestas of Maestas Real Estate Services are representing the owners in the auction.
Clarke said he sees the site’s best use as an apartment development that could help with the housing shortage in Albuquerque.
He said the site could also potentially be used as a daycare under New Mexico’s new no-cost universal child care law signed on March 10. It is also in proximity to the University of New Mexico, making it convenient for students or staff seeking child care.
Qualified buyers may submit bids to NM Apartment Advisors through June 18.
“I think the unknown variable is how much money someone will spend renovating that property and making it work for the configuration they need,” Clarke said.
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Here are a couple of infographics and a site plan from the auction listing. You can see what a nice project they were envisioning for this piece of property. They did a great job of both accommodating and hiding the parking. They also placed the amenities along University Boulevard to try to activate that frontage of the property.
If you'll notice, they also stepped back the fifth floor to try to lessen the visible height of the structure.
It's pretty much an ideal, sensitive and accommodating infill project, yet the NIMBYs still hate it and claim that these are evil developers trying to ruin the neighborhood with a "highrise" monstrosity.
https://www.crexi.com/properties/2527989/new-mexico-111-university-1701-gold-se
Remember that the owners have been trying to develop this property for the last few years. They've run into rabid opposition every step of the way. The Environmental Planning Commission even withdrew consideration of one of their proposals due to that neighborhood opposition.
The developers and owners of the property are local, despite rumors and claims to the contrary on disgusting local NIMBY Facebook groups where people like the vile Patricia Willson like to spout off and disseminate uninformed and paranoid nonsense.
Rahim Kassam is also currently proposing and is behind the Aztec Hotel and The Sixty Six developments in Nob Hill. He lives in Nob Hill and is obviously not a developer from California.
But facts, honesty and good intentions don't matter to these aggressive and deranged NIMBYs.
Here's one last pic from the listing above. It's a great aerial pic of the property and surrounding area, including Central Avenue and the main UNM campus. You can see the site across Central where UNM has plans for a mixed-use project and the Route 66 study center. You can also spot the CCAT construction site and its mobile cranes in the upper-right corner of the pic.
(Click the link directly beneath the embedded image to see it in its original size)
https://images2.imgbox.com/e9/d8/KR5S2u2F_o.jpg
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