Albuquerque Development Thread

[ABQalex]

Downtown Albuquerque News reported today about exciting plans by the Downtown Growers Market to create a year-round indoor facility for the growers and vendors to sell their wares near Robinson Park, where the market is held every Saturday morning in warmer months. The outdoor market would continue at Robinson Park even with the new facility.

The market is run by the DowntownABQ MainStreet Association. In the association's monthly newsletter for August put out last week it was first announced that they were looking for a property within close walking distance to the park for the new facility. And today it was reported by DAN that they are planning to buy the old Cafe Oaxaca property at 10th and Central for the project. The existing structure is going to be demolished, after suffering a fire earlier this year. It's been vacant for nearly two decades.

Today's story says that they estimate this will be a 5-10 million-dollar project. The story also gives details on what is being planned for the new facility. It will be built in cooperation with Three Sisters Kitchen, which may move from its current location on Gold Avenue to the new structure.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

One of the most prominent vacant and rundown properties on Central is set to get a new lease on life.

The Downtown Growers' Market, which brings nearby Robinson Park to life every Saturday, and Three Sisters Kitchen, which trains people looking to start food businesses from its headquarters near Gold and First, are on the cusp of buying the old Café Oaxaca property, following a roughly 18-year stint in which the building sat vacant.

The short-term plan is to knock down the building, said Lola Bird, the executive director of DowntownABQ Main Street, the market's parent organization. That could happen in a matter of days - before the property even formally transfers ownership.

After that, the two groups will ramp up what is essentially a community-wide focus group, asking neighbors, Greater Downtown residents, and people who have worked with the organizations in the past exactly what they would like to see happen at the site. That feedback will inform the design of the building and help establish how much it might cost.

But if many of the details are yet to be hammered out, there is a broader vision for what would happen there, and it includes:

A local food shop. Open perhaps five days per week, it would feature products from growers' market vendors, associates of Three Sisters Kitchen, and others.

A café. Three Sisters would run it, just as it ran a similar pre-pandemic operation out of its headquarters on Gold, said Anzia Bennett, the organization's executive director.

A production kitchen for new and emerging food entrepreneurs. (Three Sisters students in particular tend to focus on manufactured food products - things that wind up on grocery store shelves.)

Classroom space for the groups involved but also potentially others who might want to use it.

A pavilion that can, with a few adjustments, be made to work as an indoor or semi-outdoor space.

The growers' market and Three Sisters estimate the cost of the buildout at $5-10 million, with a more exact figure available upon completion of the design, something that itself will be informed by community feedback. Bird said they plan to launch the fundraising effort this fall and anticipate asking an array of private, state, city, and federal sources for help. They would also likely take out some debt to finance the project, paying it back with the revenues from the new business ventures.

Even when built, the growers' market will keep its Saturday morning post in Robinson Park, Bird said. But whether Three Sisters will stay in its headquarters on Gold is still to be determined, Bennett added.

Here's the original announcement about the project from the association's monthly Crossroads newsletter.

https://www.abqmainstreet.org/

The Downtown Growers' Market is exploring an expansion project that will allow for a year-round market. In partnership with Three Sisters Kitchen we are working to purchase a lot within walking distance of Robinson Park that will offer an expansion of Robinson Park during the regular season (April-November) and then host a market on site during the Robinson Park off-season (November-April). This space will be multi-use with a new building to accomodate a variety of growth needs for both organizations. We have hired non-profit architecture firm, MASS, to head the project and are in the process of retrieving community feedback on the space. The survey is available in both English and Spanish. Pass this on to anyone interested in sharing feedback!

Here's the link to the survey for the new Downtown Growers Market facility:

https://abqmainstreet.us11.list-mana...0&e=acb1615f67

And here are a few pictures of the Downtown Growers Market at Robinson Park from Google.

[ABQalex]

KRQE yesterday had a story and update about the New Mexico United's plans to build a privately-funded stadium. It looks like there are three sites under consideration and we may found out soon about the team's official plan for the stadium.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...unded-stadium/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – KRQE News 13 has learned New Mexico United is looking into at least three spots for a new stadium.

On Wednesday, the team would only say they are actively working on a privately funded stadium and have a ‘bunch’ of locations in mind. “Back in November, there was a vote that didn’t say no to a stadium, it just said no to that funding mechanism for a stadium being led by the city. We heard what the people said, we’ve been working on it really hard–I think in the next month or two we’re gonna make some exciting announcements,” said Peter Trevisani, owner of United, back in May.

But, a city official has confirmed at least three of the sites the team is looking at. According to this official, the spots include the UNM property on Cesar Chavez across the street from Lobo Village, at Mesa Del Sol where the team already has a practice facility, and on private property near the West Mesa. Albuquerque Representative Mo Maestas is still in favor of a United stadium downtown, but said a stadium anywhere in the city is better than no stadium at all.

“It puts us on the map with other cities. It gives us an identity and it helps us create a city where young people want to live and thrive and that’s what we need here in Albuquerque,” said Rep. Maestas.

Back in November, voters turned down $50 million in bonds toward a city-owned downtown stadium the team would use. Rep. Maestas said even if the new stadium is privately-owned, the state legislature could still help pay for infrastructure around the facility to help bring new businesses and development.

“We have to realize that if we want to grow economically and keep our kids home then we have to do what other cities are doing and that’s building modern stadiums,” said Rep. Maestas.

As I've said before, given where we are now, I hope the stadium will end up at Mesa del Sol.

The UNM South Campus area with the Pit, Isotopes Park and other stadiums would be my second choice and I'd be okay with it there. Perhaps it could jumpstart UNM's plans for developing the South Campus. Maybe we could see some urban development and redevelopment in that area, including north of Avenida Cesar Chavez.

The Westside is my absolute last pick and least favorite site. I don't see much spillover development happening there. It would be a place to drive to and leave as soon as the match is over. It would be a disaster and huge waste of money, IMO.

Here are a few images of the United's completed field house/training center at its practice facilities on Mesa del Sol. The first two are a comparison of the rendering and completed project posted recently on LinkedIn by an intern for the architect. The third is an interior pic from a 3D visualizer for the architect on LinkedIn. The last two are screencaps from a short video posted a few weeks ago by the team on its Instagram account as a story. It was posted to mark the U23 team's debut playing its matches at the practice field.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update...1717202575360/





https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-bustos-8586301bb/



https://www.instagram.com/newmexicoutd/





Here's a link to the team's press release announcing the new training facility.

https://www.newmexicoutd.com/news/20...aining-center/

[ABQalex]

Here are some recent construction pics of the Monterey Place project. They were taken and posted for its recent topping-out ceremony.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ryan-...16636416-K6YC/







Here's the latest snap from the construction cam. Unfortunately, the cam has conked out or is no more, as it hasn't updated since Monday afternoon.



Here are some recent construction pics of the Imperial Inn renovation project.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/duane...599900160-fUiq







Here are a few pics showing a preview of the interior room finishes of the project. They were posted by the architect and design team on Instagram recently.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfzE1Q0r0HS/







And here is the final layout and rendering for the new-construction elements of the project that were recently posted by the developer on LinkedIn. I've also included the overall layout of the project that was on display last year during the groundbreaking ceremony. You can spot the slight differences in layout for the new structures.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pacif...007126528-ADAM



https://www.linkedin.com/posts/pacif...300622336-I9dM





Here are a couple of pics posted on Instagram last week showing the Palladium Townhomes construction downtown. You can also the new Presbyterian Hospital tower in the distance.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgkrhmVvL3F/





Here are a couple more aerial pics showing a similar view of the new townhomes and hospital tower. These are a bit older, from about two months ago. They are from a real estate listing for the old boarding house/current bed and breakfast at 415 Coal Ave SW that's currently for sale. The rest of the pics at the link are worth a look for the awesome interior of the structure and a few more aerial pics of Downtown Albuquerque.

https://www.estately.com/listings/in...erque-nm-87102





Here's an old aerial pic of this same area of Downtown Albuquerque that's now almost filled in again. It's from around the late 1960s/early 1970s, just before most of the old structures were demolished. In the bottom center-left of the pic you can see the old Imperial Laundry Company, from which the Imperial Building takes its name and whose site it sits on today.

[ABQalex]

UNM Hospital posted this pic earlier this week of the existing hospital with one of the construction cranes for the new tower visible in the background.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgu87kWPQk4/



Here's a look at both cranes visible from the Main Campus. The pic was posted last month on LinkedIn.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/gabeg...14315520-ScP1/



Also from last month on LinkedIn are these images of the new tower construction. There's also a neat visualization of the structure's concrete skeleton as it is being built out currently, with nine floors plus mechanical levels.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rlast...23556609-LUzS/













Here's a link to a video by AECOM Hunt, the construction company building the new UNM Hospital tower. It shows a nice aerial animation of the new tower. It's split-screen with some of their other projects and shows it with 7 levels, but I still think it's interesting and gives an idea of its placement and what it will look like when it's completed.

https://aecom-9.wistia.com/medias/azasb140ol

Here's a snap from the construction cam taken this afternoon. You can see that the old parking structure is being demolished, demolition began about two weeks ago.



The new parking structure opened as scheduled in late June. Below is the video report by KRQE on YouTube when the new parking structure opened.

• Video Link

Here's some pics of the new parking structure posted by UNM Hospital on its Instagram account.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfE-RiOPx4j/









Here's a link to a short video that UNM Hospital recently posted on its Instagram account. It shows a view of the new tower construction from the new parking structure.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgR_H52JRBe/

In the video above you can also spot the fenced-off construction site for the new UNM College of Nursing and Public Health Excellence Building. Preliminary construction work kicked off at the beginning of July. Below is a screenshot of an Instagram story when the asphalt of the parking lot where it will be built was being removed. It was posted by Patrick Coulie Photography, who was setting up the construction cam for Enterprise Builders, the general contractor. I hope to find the construction cam eventually.

https://www.instagram.com/patrickcouliephotography/

https://www.instagram.com/enterprisebuilders/



The new College of Nursing and Public Health Excellence Building will be 3 stories and have about 94,000 sq ft of space. The total cost of the new building is $43.3 million. Below is a quote and rendering of the new structure from the recent announcement of the project's official groundbreaking ceremony, which will take place on Monday.

https://hsc.unm.edu/news/2022/07/gro...-building.html

The University of New Mexico Health Sciences will host a groundbreaking ceremony at 9 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 8, for the new College of Nursing and Public Health Excellence Building (CON-PHE), which will enable the capacity to graduate more students.

The 93,740-gross-square-foot building will be located on Tucker Avenue, just west of the Domenici Center for Health Sciences Education, on what is currently the M-Family Practice parking lot. The three-story building will include classrooms, offices, community hubs and a research wet lab.

CON-PHE was designed with a goal in mind – to alleviate the pressure on the state’s health care workforce deficit.

“We are working diligently to address the shortage of bachelor of science in nursing-prepared RNs and advanced practice nurses who are vital to the care of our communities,” said Christine E. Kasper, PhD, RN, dean of the UNM College of Nursing.

[ABQalex]

The Albuquerque Journal has a story about the sail of the decommissioned U.S.S. Albuquerque nuclear submarine being given to the city and the forming of plans to put it on display somewhere in the city. The city has a website for the sub and is asking for input on the display of its sail.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2526245/u...into-city.html

When the nuclear-powered submarine USS Albuquerque was commissioned in 1983, then Mayor Harry Kinney jokingly offered the keys to a Rolls Royce to the first captain who could maneuver the sub up the Rio Grande for a port call in Albuquerque.

The keys were subsequently passed on to the skipper at each of 13 change-of-command ceremonies, according to history of the ship posted to a city website.

The keys eventually made their way back to the Mayor’s Office in 2017, after it was decommissioned, and the submarine – or at least a large chunk of it – is expected to arrive in Albuquerque before the end of this year.

The 362-foot-long Los Angeles class submarine is currently at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington state, where it is being dismantled, and the U.S. Navy is making the 52-ton sail from the submarine available to Albuquerque, said Thomas Tozier, the city’s liaison for military and veterans affairs.

To be clear, the sail is nothing like the large, wind-swelled sheet of fabric mounted to a tall mast that propels a schooner through the water; rather it is the conning tower that’s mounted on the topside of a submarine, and includes the wing-like structures, or fairwater planes, which project sideways from the tower and aid in underwater stability and steering, Tozier explained.

In addition to the sail’s mammoth weight, it stands 19 feet tall, and the fairwater planes extend 33 feet from tip to tip, said Tozier. Because of that, it will have to be cut apart and transported to Albuquerque on three flatbed trucks, he said.

The New Mexico Council of the Navy League of the United States had been following the final journey of the USS Albuquerque. Knowing that the Navy occasionally allows pieces of decommissioned ships to go to locales that have a tie to those vessels, the league brought it to the attention of Tozier, who brought it to the attention of Mayor Tim Keller.

The city bought into the idea with an initial commitment of about $800,000 allocated in the fiscal year 2023 budget, said Dave Simon, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, which is leading the effort for site selection, planning and design of a monument to house the submarine sail.

Simon said that the involvement of Parks and Rec does not necessarily mean the sail will wind up in a city park. The city has set up a website, www.ussalbuquerque.org, which offers some history about the submarine, the process for bringing the sail to Albuquerque and a nomination form for people to suggest sites and ideas for monument design features. Public input will be accepted until Sept. 16, after which a short list of potential sites will be identified.

While the initial funding will cover transportation costs and then some, Simon said that depending on the monument design, it is possible that additional funding will have to be found to see the project to completion.

According to the city’s submarine website, the USS Albuquerque was built by the General Dynamics Corp. and commissioned in Groten, Connecticut, in May 1983. It was assigned the hull number “SSN-706” in homage to the 1706 founding of the city of Albuquerque. At the time, the sub cost about $900 million. It displaced 6,900 tons, could achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots, was equipped with four 21-inch torpedo tubes and carried a crew of 12 officers and 115 enlisted submariners.

During its more than three decades in service, the USS Albuquerque completed 21 deployments and sailed in every ocean, according to an online history of the vessel. In 1999, it participated in a six-month Mediterranean cruise as a part of the USS Theodore Roosevelt battle group, and in 2004-2005 saw a six-month deployment as part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group. Over the years, the ship received numerous naval awards and commendations.

“We want the monument to be an exciting, dynamic and inspirational space in our city that honors the legacy of all those who served on the submarine,” Simon said.

https://www.ussalbuquerque.org/







Here's KRQE's coverage and video report from last week about the planned display.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...bmarines-sail/

• Video Link



When I had first heard about the sub's decommissioning several years ago I wished that the entire sub could be brought to Albuquerque and put on display. I don't know how feasible or realistic an endeavor that could've been, but I'm glad that at least part of the sub will be brought here and put on display in its namesake city.

I had first found out about the plans to display the sub's sail last week in a post by a naval group on Twitter. The post included a visioning of what the display could look like, which I now realize comes from the city’s website linked to in the Journal's story above.

https://mobile.twitter.com/NavalInst...42192308338691



I like one of the commenter's suggestion to put the sail in a fountain/pool of water. When I was dreaming up the display of the entire sub, that's what I envisioned for it, to be displayed in a pool of water. Again, I have no idea how realistic that would've been, but I think it would've been cool to see a submarine in water in the desert. A sub sail displayed in water like it is getting ready to surface would be cool to see as well, IMO.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_...erque_(SSN-706)



Albuquerque already has another submarine sail on display. The sail of the U.S.S. James K. Polk is on display at the National Musem of Nuclear Science and History. When I was dreaming up having the entire U.S.S. Albuquerque on display I imagined if being at the museum. I imagine the museum would be a good candidate for displaying the sail of the U.S.S. Albuquerque as well.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nati...ce_%26_History

[ABQalex]

The Environmental Planning Commission last week approved the plans for the Andretti Indoor Karting and Games facility in Albuquerque. Renderings of the Albuquerque location were included as part of the project's submittal to the EPC. Below are the renderings and recent reports from KRQE and KOB-TV about the project. Of course they give differing details and information about the project, but that's par for the course with our local media.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...n-albuquerque/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Electric go-karting could be speeding its way into Albuquerque. The City of Albuquerque’s Environmental Planning Commission is considering an amendment that would turn an empty lot between Top Golf and Revel, just off Montano, into a 97,000-square-foot home for Andretti Indoor Go Karting & Games.

The indoor entertainment facility would feature a multi-level go-kart racing track. Like their six other locations, the facility could also have other entertainment like an arcade, virtual reality, a bar, a party room, and bowling lanes.

The facility would go in the spot of the old Beach water park. The water park closed in 2005 and the lot has sat empty since. “I would love to see something like a big complex in that area that’s now a big hole in the ground,” said Tim McNamara, co-owner of Elixir Boutique Chocolates, which sits right down the street from the empty lot. “I’m really in favor of anything that brings more people into this area…Our business has grown exponentially with the area. So, we’ve been pretty happy with it.”

The Georgia-based company estimates bringing in about 13,500 customers every week and plan on adding nearly 350 parking spots to accommodate them. The proposed project will go in front of the city’s Environmental Planning Commission on Thursday. If approved, it will go to the city’s Development Review Board for the final sign-off.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/plans...t-green-light/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Orlando-based Andretti Indoor Karting & Games is planning to build a 95,000 square-foot facility in a vacant lot near I-25 and Montaño. On Thursday, the Environmental Planning Commission signed off on it.

The building would be about the size of the average Walmart. The company behind the plans already has six locations just like it, in three other states. Each location has a multi-level go-kart race track.

The plans include a lot more than go-karts. Other sites includes video games and laser tag, a full bar, mini-golf, food and an event space.

This is part of a yearslong plan that’s been in the works to turn the space that used to belong to The Beach waterpark into a new entertainment district – that includes Topgolf that opened last year and Revel Entertainment that opened just before the pandemic in 2020.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/...retti%20MA.pdf

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/...Beach%20MA.pdf









The plans for the mountain coaster at the top of the Sandias have been put on hold indefinitely. This is due to the ridiculous opposition that forced a much more expensive environmental impact study to be performed before the Forest Service could consider the project's application. Never mind that the project would be built entirely within the area of the existing Sandia Peak Ski Area, an already developed area at the top of the mountains. All this achieves is stopping a great new fun and family-friendly activity and attraction in the Albuquerque metro area. Aren't these NIMBYs great.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/sandi...-coaster-idea/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Years ago, Sandia Peak Tramway tried bringing a new attraction to the top of the mountain in the form of a mountain coaster. KOB 4 just learned that there will not be a mountain coaster coming around the bend any time soon.

The people behind the idea quietly put the idea on the shelf months ago, so KOB 4 asked why.

“At that time it seemed very likely we could have a coaster approved, ordered and built within two years,” said Ben Abruzzo, Sandia Peak general manager.

Abruzzo says at one time they were excited about bringing a mountain coaster to Sandia peak, but things changed.

“I’m just disappointed that we couldn’t get there,” said Abruzzo.

The plans to bring a new attraction to the top of the mountain are on hold.

“We’re using the word, ‘pause,’ because it is still a viable project,” said Abruzzo. 

The idea started gaining traction in 2018.

“We’ve had a lot of tough winters, so we do have a need for year-long opportunities,” Abruzzo said.

He says back then, they thought bringing a new anchor attraction to the top of the mountain could be the start of bringing more investments to Sandia Peak. Then, the public comments started.

“I thought it was a joke.”

“This land is sacred.”

“We are in a climate crisis.”

‘The mountain coaster must be opposed in the strongest possible terms by anyone that cares for the sanctity of the local environment.”

Just a small sample of the overwhelming sentiment from the over 1,500 hundred comments.

“People are entitled to their opinion,” said Abruzzo. “A lot of them were just misinformed.”

He says they would have been required to perform the most stringent and expensive environmental impact study required by the National Forest.

Instead, the cost and time, caused them to tell the Forest Service back in February that they’re putting the brakes on the coaster idea.

“It’s just not what we’re going to pursue based on the constraints given us at this time,” said Abruzzo. 

[ABQalex]

The Albuquerque Journal has a story about Innovate ABQ and the upcoming celebration event for the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Lobo Rainforest Building. The story includes details about a new plan for the historic church sanctuary and office building at the site. It also includes information about the recent falling through of the plans to renovate what's left of the education building at the site. Remember that it was one of the winning proposals for the city's East Downtown RFP from a couple of years ago.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2527927/b...ndustries.html

The old First Baptist Church sanctuary and office tower at Broadway and Central Downtown may soon become a high-tech development center for next-generation, mixed-reality technologies.

That’s the emerging vision for the University of New Mexico’s next phase of development at Innovate ABQ – the seven-acre site that UNM acquired in 2014 to build a bustling research and development zone for innovation and entrepreneurship in the heart of Albuquerque.

Rainforest Innovations, which manages all of UNM’s technology transfer and economic development initiatives, is working with the co-founder and former CEO of Meow Wolf, Vince Kadlubek, to study the potential for converting the old church into a modern incubator for creative individuals, professionals and entrepreneurs to integrate emerging, 21st century technologies into everything they do.

It would be a central gathering and collaboration space where people come together to create new, innovative products and services that they can test, demonstrate and display through mixed- and virtual-reality platforms. That could include everything from film, music and social media to game-engine development, advanced web technologies and even transformational therapies that combine breakthroughs in robotics and medicine to treat both mental illness and physical disabilities.

The foundational concepts are still evolving for the incubator, which Kadlubek and the UNM team have dubbed “The Jungle” to conjure up the image of a “wildly productive” place where people from all backgrounds come together to create things that didn’t exist before, said Rainforest Innovations president and CEO Lisa Kuuttila.

“It would be a multi-faceted facility for technology development in the creative industries,” Kuuttila told the Journal. “We envision a central gathering place that includes co-working spaces and high-tech installations for demonstrations, presentations and even entertainment.”

The next phase

Kadlubek will present his emerging concept for The Jungle on Wednesday during a five-year anniversary celebration for the Lobo Rainforest Building, which UNM opened in 2017.

The Rainforest building’s inauguration – combined with the launch that same year of Central New Mexico Community College’s FUSEMakerspace next door – marked the first phase of development at Innovate ABQ, which UNM plans to build out over time in cooperation with public and private partners.

After it opened in 2017, the $35 million, six-story Rainforest building became a central hub for startup activity and entrepreneurship Downtown. But further build out of the full, 7-acre Innovate ABQ site has almost completely stalled since then, in good part because of financial difficulties and legal issues faced by a now-defunct nonprofit entity that UNM had set up in 2015 to independently manage the site.

The university retook control of the property in summer 2020, and has since pursued redevelopment of the 71,000-square-foot former church building for the next phase of Innovate ABQ.That building – which sits smack on the southeast corner of the property – was constructed in stages over 70 years. It includes a massive, two-story chapel with a public entranceway facing Central Avenue, plus a five-story office tower behind it.

A separate, two-story structure that previously served as a church school is also connected to the sanctuary and tower, jutting out westward along Central.

UNM expects to preserve the historic east-side sanctuary and tower, remodeling the structure into a high-tech home for The Jungle.

It’s unclear, however, what will happen with the two-story west wing, which UNM expected to turn into a new bioscience center with wet labs and offices for startup companies.

California-based HatchSpaces LLC – which specializes in building research and development facilities for bioscience companies – signed a lease for the west wing early this summer to build out and manage the new biotechnology lab.

But the company unexpectedly terminated its lease on Aug. 17, throwing the west-wing conversion into doubt, said UNM Real Estate Director Tom Neale.

“HatchSpaces determined that the cost to renovate and convert it into a bioscience lab proved too risky in terms of leasing the space to individual companies,” Neale told the Journal. “But that doesn’t mean that part of the church building isn’t viable for other business endeavors. The old school could become part of The Jungle.

“We’re keeping our options open,” Kuuttila said. “We’d still like to pursue the west wing as a bioscience center, but it could also become part of the digital arts facility we’re planning.”

Think Meow Wolf

UNM pulled Kadlubek into its creative technologies project in March to tap into his knowledge and experience in redesigning existing spaces into modern, high-tech venues that appeal to younger generations as the metaverse – or the emerging concept of comprehensive online immersion for everyday work and life – develops into a future foundation for enhanced human interaction.

Kadlubek helped turn Meow Wolf into an international cultural phenomenon, converting a gutted bowling alley in Santa Fe into a mecca of art and imagination based on human and technological creativity. He’s since co-founded Spatial Activations as a creative consultant agency to help developers incorporate those same imaginative concepts into the design of other physical spaces like the old church building at Innovate ABQ.

For The Jungle, his vision is to “marry” the immersive arts and entertainment economy – think Meow Wolf and the Van Gogh exhibit that recently landed in Albuquerque – with next-generation web technologies like “spatial computing” to create a place where creative-minded individuals from many industries can come together to build new things.

Spatial computing refers to the merger of technology like sensors, superfast data analytics and virtual reality with real-world activities, creating a “mixed reality” for interactive human interaction.

“It all falls under the realm of the metaverse,” Kadlubek told the Journal. “There hasn’t been a dedicated space that I know of to apply and showcase these next-generation web technologies and projects, although a lot of people are working on it.”

That includes everything from arts and entertainment to robotics and advanced web platforms like blockchain architecture that enables secure online transactions. Game development, for example, extends far beyond entertainment markets.

“Game engines are not just for developing games, but for building the future of the metaverse,” Kadlubek said. “It all crosses over, and it’s at the core of many future jobs. It would be a mixed-industry hub for what comes next for New Mexico and elsewhere.”

....

The project and building design is still in the concept stage.

“We’re assessing if it’s viable and trying to refine it all,” Ward said. “It could easily take 12 months to decide on whether we’ll pursue it.”

But the university team is gung-ho on the possibilities.

“I’m jazzed about it as a way to incite thought and action for people to come to the site to be on the forefront of emerging industries,” Ward said. “That includes lab people, university people and everyday folks who want to get involved. We’d open it all up to people’s great ideas.”

If I were in charge I would take that city money awarded to Innovate ABQ from the East Downtown RFP and ask the other groups who submitted proposals whether they are still interested in pursuing their proposals.

We can't keep hoping that UNM gets its act together with Innovate ABQ. I see nothing but excuses and bad stewardship with the project. Unfortunately, it's becoming clear that it's gonna be yet another decades-long project that never really gets off the ground.

The Journal had another story recently where the lack of progress at Innovate ABQ was being blamed on the pandemic. Never mind that it was stagnating for three years before the pandemic. Nationally, it looks like we may have another recession soon. I'm sure that in the future it will be yet another excuse given for years going by without anything new being built at Innovate ABQ.

This is yet another reason why I wish the Space Valley Center would be located instead at Innovate ABQ.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2525861/innovate-abq.html

Albuquerque’s innovation district is still navigating through the aftermath of the global pandemic as startup activities and in-person events slowly regain momentum at the Innovate ABQ research and development site Downtown.

People are gathering once again for onsite meetings and conferences at the University of New Mexico’s Lobo Rainforest Building at Innovate ABQ, which reopened in the spring for entrepreneurial endeavors.

Rainforest Innovations — which oversees UNM’s technology transfer programs and economic development initiatives — is back in direct action at the Rainforest building, where UNM staff have returned from cyber-based management to physically coordinate daily programming and activities from their offices. Tech-transfer professionals from the national labs are also occupying their onsite suites again, as are startup entrepreneurs, who have re-filled all eight office spaces available for launching early-stage businesses at the Rainforest building’s Lobo Venture Lab.

And all 155 dorms located on the five upper floors of the six-story Rainforest building are occupied by UNM students returning for the fall semester.

But despite the renewed activity, it’s still a far cry from the intense hustle and bustle that echoed through the ground-floor corridors of the building before the pandemic hit in March 2020, said Rainforest Innovations President and CEO Lisa Kuuttila.

“This spring, we started in-person events again,” Kuuttila told the Journal. “There’s a lot more activity taking place, and each month it’s increasing, but it’s nowhere near prepandemic levels.”

A long road back

Indeed, before the pandemic broke out, the Rainforest’s first floor — where all the tech-transfer and entrepreneurship programs are based — was jam-packed with students, businesspeople and professionals coming and going from meetings and events.

The daily hubbub brought the Rainforest building to life, reflecting a vibrant startup ecosystem where entrepreneurs, investors and innovators continuously shuffled through the halls, conference rooms and open spaces to attend individual and community activities. The vitality converted the facility — and in general the Innovate ABQ campus at Broadway and Central — into a dynamic hub for high-tech research and development in the heart of Albuquerque.

But the coronavirus brought most of that to a screeching halt, turning the Rainforest building into a desolate shell almost overnight as the city and state went into lockdown and everyone scrambled to transition to cyberspace

Now, nearly two-and-a-half years later, the Rainforest building is steadily returning to in-person programming as people cautiously venture back. But progress is slow.

In May, for example, UNM held its annual “Pitch Deck” competition for student startups in-person for the first time since before the pandemic. About 50 people attended, or about half the number who regularly turned out in prepandemic years, Kuuttila said

Two more community events are scheduled this month, including a five-year anniversary celebration on Aug. 31 for the Rainforest building, which UNM opened in summer 2017. That — plus the opening that year of Central New Mexico Community College’s FUSE Makerspace near the Rainforest building — marked the initial build out of Innovate ABQ at the old First Baptist Church property, a seven-acre site that UNM acquired in 2014.

And Rainforest Innovations will host a technology showcase breakfast onsite on Aug. 30 for the New Mexico Angels investor group to review UNM inventions that its members could potentially take to market.

But by and large, hybrid programming remains the norm, with many events and activities either still wholly online, or conducted through a mix of in-person and online participation.

“We do see things coming back,” Kuuttila said. “There’s increased interest and office visits, and we’re on an upward trajectory. But it could take another year or more to fully get back to the way things were.”

...

A new normal?

Overall, Rainforest and Innovation Academy programs continue to grow and evolve, but the pandemic has fundamentally changed the local startup ecosystem.

Hybrid online and in-person formats have become the new standard for entrepreneurial programs, activities and events going forward. And that’s not likely to change anytime soon, despite the slow return to onsite gatherings at Innovate ABQ, and at other venues in the Innovation District Downtown.

“People have grown accustomed to doing things differently,” DelCampo said. “They expect a hybrid model now, and it will take a lot to shift back. It’s a new world we’re in.”

It’s an open question how that will affect development at Innovate ABQ and Rainforest Innovations in the future.

The original vision for the Downtown site — collectively developed by UNM in partnership with the city, county and state government, along with private and nonprofit entities — aimed to create a central zone for entrepreneurial endeavors at the old First Baptist Church property. They believed that by developing a thriving high-tech research and development hub in the heart of Albuquerque, the activities there would potentially radiate out along Central Avenue to turn surrounding areas into an “innovation corridor” where aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals could gather to “live, work and play.”

That vision was rapidly materializing before the pandemic, encouraging the launch of more entrepreneurial venues nearby, such as the FatPipe co-working space on Broadway, just across from Innovate ABQ. FatPipe became another thriving gathering place alongside the Rainforest building, with a weekly 1 Million Cups entrepreneurial networking forum there regularly attracting crowds of up to 70 or 80 people.

Like the Rainforest building, FatPipe is also steadily rebounding from the pandemic. In fact, occupancy in the facility’s co-working spaces is now higher than ever, said FatPipe founder Stuart Rose.

“Our experience is similar to the Lobo Rainforest Building,” Rose told the Journal. “We’re not yet having as many events as prepandemic, but it’s definitely picking up.”

[ABQalex]

The Downtown Growers Market and Three Sisters Kitchen held an open house at the Fusion Theater last week to present the initial design concept for their new indoor facility at 10th and Central. Renderings and layouts were on display and presented as part of a slideshow from the architects while describing their design process. I've tried to find good versions of the visualizations but have not been able to thus far. Below is the link to a video of the presentation on Facebook. I took a few screenshots and included a couple of pics of the event from Three Sisters Kitchen on Instagram as well.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/...75482920777064

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















From the obscure glimpses that we can get of the project from these images, and with the verbal descriptions in the presentation, it looks like there will be two structures on the site, covered by a roof that has skylights and possibly solar power generation. The roof pattern is meant to evoke strip farming. In between the two structures there will be a corridor/atrium-like space that may have a water feature running through it that resembles an acequia/irrigation canal (at least that's how I interpreted the acequia talk). The north structure is one story and aligned with the Downtown street grid, and the south structure is two stories and aligned with the diagonal orientation of Central Avenue.

I like this early design so far. It reminds me of the second proposal from the Brown Property RFP, especially the covered gathering space and overhanging paneled roof structure. Perhaps Albuquerque will get that neat new gathering space after all!





Here is the link to the updated project page on the DowntownABQ MainStreet website.

http://www.downtowngrowers.org/expansion-project.html

[ABQalex]

Homewise and the Street Food Institute had a groundbreaking ceremony recently for their joint project, the Barelas Central Kitchen. Construction got underway last Monday. At the ceremony, an updated, modified rendering of the project was revealed. I've included the old and new renderings below for comparison. The same architecture group that is working on the Downtown Growers Market/Three Sisters Kitchen indoor market designed the Barelas Central Kitchen project as well, MASS Design.

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

Since its inception, Albuquerque's Street Food Institute has provided a home for entrepreneurs with dreams of starting a business in the food industry. At the same time, demand has outpaced the organization's available space at Central New Mexico Community College.

So it was on Friday morning, that the Street Food Institute's dreams took one step forward. A groundbreaking ceremony marked the beginning of the next phase for the nonprofit and the construction of its new home in Albuquerque's Barelas community.

Located at 1411 4th St. SW, just north of the Barelas Coffee House, the 11,000-square-foot Barelas Central Kitchen will act as a commissary kitchen and training facility to support entrepreneurs.

"We have about five businesses that are incubating out of [the CNM] kitchen, but that's all we have space for," said Tina Garcia-Shams, the executive director of the Street Food Institute.

Based in Albuquerque, the Street Food Institute offers programs for those who want to own and operate a business in the food industry. It offers classes in food entrepreneurship, food safety and employment through its cafes, food trucks and catering.

"This is really going to allow us to have not only more businesses but also students that come through our program and entrepreneurs in general," Garcia-Shams continued. "I think this will really allow us to kind of broaden that scope of who is in the kitchen."

The Street Food Institute partnered with Homewise to design and develop the concept, which will offer commercial-grade facilities. In addition to production and preparation space for up to 20 entrepreneurs, the facility will house classrooms and community event space.

Those early-stage businesses pay monthly rent which will go to the Street Food Institute in a shared revenue model.

The project marks Homewise's first new-build commercial project, said Johanna Gilligan, the senior director of community development for Homewise, which has offices in Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

Gilligan, who joined Homewise in 2018, said the Barelas Central Kitchen also represents another first for the organization.

"It's the first kind of project directly responding to community survey data," she said, referring to a 2020 effort to better understand the needs of Barelas residents.

Albuquerque-based Richardson & Richardson Inc. will build the facility, which was designed by MASS Design, a nonprofit firm based in Boston, and SCOUT Architecture + Design in Albuquerque.

[ABQalex]

AbqXCII over at SSC shared these much clearer pics of the renderings that were on display at the open house for the new Downtown Growers Market/Three Sisters Kitchen indoor marketplace project. They give a much better look at some of the design details and how the project is layed out. It's very exciting, I like it!

Make sure to click the links underneath the embedded images below to see them full-size!


https://images2.imgbox.com/14/40/z9vEhJSQ_o.jpeg


https://images2.imgbox.com/2a/49/meqPXsO2_o.jpeg

I'm especially loving that aerial rendering showing the project in relation to Downtown Albuquerque proper, with the skyline as a backdrop. You can also see its proximity and orientation at the western tip of Robinson Park, where the outdoor market will continue to be held.

All of this makes me even more excited for the project and the design that they've come up with!

AbqXCII stated, and I agree, that adding some residential uses to the project would be awesome.

I think that perhaps they could put in another structure on the western end where the parking and service elements are currently. That's really the only part of the project/layout that I'm not liking. Perhaps it could be a future phase. They could create another corridor/axis on the west side of the two currently-planned structures. But this project is looking great just as it is, I'm certainly not disappointed at all in what I'm seeing so far!

[ABQalex]

Gallan95 over at SSC posted this story and some screencaps from KRQE about the new apartment building being planned for the site of a former fraternity house on the UNM campus. I had posted about the project earlier this year when it went before the Development Review Board. A massing and preliminary layout for the project were provided then, but a couple of new renderings for the project are included in the KRQE story below. It will have 35 units and is expected to be completed in 2024. It's gonna be pretty nice, especially the rooftop garden/outdoor space!

https://www.krqe.com/news/new-look-c...m-frat-houses/





Here's the video report on YouTube. The story also mentions another abandoned fraternity house across the street that will be demolished next month and which UNM hopes will be replaced by a new fraternity house.

• Video Link

It's great that UNM is doing something to improve or replace these older and abandoned sorority/fraternity structures.

Another such project that I've been trying to find updates about is the renovation of an old sorority house into the UNM ROTC Center. All I've been able to find is a picture of the early demolition work on the construction company Jaynes' website. I also found another rendering besides the original that I shared a while back in this thread. I hope the original is the final design, I think it's much nicer.

https://www.jaynescorp.com/project/u...k-rotc-center/

[ABQalex]

The dual-branded hotel at Winrock Town Center had its groundbreaking ceremony and it appears that construction is underway. The developer just posted these images on Facebook of the ceremony, including a full-color, dimensional rendering. It actually doesn't look as bad and cheap as I expected from the flat, black and white drawings we've seen previously. There looks to be an effort to have texture and variety in materials and not just be a cheap stucco box.

https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100032787326252









Here are some progress pictures of the other hotel project under construction in Uptown Albuquerque right now, the Element by Westin. The pics are from when the project broke ground and initially got underway, up to now where it is going vertical.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/base-...44375552-HYvv/



https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update...9575136071680/



https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063761371399





This image is a screenshot of a short aerial drone video. Click the link to see the video.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/praka...93596416-bGLa/



Here also is another aerial drone video showing the project. It was taken about four weeks ago and shows a new HVAC unit being lifted into place above the neighboring Uptown Tower office building. You can catch several glimpses of the hotel's construction site and crane in the video. It gives a good idea of the project's placement among the existing buildings surrounding it.

• Video Link

Here's a nice picture of Uptown Albuquerque taken at the beginning of August. You can just barely make out the cranes for the Markana Uptown project in the distance. Click the link below the embedded image to see if full size and get a better look.

https://mobile.twitter.com/DecFinney...60525181087744


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

Here also is an aerial pic of Uptown Albuquerque showing both the Markana Uptown and Markana Flats construction sites. Again, it's hard to make out, but you can see them and it's a nice picture overall, so I thought I'd post it. The park construction site and the Uptown Lofts site at Winrock Town Center are visible as well.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CfLFQ8ILPCc/



As a bonus, here's a neat aerial picture of Uptown Albuquerque from the late 1980s. It shows Park Square before the second tower was built. That means it was taken sometime between 1985, when the first tower was completed, and 1988, when the second tower began construction.

[ABQalex]

The city and CNM announced today that the Rail Yards will be the site of CNM's film and digital media classes. I haven't been able to find details of the project and what exactly it entails, or how it's different or the same as the previously announced CNM usage of the site for its Film Production Center of Excellence.

The local media stories don't even say exactly what structures will be used for the endeavor. The KOB-TV story below makes it seem like the largest Rail Yards structure will be used, but doesn't explicitly state that. That structure isn't currently up to snuff to host something like this, so I'm thinking it's either gonna be the second-largest structure or the flue shop, both of which are much more rehabilitated.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/albuq...est-classroom/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The revitalization of downtown Albuquerque continues – this time with the focus on creating a better more consistent use of the Railyards. This change is thanks to a partnership between the city and CNM.

When people think of the Railyards, they think of the Sunday market or one of the many blockbuster movies that were filmed there. But now, the space will become CNM’s newest classroom.

“This historic site will provide our students with an aspiring backdrop for learning and we know it has set the stage for many great movies but we certainly know this is just the first step of many great opportunities for our students and neighborhood and community partners here,” said CNM President Tracy Hartzler.

Starting this fall, film and digital media students will be able to take hands-on courses in the same building where movies like “Transformers” and “Avengers” were filmed. Plus, so many other artists have found inspiration in the space.

“I think every artist would agree this is just an industrial cathedral that they all love to be in and work in and so that is an added bonus for the students who sign up for this they are going to get access to this facility so we are very very excited about that,” Mayor Tim Keller said.

The Albuquerque Business First story below characterizes all of this much differently, referring to CNM film and media students simply being allowed to make use of the Rail Yards for their projects. That's nice, but certainly nothing to be making a big announcement over, IMO. And if that's all that this entails, then what about the plans for the CNM film center? What's the status of that project?

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

The City of Albuquerque will partner with Central New Mexico Community College to bring the college's film and digital media students into the Albuquerque Railyards.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller and CNM President Tracy Hartzler announced the partnership at a press conference at the Railyards on Tuesday.

Starting this fall, CNM film production students will have access to shoot productions onsite at the Railyards.

"The historic site will give students an inspired backdrop for learning," Hartzler said. "We know this is the first step in many opportunities for students as we go forward."

Mayor Keller said students in the program will virtually have exposure to the whole facility, which he called an "industrial cathedral."

In addition to the film production students, CNM's Ingenuity Deep Dive Digital Media Bootcamp will also feature the Railyards. The 12-week program introduces students to a variety of skills in digital media design and production.

In her remarks, Hartzler mentioned the recent report that New Mexico was one of the few states that increased the number of film production jobs over the last decade.

CNM launched its film tech program 20 years ago in response to New Mexico's fledgling film industry, she said.

"Since then, the program has been a top producer for below-the-line technicians in New Mexico's film industry, including camera operators, production assistants and makeup artists," Hartzler said, adding that the partnership is one way CNM is doing its part to make sure the industry grows.

Hartzler didn't know specifically how many students would be served by the Railyards project but said it would be in the hundreds.

The Railyards partnership is separate from the upcoming Next Generation Media Academy.

Downtown Albuquerque News reported this morning that the Spirit Station project at the Rail Yards is no more. The project didn't receive federal funding that it hoped to qualify for and so they will instead try to do a similar project in a storefront/commercial space, preferably in or around Downtown Albuquerque, although the developer says that might prove problematic due to competition for commercial space by new cannabis dispensaries.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Plans for immersive art exhibit at the Rail Yards - roughly in the style of Meow Wolf - are off, but the idea lives on

An effort to turn one of the small buildings near the front entrance of the Rail Yards into an immersive and interactive art installation drawing on fantasy and local rail history has been abandoned after the project failed to obtain federal economic development funding earlier this year.

A team that included the people behind Metal The Brand, a local apparel and art merchant that regularly sets up at the Downtown Growers' Market and Rail Yards Market, had spent much of late 2020 and 2021 pitching the idea, known as Spirit Station, to local community groups. They had also written a business plan that included a "bar car" serving locally-produced spirits to augment the experience.

But though it will not be happening at the Rail Yards, Metal The Brand owner Michael Wieclaw said his team is still trying to make the idea a reality elsewhere, combining it with a new retail storefront for the company, which had been located in El Vado until January.

"My goal is to buy a commercial retail location, re-open a store that is 1,500-2,000 square feet with an additional 1,500-3,000 square feet for a ticketed immersive experience surrounding the Spirit Station narrative," Wieclaw said, adding that "a lot of this is still being white-boarded."

He would like the project to be located somewhere in the Downtown area but said the competition for real estate has tightened with the entry of newly legal cannabis companies, so it may be necessary to find space that is near a school - where those businesses aren't allowed to operate anyway.

Despite the setback, Wieclaw chalked the whole thing up as good experience: "It was basically an MBA final project," he said. "We were educated in finance, planning operations, community outreach, [and] local politics and we networked with some pretty impressive people."

The change in plans means that it's back to the drawing board for the Pattern House, the Tank Shop, and the Firehouse, the three buildings near the corner of First and Atlantic (diagram) that are small by Rail Yards standards yet prominent because they are arranged near the main entrance on the north side of the complex. The Firehouse in particular stands out for its striking red stone walls.

City spokeswoman Sarah Allen said that all three would likely need significant rehab work before a tenant could move in. A future roadmap for developing them is still TBD, she added.

This is unfortunate and is yet another RFP put out by the mayor which has failed to produce anything. A big waste of time, IMO.

[ABQalex]

KRQE last night had a story about the plans to build the headquarters for the city's new Community Safety Department at San Mateo and Kathryn SE, in the vacant lot that was previously the Parkland Hills Shopping Center. The city originally planned to build a new APD Southeast Area Command at the site, but ended up remodeling and expanding its existing building on Louisiana Boulevard. The story says that the city is considering building a new fire station at the site as well, along with "community space" and even possibly an area for food trucks. At the end of the story they mention the plans for the nearby Food Hub ABQ site. That project was again before the Development Review Board recently, as it's trying to add city right of way to its site.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...-on-san-mateo/

• Video Link



KOB-TV last night also had a story looking at whether the city's new TEAM initiative is working to improve Downtown and its safety and perception. It says that the city has so far raised over $200,000 in donations to fund the initiative and that it may be enough for it to operate for two years.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/team-...is-it-working/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – APD and Mayor Tim Keller rolled out a plan earlier this summer, called “TEAM”—or targeted enforcement, action, and monitoring. Private businesses coughed up $90,000 to get it started in July.

So, is it working?

Some business and property owners say downtown is still a work in progress. While things haven’t gotten worse since the start of this initiative, things haven’t necessarily gotten better either.

“It’s absolutely difficult to own property and businesses in the downtown area because it has a reputation of being dangerous,” said Douglas Peterson, the owner of several downtown properties. “There are several people in our community who say to me regularly ‘I never go downtown.'”

He deals with damage to his properties across the city on a weekly basis.

“We’ve had the same windows broken out at our building at 8th and Silver twice within the last month, we’ve had windows taken out at 609 Gold southwest,” said Peterson.

Zach Baca and his family, the owners of Baca Boys, close at 3 p.m. every afternoon.

“It does feel good to get out of downtown before it gets crazy out here because it does,” said Baca. “You do have homeless people come in here, and they do come after staff and things like that and it gets scary.”

But they don’t plan to give up on downtown Albuquerque any time soon.

“I think it is on the up and up I do see people I do see traffic,” said Baca.

He says it’s partially thanks to the city’s TEAM initiative. He sees more officers in the area. Baca heard about the plan to improve safety, get more officers on the street, and target certain crimes as leaders announced the initiative.

“I have noticed a police presence down here and that’s done a lot,” said Baca.

His family hasn’t bought in like other businesses that helped fund $90,000 to fund the initiative, but he appreciates the effort.

“Until there’s some kind of accountability I don’t think we’re going to see anything significant,” said Baca.

An APD representative says, “We’ve been conducting TEAM operations Downtown since the announcement and have received positive feedback from the businesses. We have also had an increase in citations issued for traffic violations, and misdemeanor and felony arrests. As for funding, the city has raised over $200,000 in funding for TEAM and are expecting more donations to be coming in soon. We have estimated the funding that has been raised will help us fund the program for approximately two years.”

Downtown Albuquerque News this morning had a different total donation figure of $130,000 and broke down who gave the donations. However, their figures add up to $127,500, not $130,000. They also give a different figure from KOB-TV for how long the funding will operate the program.

Like always, our local media is stellar in its consistency, reporting and accuracy of basic facts. I thought Downtown Albuquerque News was a bit better for all this, but I guess not. Or perhaps they were given bad information from the city. Either way, they screwed up their $90,000+$40,000 figure somewhere in their reporting or calculations.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/

Downtown TEAM, the policing-through-donations program, has begun. Here's how it works.

Nearly three months have passed since Mayor Tim Keller announced the creation of a novel policing program for the city center. Called "Downtown TEAM" (for targeted enforcement and active monitoring), it involves police officers signing up for voluntary overtime shifts paid for via special donations made to the One Albuquerque Fund.

The idea amounts to a new take on an old APD initiative called "chief's overtime."

Traditionally, the program has been used by large retailers, film shoots, and events looking to hire off-duty officers for extra security. But the idea of soliciting donations from Downtown core businesses and residents to pay for extra and more generalized neighborhood-level policing is a new one and has provoked some decidedly mixed reactions. Supporters generally see it as a practical step with a decent chance of getting positive results, while critics mostly take the view that the city owes Downtown the basic level of security the program is promising and was already paid to provide it through taxes.

...

Despite the controversy, however, the program has gone forward, raising an extra $40,000 in donations on top of the $90,000 that had been pledged when the program was announced in June (see donor list below). The first of the special patrols went out Labor Day weekend, Keller told Visit Albuquerque's annual meeting last week.

The work of those patrols, however, is slated to be quite different than a typical shift, which is largely devoted to responding to 911 and 242-COPS calls.

Here's a Q & A guide:

What is this police presence going to look like in terms of how many people are out there and for how long?

A shift will generally last four hours and involve four officers and a sergeant, APD Deputy Chief Josh Brown told DAN.

When will the shifts happen?

Weekends will definitely be a focus, but a lot of it depends on when the data says the main problems are happening. Wednesday mornings, for example, tend to be oddly busy in the core, so that shift is a possibility as well.

What will they be doing?

APD has created a "menu" of things that the officers are supposed to be concentrating on, Brown said. Items on that menu include trying to prevent violent crimes, threats to businesses, noise issues like modified exhausts, and other "quality of life" issues.

...

How often will they be out there and for how long can they keep it up?

That will depend firstly on officers signing up for the program: "These are voluntary shifts," Brown said. "We can't force people to take them."

But the money to pay for it all is also something of an open question, since it depends on donors. One four-hour shift with four officers and a sergeant will cost $1,164, according to pricing data provided by Valley Area Commander Nick Wheeler. Based on the funds raised as of mid-August, that would translate into 110 such shifts - or the rough equivalent of one full-time officer working for a year.

How can numbers that small possibly make a difference?

Brown says relatively small groups of officers can get big results when they are freed up from that day-to-day work of answering calls and focus on keeping a steady presence in a specific area. He points to West Central as an example of that, noting that calls for service there have gone down since APD launched a tactical plan focusing on the area and its particular speeding and noise problems at the beginning of the year. Bring that sort of consistency to the Downtown core, he argues, and it can change the parameters of behavior.

That's what APD is counting on at least, and so is the mayor.

"We have some real hope," Keller said last week, "that that's going to make a noticeable difference."

Garcia family tops list of donors to policing effort

Donations for the Downtown TEAM program are being managed by the One Albuquerque Fund, a non-profit organization. Last month, the group provided the list of donors seen below, and while a few are household names, others require a bit more explanation, which we've provided:

• Garcia Honda - $50,000: While known mainly for their car dealerships, the Garcia family's extensive Downtown core property holdings include First Plaza Galleria, Glorieta Station, the complex that Villa Myriam Coffee Roasters is located in, the former Skip Maisel's Indian Jewelry, and the Rosenwald Building.
• Curtis and Company - $25,000: The law firm is located in the same building as JC's New York Pizza Department.
• Two Hundred Central LLC - $15,000: The company's registered agent is Thomas Keleher, an Albuquerque attorney.
• PNM - $15,000
• Visit Albuquerque - $10,000
• Yes Housing - $2,500: The non-profit developer's Downtown projects include Casitas de Colores and the Imperial Building Apartments.
• Theatre Block LLC - $2,500: The company's registered agent is Dale Armstrong, the president and CEO of TLC plumbing.
• One Central Associates LLC - $2,500: The company's projects include the One Central Building at First and Central.
• Geltmore - $2,500: The real estate developer's projects include the Imperial Building and recent residential developments near Coal and Fourteenth.
• WaFd Bank - $2,000
• Del Esparza - $500: Esparza is the founder of a marketing, branding, and advertising firm located at Sixth and Copper.

The city recently released the final list of awardees for the Downtown Storefront Activation Grant Program. A total of 15 businesses received funding, with those operating later into the evening receiving $35,000 each and the others receiving $30,000 each. The city says that another $500,000 in funding has been approved and a new round of grants will be given. Below is a link to the city's announcement on the program page on the city's website and a listing of the 15 businesses which received funding in this first round of grants. Again, it's a rare triumph and success for this administration when it comes to Downtown revitalization, but I'm entirely thankful for it!

https://www.cabq.gov/mra/storefront-...-grant-program

The application period for the first round of grants is now closed.

Funded by the City of Albuquerque, $500,000 have been allocated for a second round of grants.

The program is currently undergoing updates. Please check back in September for new information about the Downtown Storefront Activation Grant Program 2.0.

ROUND 1 INFORMATION:

- Funded by the City of Albuquerque, $500,000 was allocated for the first round. The grant was distributed in $30,000 awards. Applicants with extended night time hours received an additional $5,000 incentive.

- Approximately 40,000 square feet of vacant, ground floor commercial was occupied.

- 15 total grants were awarded on a first come first serve basis to:

• Blue Door Patisserie, 900 Park SW.
• Flamenco Works, 506 Central Ave. SW
• Electric Playhouse, 301 Gold Ave. SW
• Narke Greek Restaurant, 109 5th St. SW
• Echoes Brewery, 313 Gold Ave. SW
• Buds and Beans, 119 Gold Ave. SW
• Warehouse 508, 202 Central Ave. SW
• La Finca’s The Mouse Hole, 300 Broadway Blvd. NE, Suite A
• Sport Systems at Warehouse 508, 202 Central Ave. SE
• The Acre at Warehouse 508, 202 Central Ave. SE
• Flyby Provisions, 201 Coal Ave. SW
• Wing It Up, 317 Gold Ave. SW
• My Mom’s Restaurant, 500 4th St.
• Something Ginger, 307 Central SW., Suite A
• Dry Heat Comedy Club, 5 Central Ave. NW., Suite G

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



I'm especially excited that it looks like new businesses will be opening in the storefronts of the old Hudson Hotel building, which Warehouse 508 (renamed as Warehouse 505) is renovating, and which suffered that fire earlier this year. However, I do wonder about the Acre's apparent plans for a location there. Just yesterday they announced that they were closing their original location in the Heights.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CisX0EYtV9Y/



Earlier this year they also closed their Downtown location on Gold Avenue, but it seemed that was going to be offset by this new location on Central Avenue. Perhaps both closures won't affect the plans for this location. I would love for a quality restaurant like that to be located in this historic building. Both of their former locations were first-class operations.

[ABQalex]

I've been wondering about the status of the Build Back Better Challenge and when the winners would be announced. I went looking this morning on Google to see if there were any updates. I found that the winning proposals were announced at the beginning of the month and, unfortunately, neither of the two proposals from Albuquerque were among the winners. Thus, the Space Valley Center and initiative would appear to be no more.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-...nal-challenge/

I'm disappointed, but the silver lining is that the Civic North site can still be put to a better use. I liked the Space Valley Center project and thought that it was very much worthwhile, I just did not like the design at that site. I doubt this mayor will try to salvage the Civic North RFP, but perhaps a new mayor in the future will finally get something great built there. It's unfortunate to see so much squandered and missed opportunities in Downtown Albuquerque these past few years. I pray that we get the leader we need and gain back the great momentum we've had in the past.

As an aside, can I just say how annoying it is that this wasn't reported on locally. I understand that we weren't among the winners, but you'd think our local media would see that perhaps people here were interested in the status of the competition and interested to know who the winners were even if we were not among them.

I'm sorry to constantly rag on our local media, but it frustrates me that so much worthwhile stuff goes unreported and falls by the wayside in this city.

[ABQalex]

KOB-TV tonight had a story looking at the Amazon projects in New Mexico and whether they might be affected by the company's nationwide pull back and pause in its new facilities. It looks like New Mexico won't be affected and that Amazon's projects here will go forward as planned. That includes the air cargo facility at the airport and the fulfillment center in Los Lunas, both of which are under construction. The story has views of the various Amazon facilities in Albuquerque, including a look at the Amazon air cargo facility at the Sunport, which I've screenshotted and posted below.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/amazo...es-nationwide/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Online retail giant, Amazon, is scaling back some of its operations after a surge in E-commerce during the pandemic. Now, they are closing or canceling plans for 44 Amazon facilities nationwide and plans for another 27 facilities are also getting delayed.

But, what does that mean for Amazon’s footprint here in New Mexico? Amazon already has some huge operations here and had announced plans for expansions. So, KOB 4 called around to see where the Amazon construction projects stand right now and asked if they are changing plans.

“I think it looks like things are going well for all intents and purposes,” said Debbie O’Malley a Bernalillo County commissioner. 

Amazon continues to grow.

“I think it’s really had such a positive impact, in terms of jobs on the west side of the river,” said O’Malley.

O’Malley has the massive 600,000 plus square foot fulfillment center on Albuquerque’s Westside, and she says “they are expanding, it’s under construction.”

She says the initial $7 million investment for the infrastructure for the business park has paid off with about 3,500 new jobs and 600 more could be coming.

At the Sunport, a new big blue building is set to open in the next couple of months. Amazon will be flying cargo to and fro with their long-term lease at the airport.

Perhaps Amazon’s impact will be most felt in the village of Los Lunas.

“We have more cranes in my little village than the entire Albuquerque area does,” said Kristen Gamboa, senior economic developer.

The one million square foot Amazon facility is still getting built next to the Facebook data center.

“Knock on wood but we are not expecting any changes to this project at all. I was actually on a call with them yesterday talking about that,” said Gamboa.

Gamboa says the deal to bring Amazon here and an additional 600 more jobs to the village was made over a classic New Mexico meal.

“I’m telling you it was that green chile cheeseburger. Like that was how good it was we didn’t have to offer any incentives to Amazon,” said Gamboa.

Delivery on time for more jobs here starting in 2023.

A spokesperson with the state economic development says Amazon needed to build a footprint here because of its strategic location near I-40 and I-25.

So far, Amazon continues to grow here.

Here's a screenshot and link to the latest progress video of Project Charli in Los Lunas on Vimeo.

https://vimeopro.com/dronebros/const...ideo/748635264




The disgusting and repugnant NIMBYs in Los Ranchos have now filed a lawsuit to try to stop the Village Center project from going forward. They say that the village is in violation of the state's anti-donation clause for governments. They claim the violation is for selling the parcels to the developer for $1 each. This is despite the fact that the clause has specifically been removed and does not apply for redevelopment projects in designated Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas, which this area of 4th Street in Los Ranchos has been designated as such since 2007. The mayor of Los Ranchos states all this in his response to KRQE for its story about the lawsuit. Hopefully the judge will immediately toss the lawsuit as it's entirely frivolous and without merit. Unfortunately, the project start will be delayed at least a month because of this, but that's what NIMBYs like to do of course, delay things into oblivion.

https://www.krqe.com/news/politics-g...n-the-village/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The fight to keep a controversial development from going up in Los Ranchos has escalated. People have now filed a lawsuit against the village to stop the project. More than 200 affordable apartments, a grocery store, a brewery, and a restaurant are slated to go on the southeast corner of Osuna and 4th Street.

The lawsuit claims the village violated state law by selling each parcel of the 12.4-acre plot for $1. “The state constitution prohibits the state or local governments from making a donation, giving something away without getting something in return,” said Wade Jackson, Sutin, Thayer, Browne.

Los Ranchos mayor Donald Lopez says the sale is completely legal because in 2007 the property was declared blighted. “there is no mistake, this has been planned, It’s been approved by the governing body of the village of Los Ranchos,” said Lopez.

The suit claims it never should have been categorized as such and argues that there is not and never was deteriorated structures on the plot. KRQE News 13 asked Mayor Lopez about that claim and he said, “That’s an easy thing to say now, 15 years later.”

If the judge rules in their favor, the sale of the land would be voice meaning that Palindrome could no longer move forward with their plans to build. Right now there is a hold on the project until the end of the month.

Mayor Lopez says construction should begin in the next few months. He expects the first phase of the development, the apartments, to be finished by the end of next year. The rest of the project will be done over the course of five years.

• Video Link

[ABQalex]

Last night KRQE had yet another story about NIMBYs being opposed to and trying to block a development in the North Valley. This time it's the small apartment building proposed on Rio Grande Boulevard north of Indian School Road. I had posted about it earlier in this thread. It would feature 30 apartments in a 3-story building with some underground parking.

Neighborhood opposition has already reduced the project from 4 stories, with the developer apparently trying to appease those opposed. But of course NIMBYs are ruthless and relentless and never satisfied. In the story and video below all the usual cries and arguments against development are given, with the loss of views of the mountains and three stories being too tall offered up as reasons to be against this project.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...d-development/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – “This is the Rio Grande district, you don’t see tall buildings. It’s supposed to be a nice rural type feel and this new apartment complex is going to take away from that.” Phillip Apodaca has called the North Valley home his entire life. His father bought this property in 1941 near Rio Grande and Los Anayas, and it’s been passed down ever since. But he says the historic charm of the neighborhood is threatened by a potential apartment complex that’s going to be built in the empty lot right in his backyard.

“Well for one, it’s obstructing my view of the mountains. It’s going to be three stories high, and the lights, the traffic, and not to mention the trash that’s going to be over here towards the back, towards our houses,” Apodaca said.

Developers are looking to build a three-story, 30-unit apartment building in the empty space on the corner. It’s been sitting vacant for a few years after a different apartment complex was torn down. Apodaca says an apartment building that tall doesn’t fit in this quiet residential neighborhood.

“I wouldn’t mind a single story, something that goes with the neighborhood but not an eye sore, some 3, 4 stories high, it’s just outrageous,” Apodaca said.

Word got out in the neighborhood about the complex back in April and neighbors have been fighting it ever since. The developer, Fritz Eberle, says he is listening to the concerns of the neighbors and has made changes to please them. It started as four stories but after the complaints, it was moved to three. Eberle says he’s also changed the layout of the building to accommodate the neighborhood’s wish to move the entrance and exit to Rio Grande instead of Los Anayas. Some are grateful for those changes, others aren’t convinced, like Apodaca, who has even thought about leaving the only home he’s ever known.

“I already have thought about that when I heard about this projects going to go up because it’s going to devalue our property, you know, nobody wants to have their backyard where people can just look right in from the apartment complex across the ditch right there,” Apodaca said.

There was a neighborhood meeting Wednesday night on this development. About a dozen people showed up to voice their concerns and listen in on the future plans.

• Video Link

KRQE also recently reported about the neighborhood opposition to another housing development in the North Valley. It's the 90-unit Griegos Farms development that I also posted about earlier in this thread. This project is mere single-story dwellings, so no big bad apartment building to complain about, but incredibly they still say that it will block their views. Obviously we're working towards only subterranean developments being acceptable.

Instead of an apartment building, it's a compound of small cottages and thus too dense and not right for the neighborhood since it will be a development of rental homes. They say that it will attract the wrong kinds of people to their neighborhood. Oh, and they didn't know about it and were blindsided by it. Can't forget that argument when presenting opposition and you don't have much to stand on otherwise.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...y-development/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – People in one of the less developed areas in the North Valley neighborhood are worried about a plan to bring in almost a hundred new homes. Rumors are swirling about the problems it could bring.

The developer didn’t want to go on camera but went into detail on what will be built. Eric Szeman lives right next to where the development will be built. He said he and other neighbors are worried about plans to build 90 high-end, small rental homes behind their backyard near Rio Grande and Griegos.

“I was totally stunned in disbelief till the developer sent me the paperwork showing me the plans, I got the plans it shows what it’s going to look like,” said Szeman.

Some of them are creating a petition to stop the development citing the rural nature of the neighborhood, and the traffic. They also fear it’ll be geared toward low-income families.

According to the developer and owners of Rembe Urban Design + Design Jay Rembe they’ve worked to make sure the development will fit the neighborhood and its history. The one-to-two-bedroom rental homes, considered “Cottage Court” style homes, will start at $1,600 a month, the market rate.

He says they’ve held two Zoom meetings to dispel some of the concerns and rumors. Nina Olivas didn’t take part in those meetings, but she didn’t like what she was reading on NextDoor. She came up with the idea of the petition.

“It would take away from the beauty of our small neighborhood that we have worked very hard to keep,” said Olivas. “I just started reaching out to neighbors and the majority of the neighbors that I’ve reached out to have their own concerns and not all are positive.”

Some have expressed concerns that the homes could block views of the Bosque and the mountains. The developers are reminding everyone the homes will be one-story.

Construction on the development is set to start by the end of the year. They hope it will be done within a year and a half. The development called the “Griegos Farm” would essentially surround the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

• Video Link

You gotta love the open and unabashed bias and discrimination against low-income people shown by all these NIMBYs as well. Where are all the supposed champions for the poor and downtrodden when actual discrimination and contempt such as this is being displayed so blatantly.

Here's yet another recent story of these NIMBY sh*theads opposing a great project on rather flimsy arguments. A developer wants to build a 4-story apartment building at University and Gold SE, a half-block away from the UNM ART station at Central and University, where high-density development is supposed to go. But it abuts the Silver Hill historic district to its south. Abuts, not lies within. Thus, the Silver Hill NIMBYs are up in arms and say that the half-block should forever remain a buffer to Central Avenue's high densities. They'd rather the vacant old church and its parking lot which occupy the site currently remain as a buffer. Thus, they'd rather have a crime and homeless magnet next to their neighborhood than a 4-story apartment building. I really, truly cannot understand this kind of thinking, yet it persists in Albuquerque. SMDH!

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...zoning-change/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A developer wants to put up a four-story apartment building in the Silver Hill Historic neighborhood near the University of New Mexico, but some nearby residents do not like the idea. The Church of Christ building has sat abandoned for nearly two years, and neighbors say it’s become a trouble spot ever since.

“Some of those experiencing homelessness have been trying to put up camps around it, and normally it wouldn’t be a problem except, they leave such huge piles of trash and garbage and literal human waste. It would be nice if we could do something good with the church,” said Historic Hill resident Lynn Hudson.

The developer, Juniper Properties Southwest LLC,  is requesting a zoning change to allow a four-story apartment building in the neighborhood which is known for its tree-lined streets and old homes. While residents around here know development would help deter crime. Some of them think a large apartment building would detract from the charm of this neighborhood.

According to the developer, the building would be similar to the four-story multifamily housing near Central and Carlisle. “I’d like to see it kept as a historic neighborhood and again, it needs to be something that fits with the neighborhood,” added Hudson.

Residents say they also fear the new development could gentrify the neighborhood, sending rent up even more. The proposal did not say how many apartments there would be, or how much they would cost. The city’s environmental planning commission could decide on the proposal on Thursday.

• Video Link

The EPC issued its notice of decision withdrawing the zoning change and project from consideration at its meeting last month after the opposition. This most likely means that the project is dead.

https://documents.cabq.gov/planning/...0Ave%20ZMA.pdf

This makes me sick to my stomach to see these people get their way and our city suffer in the process. My feelings are very similar to the 2000 Gold debacle from about a decade ago in the same neighborhood just two blocks away. NIMBYs back then were successful in blocking a great project on rather flimsy arguments there as well. A trashy, hideous parking lot remains at the site of the failed project over ten years later, where a nice condo building with structured parking could've been there instead. Absolutely disgusting!

[ABQalex]

KRQE this evening had a story about a new small 20-unit apartment project in East Nob Hill/Highland that went before the Albuquerque Development Commission today. They report that the project was approved by the ADC for the tax abatement incentives that it was seeking.

https://www.cabq.gov/mra/documents/3...pplication.pdf

Their story overall is about other such residential projects in Nob Hill and adjacent areas along Central Avenue recently. It includes footage of the nearby Hiland Plaza construction. It's funny that today it's all framed in a mostly positive light that's filling a dire need for new housing, yet their other recent stories were framed negatively and mostly presented through the NIMBY perspective. But of course they still found someone opposed to feature in their story today.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...ousing-demand/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – New developments are popping up left and right along the Central corridor in Nob Hill. The latest is proposed for a vacant lot near Highland High School. Developers and officials are excited about the changes in the neighborhood, but some business owners nearby aren’t sold on them just yet.

Friday afternoon, the Albuquerque Development Commission voted to approve tax breaks for a project set to take place on the corner of Jefferson Street and Silver Avenue. The vacant lot is one step closer to being transformed into five two-story townhomes. This is the latest push to breathe new life into the Central corridor.

“If you haven’t been back to Central in a little while, come check out Nob Hill. We’ve got huge apartment buildings that are going up now, lots of folks moving into housing. Lots of new restaurants are coming back up and down the Central corridor. It doesn’t look like you think it did a couple of years ago,” says Pat Davis, city councilor for the area. From large developments offering more than a hundred new apartments along Central to a four-story complex on Silver, more and more housing options are popping up to feed a housing market developers say is heating up.

“I’ve been kind of jokingly calling it the Hunger Games when you’re renting one of these apartments I mean it just gets so much interest and everybody just has this air of almost like desperation because it’s just so hard to find decent places to live these days,” says Evan Davis, developer for the project on Jefferson and Silver.

The latest plan to pack more people into the urban core is what Davis is calling the Jefferson Townhomes project: five two-story buildings complete with a parking lot, mural, and solar readiness. It comes with a price tag of around $1.6 million. “This is my hood, this is the area I know, I know the rental market here and so this is where my heart is and I’ve been looking for property throughout this area and this one came up. And they don’t come up all the time so when they do it’s a big deal,” Davis says.

Councilor Davis says the focus for development has shifted now—from big sprawling developments on the outskirts of town, back to the heart. “It means that if you’ve got a vacant lot, you’re looking for where to do it. Central Avenue is currently the hot new place,” Davis says.

However, he admits this area still has a long way to go: “There’s still a lot to do. We dug a big hole during COVID and for years of disinvestment in Central. Like it or not about ART, the fact is those transit investments are encouraging people who don’t want to own a car to get back on the Central corridor and they’re starting to pay off.”

Local reaction remains mixed. “We’re just sad that it’s moving, turning into housing developments. That’s not what Central used to be…It’s just a shift in the neighborhood for a whole lot of people and I don’t see a whole lot of resources for them right here either so it’s kind of sad,” says Diane Johnson, manager of Ron Peterson Firearms.

“Hopefully it will clean up stuff around here; the apartments will help kind of bring more attention to like the streets and stuff around here,” says Paul Barboa, taxidermist with American Wild Life Taxidermy.

The developer of this project says he hopes to break ground sometime after the new year and expects the construction to take around a year.

• Video Link

The project is actually going to cost $2.5 million to build. Chalk that up to yet more stellar reporting by our local media.

Below are the renderings and info about this new 20-unit project that's proposed for the empty dirt lot at Jefferson Street and Silver Avenue SW. In the submittal to the ADC it was stated that this lot has never been built upon. I find that shocking, considering the 140+ year history of the modern city. If that's true then I think it just goes to show the unfortunate history of Albuquerque in leapfrogging and never building areas out completely, where even areas near Downtown and in the middle of the city are like this.











The developer behind this project also recently completed a 12-unit apartment project near UNM at 200-202 Cornell Drive SE. If you'll remember, this is the site of the former Werner-Gilchrist house that was demolished about 11 years ago. That house was considered historic because it was the first house built on the east mesa, and thus considered to have paved the way for the semi-urban and suburban development of the area beginning in the 1910s/1920s and exploding after World War II. Below are some pictures of the development, including the mural that was added shortly after it was completed. A similar mural will be included in the new development as well. 







In the submittal it was mentioned that the developer is also planning another project on Garfield Avenue near Yale Boulevard SE. He apparently presented both projects to the ADC staff seeking the tax abatement incentives. ADC staff informed him that they couldn't help him yet with his project on Garfield until the new University Metropolitan Redevelopment Area is approved and instituted. The consideration of that new MRA was also on the agenda for today's ADC meeting. No word yet on what happened with it, but the mayor and city councilors must also sign off on it in order for it to go into effect.

https://www.cabq.gov/mra/documents/4...pment-plan.pdf

Below are some graphics and information about the new University MRA that I found interesting. I especially noted the mentioning of how the limiting of the higher-intensity zoning along Central to mostly a half-block is a development constraint. That’s an argument for allowing the zone change at Gold and University, IMO.

I especially find it funny and ironic how the community meetings, planning and formulation of the plan for the new MRA all seem so reasonable and logical, yet somehow the execution always fails, especially at the hands of NIMBYs and leaders too weak to see the plan through in the face of any obstacles. And those NIMBYs are never there at times like this when the plans and policies are being formulated and put into place.















The graphic above from a planning session is especially ironic. An attendee mentioned the potential for new housing at 2000 Gold. I wonder if they or any of the attendees knew what once was proposed for the site? It just further illustrates how we've squandered logical and reasonable development opportunities over the years because of weak leadership and bad thinking.

[ABQalex]

KOB-TV has a look at the new Route 66 Visitor Center that's going to have its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/first...isitor-center/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After almost 30 years, the new Route 66 Visitor Center is finally a reality.

“It’s a longtime vision, so it feels like a dream come true,” said Klarissa Peña, Albuquerque city councilor.

County Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada said the entire West Side community has been working on getting the doors open for decades.

“So the community had come together that many years ago, saying, ‘We’ve got to get people off the freeway, we got to get them off the freeway, on Central Avenue, in order to have any shot of any kind of development,’ and so their vision was to have a visitor center,” Quezada said.

Quezada said the new visitor center will have a taproom, a museum and even an event space. The project was previously put on hold during the pandemic.

“I think we all drove by every two months to see what’s happening and see where they’re at,” Quezada said. “And yeah, COVID slowed a lot of things down, but we survived it, just like the rest of this community survived COVID.”

The center is not just for visitors to the Duke City.

“It was about getting people to come to this area of town and visit and see what we all see and love, and appreciate it,” Peña said.

Peña said residents in the neighborhood have been surveyed for years and the consensus is a big “yes” to the project.

The visitor center will have its ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday at 3 p.m. and there will be live music, including Al Hurricane Jr. The celebration is expected to last through 9 p.m.

Here's a pic, layouts and site plan for the new center from its Facebook page. I've also included two pics showing the view down into the valley and the city from the center's site. They are also from the Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/Route66ABQ/













You see how the site lends itself to evoking the feeling of driving into Albuquerque on Route 66 in the old days. It stands at the western entrance to the city with the historic welcome sign still standing just down the hill from the new visitor center.



The new Downtown police substation finally opened yesterday after months of delays. It's located on the ground floor of the historic Rosenwald Building at 4th and Central SW.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/polic...n-albuquerque/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque police officers are now operating out of the new location on Fourth Street and Central, in the heart of downtown.

APD Chief Harold Medina says this is about adding another building block to the grander plan of making downtown safer, and bringing business back to the center of the Duke City.

Some business owners say perception is as big of a problem as the crime itself.

Por Vida means “for life” and the brothers behind the tattoo shop at Fourth and Coal know and live the meaning. They grew up not far from downtown Albuquerque.

“Oh, I love it, yeah. We look out for each other, you know?” said Bale Sisneros, Por Vida tattoo owner.

Helm Sisneros says the brothers set up shop at this location less than two years ago.

“A lot of my clients come from a not-so-populated areas you know, even just the suburbs here in Albuquerque, they’re not used to seeing that stuff,” Bale said.

About the same time the city moved into another vacant building just up the street.

“This is the first time in the modern era that Albuquerque has a dedicated downtown team,” said Mayor Tim Keller.

The Targeting Enforcement Action and Monitoring or “TEAM” plan is $130,000 worth of police overtime, paid for by downtown businesses.

“Last week for example they canceled the Wednesday and they brought in additional resources on a Friday and a Saturday, because of the fact that they knew there was going to bigger crowds because of the State Fair, and they actually had really high numbers during that week,” Medina said.

In less than one month, TEAM patrols downtown have led to 100 citations and six arrests.

“Downtown believes in this, they are the ones asking us to do this,” said Keller. 

And the brothers down the street agree.

“The presence of the police officers makes them feel safe, and that’s good for my business,” said Bale.

The downtown substation is going to be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. The city says they have plans in the works to invest $1 million in new lights and cameras downtown too.

Here's some pics posted by Mayor Keller on Twitter yesterday.

https://mobile.twitter.com/MayorKell...06609192443905







Here's a short video tour posted by the city on Instagram yesterday.

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

The new substation's official name is the Don Perkins Public Safety Center. It's named after Don Perkins, the Lobos football star and former Dallas Cowboys player. He did work with the Albuquerque Police Department in its anti-gang initiatives. He died earlier this year in Albuquerque at the age of 84.

https://www.abqjournal.com/2507350/u...at-age-84.html





The Cafe Oaxaca structure was demolished last week. This paves the way for the new indoor marketplace being planned on the site by the Downtown Growers Market and Three Sisters Kitchen.

https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerqu...n-albuquerque/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The effort to transform an eyesore on Route 66 is moving forward. Crews have demolished the old Cafe Oaxaca at Central and 10th just west of downtown Albuquerque.

The sprawling building sat boarded up for nearly two decades. The Downtown Growers Market and Three Sisters Kitchen have teamed up with the non-profit Mass Architecture and Design to turn the space into a community food hub. That could include more vendor space for the growers’ market, a cafe, a gathering space for nutrition classes, and possibly a commercial kitchen for entrepreneurs.

• Video Link

Here's a pic of the Cafe Oaxaca site and demolition by Downtown Albuquerque News.

https://downtownalbuquerquenews.com/



Below are web-based versions of the renderings for the indoor marketplace project. They are from a story at the beginning of the month about the project by The Paper, parts of which I've quoted below as well. Click the links below the embedded pics for the full-size versions.

https://abq.news/2022/08/food-campus-project-warms-up/

The Downtown Local Food Campus will be sited at 1023 Central Ave. NW, a space that has served largely as an area eyesore since its last resident, the Cafe Oaxaca restaurant and nightclub, vacated nearly 15 years ago. The current building will be torn down and replaced with a mixed-use, indoor-outdoor space whose grid-like structure mirrors the ancient ribbon farming along Albuquerque’s acequias. At the same time, Senior Architect Mayrah Udvardi said the linear design flow sought to “re-orient the grid of Downtown Albuquerque.”

The building will feature a production kitchen, a manufacturing kitchen, a food shop and an indoor market that will allow the Downtown Growers’ Market to operate year-round, regardless of weather. Upstairs there are plans for offices and classrooms, allowing Three Sisters to continue its mission as a “new and emerging” small-business incubator. The roof will be employed as a green garden planting. A water feature running down the center of the space replicates a traditional acequia and will highlight “edible landscaping.” Despite the fancy new digs, the original mission remains: providing “food justice” and “food-based economic development” by educating and connecting local food producers and consumers.

For her part, Udvardi said she and her firm were excited to be designing a “values-based food system in Downtown.” If successful, the architects behind it hope that the Food Campus will spur a revitalization of other unused buildings around Downtown Albuquerque and help bridge the underused gap between Downtown and Old Town.

...

Next up on the plan is fundraising, design development and construction. Bennett estimates that the project will end up costing around $10 million for land acquisition and construction. “We are excited to collaborate with multiple funding partners,” said Bennett, “and are exploring opportunities with Federal, State and City sources as well as a broad network of philanthropic partners, commercial lenders and impact investors who are excited about positive community development, healthy food systems, creating jobs with dignity and a vibrant Downtown Albuquerque.”

Ground is expected to be broken on the Food Campus site in late 2023.

https://i0.wp.com/abq.news/wp-conten...ASS-scaled.jpg


https://i0.wp.com/abq.news/wp-conten...824_161753.jpg

[ABQalex]

The 50th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta will begin tomorrow. Today it unofficially got underway with Albuquerque Aloft at local elementary schools across the city. There was also a special commemorative lift-off this morning at Coronado Center to re-enact the inaugural event which lifted off there with just 13 balloons in 1972. Three of the original pilots were present and one of the original 13 balloons lifted off for the 50th anniversary re-enactment. This year's Balloon Fiesta will feature 750 balloons, including over 100 special shape balloons.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/first...r-at-the-site/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The very first Balloon Fiesta launched 50 years ago, in 1972, from the parking lot of what’s now the Coronado Center. There, 13 pilots took off and began an event that has attracted international attention for the state and Albuquerque.

An event took place on Sept. 30, honoring the first Balloon Fiesta and the original pilots one day before the 50th Balloon Fiesta formally kicked off. There, one of the original balloons was primed to take flight again, with the family of original pilot Matt Wiederkehr in attendance. Wiederkehr not only flew in the first Fiesta but was also one of the first balloonists in the U.S.

https://www.krqe.com/news/balloon-fi...special-event/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Saturday morning marks the start of the 50th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, but first organizers wanted to commemorate how it all started. Friday Morning, Balloon Fiesta held a 50th anniversary special event at Coronado Center in Albuquerque. Relatives and representatives of Fiesta’s 13 founding pilots took part in a reenactment of the original Balloon Fiesta flight.

Fifty years ago in 1972, 13 hot air balloon pilots launched to the skies from the Coronado Center unaware of the impact they would have. “If you guys remember right here where we are sitting was the Sears fountain,” said Randy Sanchez, General Manager of the Coronado Center.

Now, the event is recognized around the world. Last year alone 600 hot air balloons hit the skies bringing in millions of visitors to Albuquerque over the years. “I don’t know if any of you actually had any idea what would become of what you started,” said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller.

Before the crowds shuffle onto the field, organizers wanted to mark the special occasion and remember the 13 pilots that made it all possible and where it all started at the Coronado Center. “Nobody had ever seen a gathering of balloons like this and it was very special,” said Steve McKee, representing his father Dick McKee, the general manager of KOB-AM in 1972.

For the 50th anniversary, they had three of the thirteen original pilots in attendance. “Lucky to be able to think back that far,” said Denny Floden, an original Fiesta pilot. “It brings people together, pardon the pun but it’s very uplifting and the people in Albuquerque have responded so graciously.”

Friday morning the balloons took off without a hitch, kicking off what should be a successful year of Fiesta. Getting the community and visitors alike excited for what’s to come these next nine days.

• Video Link

https://www.abqjournal.com/2536656/l...s-origins.html

Thirteen hot air balloons launched early Friday morning from the south parking lot of Coronado Center in Uptown in a reenactment of the seminal 1972 balloon rally that evolved into the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta – now celebrating its 50th year.

The fiesta starts Saturday and continues through Oct. 9.

On hand and, in some cases, inside the balloon gondolas, were the original pilots or members of their families.

“It just feels really good,” said Denny Flodan, also known as “Capt. Phogg,” one of those original pilots. “It’s very special because the fiesta has such a history. It’s been a part of me and I’ve been a part of it. I did not anticipate having as much of an emotional reaction as I’m having, but it’s wonderful.”

He also paid tribute to the vision of the late Sid Cutter, who is credited with founding the Balloon Fiesta. “He had this incredible ability for promotion and to make the best out of everything he touched,” Floden said.

Originally from Michigan, but now living in Florida, Floden said he was happy on this day just to be along for the ride.

“I don’t have to think. I get to be a passenger and I don’t get that very often. And I don’t have to pay for it,” he said laughing.

Prior to the launch, a breakfast program was presented inside Coronado Center, honoring the original pilots, those who, early on, worked to create the Balloon Fiesta and their families.

“I was always proud to stand beside my husband,” said Jewel Cutter of her late husband. “The launch field has turned into an oasis of joy and camaraderie. I’m very proud of what we’ve become.”

Fifty years ago, the spot that hosted Friday’s indoor breakfast program was a dirt lot from where the pilots launched, said Coronado Center’s general manager Randy Sanchez. Over the years, Coronado continued to support the growing Balloon Fiesta with its sponsorship of a balloon and providing space for the fiesta’s park and ride program.

That original April 8, 1972, gathering of balloons was assembled by Sid Cutter, as part of a 50th anniversary celebration for KOB radio. Then-station manager Dick McKee wanted an event to mark the event, and he and station employees came up with the idea of a balloon rally.

They approached Cutter, who operated Cutter Aviation and was one of the few people who owned and piloted a hot air balloon. Cutter got commitments from 20 others to come to Albuquerque and participate. Bad weather prevented some from arriving and the 13 balloons that were present held a “roadrunner and coyote” competition.

Named for the Looney Tunes cartoon characters, a single balloon designated as the roadrunner, launched and was soon chased by the remaining coyotes. The winner was determined by who landed closest to where the roadrunner set down.

Denise Wiederkehr McDonald remembers that competition. She was a 15-year-old co-pilot to her father, Matt Wiederkehr. For a while, the Minnesota team was positioned to win the race until a married couple, also from Minnesota, and flying separate balloons, displaced them.

The Wiederkehrs continued to fly in, or come as spectators at subsequent Balloon Fiestas. Matt Wiederkehr died three years ago.

Wiederkehr McDonald piloted balloons for a number of years, but eventually gave it up in pursuit of a career with United Airlines, from where she recently retired as a pilot after 37 years.

Back as an unofficial balloon co-pilot on Friday, she quickly got into the swing of things.

“It was great. It was a beautiful morning and we had a really nice landing,” she said. “It just came back immediately, especially the ground crewing and inflating, just jumping back into the old days. It was special because, 50 years ago, I couldn’t envision that, today, we’d be reenacting the original rally and everything that’s happened in between. I could feel my dad there.”

Her sister, Donna Wiederkehr, and mother, Bobbie Wiederkehr, were also in Albuquerque for the 50th event. Her sister will be piloting their father’s balloon during the fiesta.

Because hot air balloons were such an unusual sight back in 1972, the assemblage of 13 of them was a big deal and a big attraction, drawing a crowd that, by some estimates, ranged from 10,000 to 20,000.

The crowd for Friday’s reenactment was likely between 600 and 800.

Visit Albuquerque also debuted its new promotional balloon for the Balloon Fiesta. It has a "Red or green?" theme and will be operated by Rainbow Ryders.

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A new balloon-themed median landscaping project along Alameda Boulevard shouod be completed in time for Balloon Fiesta. MRWM Landscape and Design posted the pics below of the project earlier this month.

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The city earlier this week also debuted the new slip ramp onto I-25 that's hoped will help alleviate traffic issues in the area during Balloon Fiesta. It was in addition to various other improvements made to the park itself that the city recently completed.

https://www.cabq.gov/municipaldevelo...k-improvements

ALBUQUERQUE – On Monday, September 26, 2022, City and State leaders unveiled the brand new southbound I-25 on-ramp relocated from Tramway Ave. to a new location farther south, providing easier access from Balloon Fiesta Park.

“This means that the Balloon Fiesta is going to be a more memorable experience for everyone,” said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. “Let’s make sure we keep investing in the places where it really makes a difference."

Construction on the $2.5 million project began in late July, and was substantially complete by early September. The relocated ramp is open now and ready to serve the heavy traffic load expected at this year’s Balloon Fiesta.

“We are so happy to have completed this project on time and on budget,” said Patrick Montoya, Director of the Department of Municipal Development. “The new ramp should greatly improve the experience exiting the park for all of this year’s Balloon Fiesta attendees.”

In addition to the new slip ramp, the City has been hard at work completing additional improvements to Balloon Fiesta Park. In all, visitors to Balloon Fiesta Park will experience approximately $2.2 million in additional improvements this year. Those improvements include a new park & ride bus depot, a new northeast parking lot with an additional 500-vehicle capacity, repaving and improved access along Pilots Parkway, and much more.

“The Balloon Fiesta is a great opportunity to showcase our City and our State," said Mayor Tim Keller. "Over the last 50 years, Balloon Fiesta has transformed into a major international event, these additions are just one way we’re working to set the stage for another 50 years of success, improving the experience for Burqueños and visitors alike.”

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https://www.krqe.com/news/balloon-fi...alloon-fiesta/

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Monday, officials unveiled the new I-25 on-ramp, aimed at filtering people out of Balloon Fiesta Park quickly, ahead of this year’s 50th-anniversary event. The southbound on-ramp at Tramway was moved about 1,100 feet south, closer to the Pasadena intersection.

The goal was to give park-goers access to more side streets and make it faster and safer while leaving the event. There were concerns it wouldn’t be completed in time, but it got done as well as within budget. “We actually got it done for the 50th anniversary of Balloon Fiesta,” said Director of Municipal Development, Pat Montoya. “We’re quite excited about it; it’s going to make life easier in the mornings for all the visitors to exit the park.”

The new on-ramp will also provide direct access to the freeway for several businesses in the area.