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Dorms, offices going up at InnovateABQ this summer By Kevin Robinson-Avila Journal Staff Writer Albuquerque Journal ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Developers will break ground this summer on a six-story building at the Innovate ABQ research and development site Downtown, providing new, high-tech facilities for University of New Mexico programs plus five floors of student housing. It’s the first planned building for Innovate ABQ at Central Avenue and Broadway Boulevard, where UNM is working with the city, the county and private partners to create a research and development district in the heart of Albuquerque. The 160,000-square-foot building will open by August 2017 and cost $35 million. It will be located on the northeast corner of the seven-acre property, which UNM acquired in 2014 for the Innovate Albuquerque project that UNM and others began planning in 2013.
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City Council votes 7-2 to approve funding for ART transit system By Dan McKay Journal Staff Writer Albuquerque Journal The word “boondoggle” came up more than once. But a noisy four-hour debate late Monday didn’t soften City Council support for the plan to transform Central Avenue into a rapid transit corridor with a nine-mile network of bus-only lanes and canopy-covered bus stations. City councilors voted 7-2 in favor of Albuquerque Rapid Transit, a priority of Mayor Richard Berry, who hopes to see service start by September next year. The council resolution authorizes the acceptance of nearly $70 million in federal money for the project. “Of course, it’s going to cause some disruption and make people fearful of change,” said Councilor Don Harris, who described it as a tough decision. But “this is a rare opportunity. I think we need to take it.” Berry called ART a “catalytic project” that will help inject new life into Central Avenue. “It’s great for transit,” he said in an interview. “It’s great for economic opportunity. … We’re going to have a more thriving Main Street because of it.”
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Abbey Brewing, Crackin’ Crab and more joining Downtown grocery store By Jessica Dyer Journal Staff Writer Albuquerque Journal imperial building renters by mgs11, on Flickr ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Milk, bread, eggs and … a pint of Monks’ Ale? Abbey Brewing Co. has confirmed it will open its first taproom as part of the new Downtown Albuquerque grocery store project. The brewery, which makes its beer at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu as well as in Moriarty, is one of three local businesses that confirmed this week their plans to join Silver Street Market in the nearly complete Imperial Building. The other two are restaurants: Crackin’ Crab Seafood Boil and a variation of Sophia’s Place. The three will occupy ground level space at the four-story, mixed-use building at Second and Silver SW. That leaves just four commercial suites available, and the developer said a leasing deal is close for the largest among them.
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Bernalillo County considering which Downtown office building to purchase Stephanie Guzman Reporter Albuquerque Business First Discussions are set to begin next week on whether Bernalillo County should purchase Downtown's First Plaza Galeria or the former PNM building Alvardo Square. The county's Board of Commissioners will have a closed door session on the matter March 15. Bernalillo County wants to move out of One Civic Plaza in order to consolidate all of its departments under one roof. It started negotiations with the owners of the 282,500-square-foot Alvarado Square in April of 2015, but those negotiations failed to materialize. First Plaza Galeria was brought to the table last year, and the commissioners voted to spend $75,000 to study the possibility of purchasing the 316,000-square-foot building.
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Albuquerque Rapid Transit initiative to receive $69 million Blake Driver Reporter Albuquerque Business First Albuquerque is slated to receive $69 million from the Federal Transit Administration toward the construction of the controversial Albuquerque Rapid Transit initiative along Central Avenue. President Barack Obama released information about his proposed 2017 budget Tuesday morning, and Mayor Richard J. Berry tweeted it to his followers. Initially, planners were hoping to receive $80 million toward the $100 million project, which was increased recently to $119 million to cover design changes made in response to suggestions and concerns raised at neighborhood meetings. Changes include pedestrian lighting, improved sidewalks, additional traffic signals to improve traffic movement, landscaping, and road safety audit recommendations for San Mateo Boulevard, among others, according to project manager Dayna Crawford.
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Rapid transit's worth might be more than you think, new reports say Blake Driver Reporter Albuquerque Business First Two new reports say Albuquerque Rapid Transit will improve access to jobs and residences and spur upwards of $3 billion in new property development near the transit corridor. Business owners and concerned citizens have been vocal in their opposition to the city’s plans for a new rapid transit system along the Central Avenue corridor, claiming that construction during its implementation could put struggling stores out of business and criticizing the city’s planning of the project as “piecemeal” and uninformed. But the new studies project ART's improvements to the current bus system to be well worth the pain. The Mid-Region Council of Governments released a report in December showing that one of the major benefits of the new system could be access to more jobs and residences due to the combined effect of increased service frequency, reduced transit travel times and greater reliability.
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Albuquerque’s architectural peaks By Charles D. Brunt Journal Staff Writer Although you seldom hear the words “Albuquerque” and “skyscraper” in the same sentence, you may have wondered about the few tall buildings that create the Duke City’s skyline and, for nearly three decades, epitomized the city’s evolution from large town to small city. Built from the early 1960s to 1990, the city’s five tallest buildings remain integral parts of Albuquerque commerce. But they each have histories – and even some mysteries – that few city residents know. But first, some perspective: If you stacked all five of Albuquerque’s tallest buildings on top of one another, they would total 1,293 feet – just 43 feet taller than New York City’s Empire State Building – the fifth-tallest building in the United States with a roof-level height of 1,250 feet. The tallest building in the U.S. is New York City’s One World Trade Center, at 1,776 feet. The world’s tallest building is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at 2,717 feet. Albuquerque’s tallest buildings may not qualify as skyscrapers, but the views from their rarefied top floors are spectacular.
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Molina’s Downtown digs to get $12 million in upgrades By Richard Metcalf Journal Staff Writer ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Molina Healthcare’s consolidation of back-office operations Downtown, enabled by a California investment firm’s purchase of a seven-story office building, was one of three deals whose back stories were described Monday at a luncheon meeting of NAIOP, the commercial real-estate development group. Broadly hailed as a major stepping stone in Downtown’s revitalization, Molina’s consolidation from two offices in the North I-25 submarket brought about 800 workers to 400 Tijeras NW, a 420,589-square-foot office building long associated with telephone giant US West, successor Qwest and now CenturyLink. Once a hive of activity housing 1,000 workers and what is believed to have been New Mexico’s first call center, CenturyLink’s presence had shrunk to about one-third of the building due to technology and a changing business model, said Tom Jenkins of commercial real-estate services firm CBRE.
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Berry proposes $23.5 million in Downtown projects, including retractable arena Blake Driver Reporter Albuquerque Business First Downtown Albuquerque was in the spotlight in a big way Friday — a $23.5 million spotlight. Mayor Richard Berry announced proposed plans for three projects in the corridor — at the Convention Center, Civic Plaza, and for a parking structure at the impending Entertainment District. The price of the projects would be generated from what Berry said has been a growth in revenue from the lodgers' tax. It's a slew of pieces that are part of an overall plan to turn Downtown into a "centralized place for both locals and visitors to gather." "We're keeping it us. We're making this us. This is what we look like. This is what we feel like. That's what we did with the Convention Center the first time," Berry said at a press conference at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
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Next marker for proposed Central Avenue-Presbyterian development is January Stephanie Guzman Reporter Albuquerque Business First Titan Development announced last month its plans to redevelop nearly 10-acres along Central Avenue, near to Presbyterian Hospital. Kurt Browning, chief development officer and partner with Albuquerque-based Titan, said Friday that the project is advancing well. Plans are still conceptual, however, with new renderings and site plans produced each week, he said. Browning says the development team, which includes Maestas Development Group, is aiming to submit plans to the city in January, when he said nearby residents will get a better idea of the site's layout. Currently, civil engineering firm Bohannan Huston and design firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini are helping the development team better understand the site's infrastructure and what concepts it would support.
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Revitalizing ABQ’s ‘spine’ By Richard Metcalf Journal Staff Writer Monday, October 12th, 2015 at 12:02am The decision to tear down the Alvarado Hotel, an architectural gem in the California Mission Revival style in Downtown Albuquerque, was made in the normal course of business by owner Santa Fe Railway. The historic hotel, built in 1902 and expanded in 1926, was still in operation on a lease basis by the fading Fred Harvey Inc. when the decision was made in September 1969. Four months later, demolition began. “The teardown of the Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque has truly haunted New Mexico,” said architect Barbara Felix, who was involved in recent historic preservation work at Santa Fe’s La Fonda on the Plaza. “We lost something that was very important.” Tearing down the old through government condemnation and building new was the mantra of the “urban renewal” movement of the time, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry said.
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Framing of Imperial nearing completion. 20150922_122903 by mgs11, on Flickr
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Only One Submission To Buy Downtown Jail
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Former Pulse site to become commercial development By Richard Metcalf Journal Staff Writer Albuquerque Journal Pioneering Nob Hill developer Rick Goldman is changing his playbook for redeveloping the half-acre lot at 4100 Central SE, once home to the Pulse Nightclub, for commercial uses rather than housing. “We’ll bring something to market that has not been seen there before, something that compliments growth in that area of Nob Hill,” he told the Journal. “The area doesn’t need a strip center.” Plans for the bulldozed site are still in the works with the Albuquerque architectural firm Environmental Dynamics Inc., Goldman said, and there’s no timeline for breaking ground. “We wouldn’t have taken the building down if we weren’t going to move forward with the next phase of a commercial project,” he said. Typical commercial uses are restaurants, retail shops and offices, although Goldman would not be specific. A mixed-use building in the classic new urbanist style of commercial space on the ground floor and apartments or condos on the upper floors is not being contemplated, he said. Beginning in the mid 2000s with the Aliso Townhomes next to Morningside Park a couple blocks away, Chicago-based Goldman has built about 100 housing units in East Nob Hill, which is bisected by Central Avenue and extends from Carlisle east to Washington.
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Titan CEO answers the 'why now?' of new Central Avenue project near UNM Stephanie Guzman Reporter Albuquerque Business First When Dale Dekker of Dekker/Perich/Sabatini recently spoke about redevelopment already finding momentum along Central Avenue due to the forthcoming Innovate ABQ and Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) initiatives, he could've been talking about this one — a 10-acre project on five city blocks along Central across from Presbyterian Hospital. Titan Development, along with partners Presbyterian and Maestas Development Group, are proposing a mixed-use development of multifamily residences, retail and a hotel. It's a project that's been mulled over for years, so when asked 'why now?,' Titan CEO Ben Spencer said, "ART." "We're very supportive of ART. This project is not contingent upon the opening of ART. But we think [ART will] be a tremendous benefit to this project and we think it will spur more development along the corridor," Spencer said. Other supporters of Albuquerque Rapid Transit agree with Spencer. They say investment in a walkable, public transit-oriented street will spur more development and redevelopment along the corridor.
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Big development plans advancing near Central Avenue's Presbyterian Hospital Stephanie Guzman Reporter Albuquerque Business First Titan Development is moving forward on the redevelopment of nearly 10-acres near Presbyterian Hospital, north of Central Avenue and east of I-25. Titan officials said the project is in its early conceptual phases, but the company is proposing a mixed-use project with multifamily housing, retail and a hotel. Titan emphasized the proposed project and its uses are not yet set in stone. The five city blocks, save for a couple of older buildings and some residences, have been vacant for many years. Ben Spencer, CEO of Titan, said Presbyterian acquired the property about 20 years ago in anticipation of using the land for additional hospital uses. Presbyterian, with its growing hospital in Rio Rancho — the Presbyterian Rust Medical Center — later determined the land could be used differently. "That's when they decided to find a development partner to create uses that are beneficial to their constituents, being their employees and patients' families," Spencer said. Titan is also partnering with Steve Maestas' company Maestas Development Group, which will work on the retail portion of the project.
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Mayor picked bowling over casino for Albuquerque’s downtown Rejected proposal called for tribal casino, 12,000 seat arena By Alex Goldsmith KRQE News 13 ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) – The intersection of 1st Street and Central Avenue is prime real estate in Albuquerque, sitting at the gateway to downtown Albuquerque. Although a transportation hub and movie theater occupy the south side of Central right now, the north side of Central is mostly parking lots. As part of efforts to revitalize the city’s downtown, city hall asked for ideas. They got two very different proposals. One submitted by One Central Operating Associates LLC, called for a development centered around an upscale bowling lounge. There would be office space and apartments along with a parking garage. Estimates in that proposal were it would create 200 construction jobs and 120 permanent jobs. While the mayor’s office ultimately chose One Central’s idea, there was another proposal on the table that Mayor Richard J. Berry’s Chief of Staff Gilbert Montaño admits would’ve been a “game changer.” That plan, submitted by Geltmore LLC and obtained by KRQE News 13, called for building a 12,000 seat multi-purpose arena and a tribal-owned casino hotel in the area of downtown between the railroad tracks, Central, 2nd Street and Tijeras Avenue. Rendering of One Central Downtown Entertainment District One Central pic by sandovalmgs11, on Flickr
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City to negotiate with developer for Downtown parcel By Jessica Dyer Journal Staff Writer Bowling Downtown? It could happen. The city’s Development Commission on Thursday voted to pursue negotiations with developer One Central Operating Associates, LLC for a project on city-owned land at 1st and Central, a space the city wants to turn into an entertainment hub. One Central’s proposal calls for a $38.5 million mixed-use project on the 1.75-acre site that would include 39,000 square feet of commercial space, an additional four stories of apartments totaling 76 units and a four-level parking garage with more than 400 spaces. Jerry Mosher, one of the partners in One Central, said the commercial space could accommodate up to 10 businesses and that his team already has begun discussions with several potential tenants, including a bowling alley operator, multiple restaurants, a brewery and a juice bar. Many details must still be ironed out, since the proposed financing for the project includes the city’s purchase of the project’s parking garage for $17 million and possible incentives such as a gross-receipts tax abatement for construction costs. While some commissioners raised questions about the many moving parts associated with the project, they voted that the city’s metropolitan redevelopment agency begin negotiations with One Central for development of the parcel in the hopes that process would yield more clarity. One Central’s project was the only proposal the commission heard for the land. Only two groups submitted projects in response to the city’s 2014 request for proposals for the land, and city staff said an ad hoc committee determined only One Central’s met the standards.
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Fourth floor construction on the Imperial has begun []20150818_122816 by mgs11, on Flickr
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New apartments to rise in the city’s Sawmill area By Richard Metcalf Journal Staff Writer PUBLISHED: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at 2:59 pm sawmill by mgs11, on Flickr Construction is expected to begin as early as next week on the 57-unit Madeira Crossing apartments in what has been one of the metro’s biggest ongoing infill developments. The latest joint venture between Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCap Properties Corp. and the Sawmill Community Land Trust, Madeira Crossing will be a mix of 34 market-rate and 23 income-restricted apartments in the Sawmill area just north of Old Town. The city building permit gives a construction cost of $5.5 million for the 68,500-square-foot building. The units are mostly two and three bedroom. “When these 57 units are completed, we’ll have more than 200 units there,” PacifiCap’s Chad Rennaker told the Journal. “It continues to surprise me how well these units absorb. The income-restricted properties are at full occupancy all the time. The market-rate properties have exceeded expecations.” Located at 1741 Bellamah NW, Madeira Crossing is across from The Artisan, a pair of buildings completed in 2011 with commercial space on the ground floor and 60 apartments on the upper two floors. The Artisan was also a joint venture between the land trust and PacifiCap.
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Urlacher team moves closer to building entertainment district near Pit Dan Mayfield Reporter Albuquerque Business First The University of New Mexico’s proposed entertainment district crossed a major hurdle toward becoming a reality Friday, with Lobo Development Corp. approving a new letter of intent to develop a slew of amenities on its south campus. 54 Development LLC, named after project partner Brian Urlacher’s football jersey number, is planning to build a microbrewery, 10,000-square-foot sports bar, coffee shop and feature sports-related retail on the southeast corner of University Boulevard and Avenida Cesar Chavez. Urlacher is a former UNM football star, who later played in the National Football League. Albuquerque's Marble Brewery had previously been tapped in a partnership with UNM to develop the entertainment district. “We have a general concept of what we want to achieve, which we believe is feasible in the market,” said development partner Paul Silverman of Geltmore LLC to Business First on Friday. Another partner is Steven Chavez, who is one of the founders of WisePies, which now owns the naming rights to the WisePies Arena, formerly The Pit. “We haven’t gotten down in the weeds to really define the project, but we think there’s even more potential than what we offered in the letter of intent,” Silverman said.
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Imperial Building construction in downtown ABQ
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DiGregory wants to develop East Downtown block Stephanie Guzman Albuquerque Business First Vince DiGregory and his restaurateur brother Matt DiGregory opened Standard Diner in 2006. The two saw clearly the emergence of the East Downtown corridor that had been anchored for many years by Artichoke Cafe, but that also featured the emerging Lofts at Albuquerque High development. Almost 10 years after opening Standard Diner, activity hasn't slowed in the community known as EDo. The Lofts at Albuquerque High completed its last phase in 2009 and Hotel Parq Central, a former hospital at EDo's east end, was renovated and reopened as a boutique hotel in 2010. The corridor is perhaps most known for its restaurant scene. Including the aforementioned Standard Diner and Artichoke Cafe, there is also Farina Pizzeria, Holy Cow, Gravy, Hartford Square, A&B Lunch Box and The Grove Cafe & Market. Yoga studios, salons and boutique retailers dot the stretch from Broadway Boulevard to I-25 on Central Avenue. A new coffee and taproom concept is coming soon, too.
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Next big steps for Albuquerque Rapid Transit happen this summer Stephanie Guzman Albuquerque Business First Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry had one question when he first considered bringing bus rapid transit to the Central Avenue corridor: "Is this going to be a private sector investment that drives public sector investment?" The Federal Transit Administration said yes, and now after years of public outreach and planning, the Albuquerque Rapid Transit Line is getting ready to take its next big step this summer — submission for a capital grant through the government's Small Starts program. Should the FTA provide the grant, it would cover 80 percent of the cost of the project. Berry said if the funding is a go, construction could begin soon and service might start as soon as the fall of 2017.
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Goodman, Dekker optimistic about Innovate ABQ The two local partners in the Innovate ABQ project say it won't be built tomorrow, but it will get built soon. "Hopefully the project will be done in my lifetime," joked Dale Dekker, a principal at architecture and design firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, who with Goodman Realty Group are the local partners in the development being spearheaded by Florida-based Signet Enterprises. "I think there are some pretty immediate opportunities," said Gary Goodman, president of Goodman Realty. Goodman said he was inspired to become a partner in the team by the potential of innovation, technology commercialization and the inventions that can come from the development. "The reason we're interested is that we think Albuquerque's probably as poised as any city in the country to take advantage of the technology business revolution," Goodman said. "It's really transforming the workplace. We like the idea of creating an environment that attracts the millennials and attracts the startups." Innovate ABQ is a partnership between the city of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, Nusenda Credit union and the University of New Mexico on seven acres Downtown. The project is designed to be a business and research park where people can live and work.
