Albuquerque Development Thread

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Transit initiative moves into public meeting phase

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

Albuquerque’s bus rapid transit idea will launch into a public meeting phase next month with six dates scheduled.
BRT aims to speed up bus service by giving busses dedicated lanes or extra right-of-way through medians. It would result in raised platform “subway style” stations along the way, something that has spurred ancillary development in other cities that have deployed it.
Dayna G. Crawford, the deputy director at ABQ RIDE, said the goal of the public meetings is to share BRT alignment details and preliminary station ideas. ABQ RIDE first began studying the idea of a BRT system for Albuquerque in 2011.
The city has been working on the project with Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, HDR Inc. and Parsons Brinckerhoff. The first phase would happen on the Central Avenue stretch from 98th Street to Tramway Boulevard. It would be considered part of the city’s revitalization of historic Route 66, Innovate ABQ and Downtown. BRT could subsequently move into other corridors of the city.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...0&t=1412000080

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New Housing to be Part of Albuquerque Rail Yards Development

by Garry Boulard
Construction Reporter

Running adjacent to the historic Albuquerque Rail Yards, the community of Barelas is well known as a working class neighborhood of modest homes, many of which are more than 75 years old.

It is also a section of Albuquerque that may soon see the construction of at least 30 new housing units as a result of an agreement between the City of Albuquerque and the Culver City, California-based Samitaur Constructs, which is tasked with redeveloping the 27-acre Rail Yards.

“We’re very excited about the redevelopment and happy about the housing component,” says Angelica Solares, the executive director of the Barelas Community Coalition, which has been a long-standing advocate for building new housing at the mixed-use site.

Noting that Barelas, which is home to some 3,700 residents, once greatly depended on the jobs provided by the Rail Yards, Solares adds that she would like to see the new housing sooner rather than later as part of the redevelopment project.

Railyards in Barelas Community
Aerial View of Railyards Embedded within the Barelas Community
“We really want to see the housing become a reality in the first stages of the redevelopment,” Solares says. “If that doesn’t happen, it wouldn’t be conducive to good relations with this neighborhood.”

http://constructionreporternews.com/?p=6874

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El Vado redevelopment moves forward

By Richard Metcalf
Journal Staff Writer

Palindrome Communities, a partnership of the Sawmill Community Land Trust and Portland, Ore.-based Pacificap, has been picked to redevelop the historic El Vado Motel and an adjacent parcel near Old Town.

Work is expected to begin in 2016.

The Palindrome Communities proposal is a mixed-use development that includes a community food court, an amphitheater, a boutique motel and a small events center on the El Vado portion of the site, according to a city news release.

The Casa Grande portion of the site will include 60 units of workforce or income-restricted housing. The selected proposal will restore the El Vado Motor Lodge and allow it to become a preeminent destination. It has a design that will respect the surrounding neighborhood and includes a bicycle/pedestrian pathway connecting the neighborhood to Central Avenue.

“The location of El Vado near the BioPark and Old Town on Route 66 makes it a great example of celebrating our history through redevelopment and historic preservation. I appreciate Palindrome Communities’ partnership with the City in this endeavor,” said Councilor Isaac Benton, District 2.

http://www.abqjournal.com/471840/biz...s-forward.html

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Jackson/Wink gym to move Downtown as part of $3 million project


By Jessica Dyer
Journal Staff Writer

Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn have a reputation for training some of the world’s best mixed-martial arts fighters.

Now they’re working on a new facility that better suits their level of success.

The Albuquerque coaches plan to relocate their Jackson/Wink gym to East Downtown from Southeast Albuquerque early next year. It’s part of a $3 million-plus project to turn a former federal office building into an expanded, state-of-the-art MMA training facility with apartments, dormitories and space for office and retail tenants.

Winkeljohn said he will close this month on the purchase of a vacant building at Broadway and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, a 32,000-square-foot facility previously used by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. He’s buying it as part of a newly created company, M H Win LLC, that includes himself, wife Heather and a few small investors.

The Jackson/Wink gym will serve as the anchor tenant, but the planned remodel will also create 10,000 square feet of apartments and dormitories – enough, Winkeljohn estimates, to accommodate as many as 40 fighters – plus office space and 4,800 square feet of retail space he wants to fill with restaurants or other merchants that would appeal both to the athletes and the fans who come to see them.

http://www.abqjournal.com/471332/spo...n-complex.html

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California investor makes big bet on West Downtown

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

Mark Ross thinks the Albuquerque apartment and condo market is a good investment right now, and he’s spent millions to back that claim up.
He recently purchased the 63-unit Skyline Towers, located near Tramway Blvd. and I-40, which was rebranded as Cloudview Terrace. And has more metro area purchases in the pipeline.
Part of his strategy, he said, is to identify multifamily developments in high-visibility areas that are distressed or need to be repositioned. He and his partners launch into extensive renovations after purchases are complete.
One of his high-visibility projects is nearing a turning point — the Agave Condominiums in the Country Club corridor, or what some in real estate have begun to brand as West Downtown or "WeDo." Agave is an 11-unit luxury condo project at 1900 Central Ave. SW near the Albuquerque Country Club and Old Town.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...a=twt&page=all

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City unveils Central Ave. bus system proposal

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) — Central Avenue could look very different in the next few years if the city’s newly uncovered vision for bus rapid transit comes true. ABQ RIDE unveiled its new plans for a higher-speed bus system on Tuesday and the proposed changes likely mean big changes for chunks of the roads and where you drive.

The city’s bus agency is now taking public comment on the ideas over the next two weeks. Right now, Central Avenue is ruled by several regular bus routes and the city’s “Rapid Ride” bus service. Most of those busses pull over in a traffic lane, but that could soon be a thing of the past.

The city’s first renderings for the proposed “bus rapid transit” system on Central show details for dedicated bus lanes on certain parts of the road and new bus stations with elevated platforms in the middle of the road where medians are today. While they don’t have an estimate on a total cost or when they’ll have a final plan submitted, the city is hoping to have the new bus rapid transit system open for service in Fall of 2017.

“We’re going for something that’s very efficient but it’s also cost effective,” said Rick DeReyes, a spokesman for ABQ RIDE.

Right now, the proposal is being called “ART,” which stands for Albuquerque Rapid Transit. The plans call for the dedicated bus route to loop on a 13 mile stretch of Central Avenue between 98th Street on the westside and Tramway Boulevard in the Foothills.

http://krqe.com/2014/10/07/city-unve...stem-proposal/

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County gets ‘unique, creative’ ideas to keep office ops Downtown

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

How and when Bernalillo County will consolidate its Downtown Albuquerque office operations is still an open question, as is whether Downtown will remain in the equation.
Deputy County Manager Vince Murphy said Wednesday at an Economic Forum of Albuquerque breakfast at the Albuquerque Country Club that officials received 14 responses to a request for information (RFI) that Manager Tom Zdunek released recently. The RFI laid out the county’s minimum requirements — at least 265,000 square feet of space, 750 to 800 on-site parking spaces and access to public transit, to name a few.
“Some of the ideas are creative and unique,” Murphy said without going into detail. “Others proposed public-private partnerships. No decision has been made.” The RFI expired last month.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...itter&page=all

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Long chooses Klinger Constructors for new Old Town hotel

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

Jim Long, the founder and CEO of Heritage Hotels & Resorts, has his construction team in place for what will be his latest hotel property.
Klinger Constructors has been chosen to build the 118-room project, which is scheduled to break ground by the end of the year and open in early 2016.
The state-of-the-art multimillion-dollar hotel — described as contemporary boutique — is set to be 113,000 square feet, featuring a spa, rooftop terrace and many eating and lounge options. Gensler says it drew inspiration for the design from the Anasazi people and the indigenous ruins of Chaco Canyon. The hotel will be on land adjacent to Heritage Hotel’s flagship property — Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town at 800 Rio Grande Blvd. NW.
Long said he was glad to be working with a company like Klinger that was local, established and experienced. Klinger President Ray Smith said the firm was excited to be working with both Heritage Hotels and Gensler Architects on the project.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...tm_source=t.co

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State’s move into Downtown’s Plaza Maya delayed

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

About 200 parole officers and other New Mexico Department of Corrections workers will not be operating out of Downtown Albuquerque’s Plaza Maya office complex before the end of the year as originally planned.
In January, funds were approved for the purchase of the almost 63,000-square-foot, four-story building at 615 First St. NW. Out of $7.28 million approved, about $1.77 million went toward the purchase and the remainder was for renovations, something many older Downtown buildings like Plaza Maya face.
“We’ve had some construction setbacks, not huge, just little things here and there,” Alex Tomlin, public affairs director for the Corrections Department, told Business First. She said the hope now is to move in toward the beginning of 2015.
The purchase of Plaza Maya originally created some controversy as it was to be the location for parolee check-in, a move that would help expedite the closure of those functions in offices in Nob Hill near Monte Vista Elementary School.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...82492&page=all

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Silverman says development explosion coming to Albuquerque's Innovate Corridor

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

Paul Silverman doesn't apologize for being a Downtown Albuquerque guy.
After all, the CEO of the development group Geltmore LLC is putting shovels in the ground early next year for what will be the first grocery store in the corridor in decades. That grocery store will also be on the ground floor of a 74-unit apartment development with other amenities — dubbed the Imperial Building.
But it's not just that project that excites him about the possibilities in Albuquerque's urban core, which is a corridor that has often struggled.
"You're going to see an explosion in the Innovation Corridor like you probably haven't seen before," Silverman said Wednesday at the Associated General Contractors of America construction owners summit at Downtown's Doubletree Hotel.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq....html?page=all

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Downtown grocery developer aims for January construction start

By Jessica Dyer
Journal Staff Writer

Construction could begin in January on the planned Downtown Albuquerque grocery store, a timeline that could see the store opening in early 2016.

David Silverman of Geltmore, LLC, the development group behind the store, said plans for the project were submitted to the city last week for permitting.

http://www.abqjournal.com/480947/biz...ion-start.html

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Uptown Transit’s mixed-use development moves forward

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

The parking-lot-to-mixed-use-development idea in Albuquerque's Uptown corridor is headed closer to becoming a reality.
In the spring, the city's ABQ RIDE transit department announced it would look at the possibility of transforming part of the Uptown Transit Center site at 2121 Indiana St. NE into a development that could include living units, retail, office and other amenities.
ABQ RIDE Public Information Officer Rick DeReyes says it will be a public-private partnership and that the six-route transit function of the site, near to the Albuquerque Public Schools' administrative offices and south of Coronado Center, would be maintained.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...ent-moves.html

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Convention center touts renovation

By Jessica Dyer
Journal Staff Writer

The story of the underwhelmed meeting planner is one frequently related by Albuquerque’s elected officials and tourism professionals.
An event organizer comes to Albuquerque. He likes the airport and appreciates the ability to easily navigate the city. The clear sky and high desert scenery wow him. And then he arrives at the Albuquerque Convention Center.

Cue the letdown.

Event planners, Mayor Richard Berry said he’s been told, would “walk in the front door of the west convention center and basically say, ‘We can’t come here.’”

Now, though, Albuquerque finally has something new to offer.

A $25 million renovation that gave the city-owned center a new look inside and out is mostly complete. The project – announced in 2012 – marks the center’s first major remodel in more than 20 years, and officials hope the effort will keep critical visitor dollars flowing into the city.

Even though event planners consider multiple factors when picking a site “right now we have a legitimate asset in terms of attracting that business,” Convention Center General Manager José Garcia said.

Officials plan to celebrate the upgraded property with an open house and ribbon-cutting on Thursday.

http://www.abqjournal.com/482753/biz/a-must-see.html

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Albuquerque’s SG Properties unveils plans for 4th & Coal site

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

A well-positioned plot of land on the border of Downtown and the historic Barelas neighborhood now has a developer.
Sean Gilligan of Albuquerque's SG Properties got the project through a city request for proposals (RFP) process to develop the slightly less than one-acre site at 507 4th Street SW. It sits on the southeast corner of 4th Street and Coal Avenue.
The site is considered a gateway to Barelas. The city, which purchased the site in 1994 for about $230,000, has been seeking a development that "fits the Barelas community." It is under the Barelas Sector Development Plan and is in an area of Downtown that has not seen much commercial activity in recent years. A vacant building at the site that attracted vagrants and local television news coverage has been demolished.
Part of the plans for what would be about 14,000 square feet of space in two main buildings calls for small retail, some office and eight to 12 apartments, said Gilligan. "[And] in one building, we plan on having a smaller version of a Los Angeles Grand Central Market or the [7th Street Public Market] in Charlotte."
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6snqnhy3e...0Coal.mp4?dl=0

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...itter&page=all

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UNM president says improving Downtown key to Innovate ABQ success

Dan Mayfield
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

As the master plan for Innovate ABQ takes shape, University of New Mexico president Bob Frank shared his thoughts on Thursday morning about what the center will look like and his vision for innovation in Albuquerque.
At a UNM Economic Forum meeting, Frank outlined three primary components to his plan: Innovate ABQ, the Innovation Academy and shoring up STC.UNM'stfolio companies. Each will expand the university's footprint and its reach, he said.
"I wanted to create a research district that melds the university more than ever before to the community," Frank said. "It's not just researchers. It's lawyers who want to be in that space. It's investors. It's students."
But, he said, the Downtown area needs to develop along with the Innovate plan.
"Part of the problem we have with Downtown is it was designed mainly in the 1960s, and it's car-friendly, not people-friendly," Frank said. "BRT [Bus Rapid Transit] is important. We want to see the university move to the Downtown area, and we'll see that happen. It's only a mile, but it seems farther."
"A warmer, friendlier, Downtown has a lot of bonuses for the university, anyway," he added.
The design firm Perkins+Will is developing the master plan for the site and will have a preliminary outline of it in November. The final plan is due in January.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...itter&page=all

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One crane has made it's way south to Presbyterian Rust for the winter.

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Downtown a bright spot in ABQ office market

By Richard Metcalf
Journal Staff Writer

A real dark horse has emerged this year as the top-performing submarket for office space in the Albuquerque metro area, according to the latest Office Trends Report from Colliers International.

Downtown, which chronically underperforms the office market as a whole, has shown more improvement through the first nine months of 2014 than any other office submarket, including the North I-25 corridor and Uptown.

“Vacancy has declined every quarter this year and Downtown has also posted the highest amount of space absorbed (or occupied),” the third-quarter Colliers report says, attributing the improvements to initiatives related to developing Albuquerque’s technology sector.

The CNM STEMulus Center’s move into the First Plaza Galeria earlier this year contributed to the brightening Downtown office scene. (Albuquerque Journal File)
Just over 20,000 square feet of office space were occupied in the second and third quarters by Fat Pipe ABQ, an incubator and collaborative for information-technology businesses at Old Albuquerque High, and Central New Mexico Community College’s STEMulus Center, a workforce training center at First Plaza Galeria.

The upshot is that, since the end of 2013, the Downtown office submarket has registered a net gain of 120,000 square feet of space filling up, according to Colliers data. The vacancy rate dropped from 29.4 percent at the end of 2013 to 26.1 percent in the third quarter.

Over the same period, the metro’s overall office market languished. More space went vacant than filled up to the tune of 295,000 square feet. The metrowide vacancy rate climbed from 19.3 percent at the end of 2013 to 21.5 percent in the third quarter.

Downtown’s high vacancy rate – 26.1 percent versus 21.5 percent overall – is largely the function of one property: the eight-story, 246,853-square-foot Alvarado Square at 415 Silver SW. After leasing it for decades, PNM Resources moved out last year after selling off its natural gas distribution system.

If Alvarado Square were to disappear from its inventory of office buildings, the Downtown submarket would suddenly look relatively robust.

http://www.abqjournal.com/486648/biz...ce-market.html

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Benton plan would affect street design for entire city

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

A Complete Streets ordinance would require the design and build of Albuquerque streets to serve not just cars, but pedestrians, cyclists and mass transit users. City Councilor Isaac Benton also thinks it will contribute to economic development and spur private investment and redevelopment.
Benton is the force behind the Complete Streets plan, and he's hosting a public meeting on it Nov. 5. Benton hopes the plan will appear about a week later in front of the city's Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee for approval.
Benton says the project boils down to making streets safer for all modes of transportation. A Complete Street ordinance could incorporate features such as wider sidewalks, street trees, on-street parking, bicycle lanes, protected crossings and traffic-calming techniques. The goal is to make all forms of transportation more inclusive while reducing congestion.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...or-entire.html

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Six seated on Innovate ABQ board

By Mike Bush
Journal Staff Writer

The University of New Mexico regents on Wednesday gave their unanimous approval to six of seven inaugural members of the Innovate ABQ board of directors.

The board will guide the development of the Innovate ABQ business district, a nonprofit research park just getting off the ground at the area of Broadway and Central Avenue.

The board members are: Mayor Richard Berry; David Harris, UNM’s executive vice president for administration; Dr. Richard Larson, executive vice chancellor and vice chancellor for research at the UNM Health Sciences Center; Terry Laudick, president and CEO of the New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union; Sherman McCorkle, past president of Technology Ventures Corp..; and Charles I. Wellborn, retired president of STC.UNM.

http://www.abqjournal.com/488426/new...abq-board.html

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UNM wants partner to develop sports and entertainment district near Pit

Damon Scott
Reporter-
Albuquerque Business First

The University of New Mexico is looking for a developer to enter into a public-private partnership for what it calls a "south campus sports and entertainment district" adjacent to The Pit, Isotopes Park and University Stadium.
The site is on two acres — located on the southeast corner of University Boulevard and Avenida Cesar Chavez — immediately west of the football stadium, east of The Pit and south of Isotopes Park. The site is now used for parking during sporting events.
UNM Real Estate Director Thomas M. Neale said the goal is to create a development that features "locally affiliated restaurants, nightspots and entertainment venues." He said parking spaces near the site would still be available, and restricted, when sporting events take place.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerq...itter&page=all