Las Cruces Development News

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Las Cruces Development News

A thread for news and infomation about developments in the fast growing Las Cruces
and Southern New Mexico region.


Las Cruces New Mexico

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Recently completed projects

The US Federal Courthouse, Las Cruces
Completed 2010



image hosted on flickr

Federal Courthouse by istorija, on Flickr

The Las Cruces City Hall
Completed 2010





The Las Cruces Convention Center
Completed 2011

image hosted on flickr

Las Cruces Convention Center by dgrinberg, on Flickr

image hosted on flickr

Las Cruces Convention Center by dgrinberg, on Flickr

Las Cruces Regional Aquatic Center






Projects currently under construction or planned

Spaceport America



Virgin Galactic Terminal + roads and runway infastructure
Facilities in Upham NM north of Las Cruces
Under construction, project completion 2012-13









NMSU Performing Arts Center, Phase I:
Under construction, planned completion in 2013








Centennial high School:
Under construction, planned completion in 2012

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Spaceport America April 6

image hosted on flickr

Spaceport America, New Mexico looks magical in the early morning misty light. by Virgin Galactic, on Flickr

[TonyAnderson]

Is Spaceport for real? I had no clue.

[desertpunk]

Originally Posted by TonyAnderson

Is Spaceport for real? I had no clue.

It will be home base for Virgin Galactic and its fleet of commercial spaceflight vehicles. Want to go up? $200,000 gets you there in 2014!

image hosted on flickr

Crossing the Gateway together. Photo by Mark Greenberg by Virgin Galactic, on Flickr

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Virgin Galactic Plans Posh Hotel In Truth or Consequences

by Diana M. Alba \ Las Cruces Sun-News
Posted: 05/08/2011 12:00:00 AM MDT

LAS CRUCES -- Truth or Consequences boasts a hodgepodge of local attractions: an expansive lake and tandem state park, a downtown full of quirky art museums and shops and a lineup of natural hot springs.

Not on the list?

An upscale hotel.

But that may be about to change.

The area will need luxury lodging to accommodate the tourists who plan to launch into suborbital space at Spaceport America, said Julia Tizard, operations manager for Virgin Galactic, the British company planning to launch spaceflights 30 miles away from T or C.

That's because plenty of spaceflight passengers -- about 420 have made paid reservations -- will want more high-end amenities than the area now offers, she said. "We're specifically focusing on our customers," she said, recently addressing spaceport officials. Passengers must pay $200,000 for a seat onboard the spaceflight launches that are expected to start in the first quarter of 2013.

Virgin Galactic is working with "third parties" in developing proposals for the hotel, to be built near the spaceport, Tizard said. But she said can't release further details.

When Doña Ana and Sierra counties separately considered imposing spaceport sales taxes in 2007 and 2008, many residents took aim at the spaceport proposal, arguing that it wasn't an investment but rather a way to use taxpayer dollars for sending wealthy people to space.

The spaceport tax, by promoting the spaceport, was meant to draw in visitors and boost the economy, said T or C resident Linda Burnett. But a new hotel could keep visitors from spending their dollars at existing hotels, she said, defeating the purpose of the tax. "People love our little, tiny places for hot springs," she said. "It's meant to be kind of the opposite of corporate America. I really think it's bad of É government to assess a tax on an area and then say to that area: 'Well, you know, you're just not good enough.' "

Talk of the hotel plan has been circulating in T or C recently.

Former spaceport board member Kent Evans, whose term ended at the start of the year, said a group of tourism experts who toured southern New Mexico last fall surveyed the attractions and "really assessed what was available." One conclusion, he said, was that a luxury hotel is needed. "We got some good hotels and stuff, but not like what some of these people paying $200,000 are used to," he said. "I do think there's a need for that."

Sid Brian, owner of T or C's The Pelican Spa, which is also a small hotel, said he doesn't see a problem with luxury lodging being constructed, as long as it genuinely is a high-end hotel and stays that way. Sometimes, those operations reduce prices simply to fill rooms, he noted. "If there was some way around that, I wouldn't have any objection," he said. "If it's a total luxury hotel, I don't think it would hurt us."

The hotel is an example of the type of private industry spaceport officials hope to see flourish, though the Spaceport Authority doesn't have the staffing to promote those types of projects, said Spaceport Authority Chairman Rick Holdridge.

New Mexico Commercial Real Estate Development Association Chairman Drew Dolan said he's not aware of the proposal for a hotel or other development projects planned in connection with the spaceport. He said, however, Spaceport America is a "game-changer in terms of economic development opportunities in the state or in the nation or in the world.

"Being that the concept is so unique and so engaging, it's very fascinating, and it's great that the state of New Mexico has the opportunity to be one of the frontrunners in this globally," he said.

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LCSunNews

NMDOT plans to replace bridges
By Steve Ramirez sramirez@lcsun-news.com
Posted: 05/23/2011 10:38:45 PM MDT



LAS CRUCES - The expansion of Interstate 10, from Las Cruces south to the Texas state line, is all but finished.

But those orange barrels used to detour traffic aren't going to go away, they'll only be relocated. The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) is making plans to begin replacing bridges at the Motel Boulevard and Avenida de Mesilla exits.

Bridget Spedalieri, NMDOT spokeswoman, said work to replace the I-10 overpass at Motel Boulevard is expected to begin in October. But the start of the project could slide because city utility lines in that area may need to included. The Motel Boulevard and Avenida de Mesilla bridges were built in the early 1970s, and need to be replaced because they have developed fractures in some steel beams.

"Over the years the department has performed repair work to secure the safety of the motorists," Spedalieri said. "However, with funding made available the (state transportation) department has determined that these bridges must be replaced due to traffic volumes and deterioration of the bridges."

Las Cruces motorists and commercial truck drivers who travel on and through both intersections agree the bridges need to be replaced. "It's easy to tell they're getting pretty old," said Loretta Costales, a Las Cruces resident who works in Mesilla. "I go through both of them almost every day. I've seen what I thought were cracks in the concrete around the bridges and that made me wonder just how long (NMDOT and the Federal Highway Administration) were going to take to get them fixed. There's a lot more traffic using those two bridges now and they probably need to be replaced. I'm glad it's happening."

Lionel Carter, a Memphis truck driver who frequently hauls kitchen fixtures through Las Cruces, and often stops at truck stops on and near Motel Boulevard, said the bridges need to go. "It's a real problem for the big trucks and other commercial carriers to get on and off I-10 because both of those bridges are so dang narrow," Carter said. "You (truckers) have to make this long, swooping turn to get onto I-10 off of Motel and that doesn't give drivers enough time to get up to highway speed, and that makes it tough for anybody - passenger vehicles or commercial trucks - to merge with highway traffic. It can be dangerous, and it's only an accident waiting to happen."

Thousands of travelers

An average of 30,700 vehicles travel daily through the Motel Boulevard and Avenida de Mesilla interchanges. Also, about 375 vehicles exit at those bridges on an hourly basis, and the number increases to more than 400 vehicles an hour during peak driving hours.

The speed limit along that portion of I-10 is 65 mph, and Spedalieri said NMDOT statistics show that vehicles merging onto the highway - many of them commercials trucks - are entering I-10 at speeds of 25 mph to 35 mph. "This is a safety issues as Las Cruces has two major truck stops at Motel Boulevard," Spedalieri said.

Project costs

It will cost an estimated $9.5 million to replace the bridge at Motel Boulevard, with the Federal Highway Administration paying for $7.9 million of the project. Spedalieri said the cost to replace the bridge at Avenida de Mesilla is anticipated to be about the same, as will be the splits in state and federal shares.

Plans are already in place to re-route traffic when construction begins. "Detours will consist of crossovers that close either the west or eastbound lanes of traffic," Spedalieri said. "Exits will remain open for business access. When ramps are closed, traffic will be re-routed via U.S. (Highway) 70 for westbound, incoming, traffic, and Avenida de Mesilla for eastbound traffic. These detours, however, are expected to last approximately one month or less.

"Commercial trucks will enter the Interstate in the same fashion as passenger vehicles. The speed limit throughout the construction zone will be reduced to 45 mph and will be strictly enforced."

Bridge art

While there will be a new design of the Motel Boulevard interchange to better handle access to and from it, there will also be a "new look" to the bridge.

"The artwork theme is 'Trackways to Space' and will reflect the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument and the Spaceport," Spedalieri said. "The chosen artist is Karen Yank, who was chosen by a process implanted by the New Mexico Department of Cultural affairs."


Steve Ramirez can be reached at (575) 541-5452


Bridge work

• The Interstate 10 overpass at Motel Boulevard will be replaced later this year.

• Work is anticipated to start in October, with projected completion in July 2012.

• It will cost an estimated $9.5 million to replace the overpass.

• About 30,700 vehicles travel across the overpass every day.

• After the overpass is finished there are plans to replace the overpass at I-10 and Avenida de Mesilla.

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[VoieLactee]

The spaceport's pretty awesome and it's structure is breath taking, but... What is it for? What's the whole point of it? I don't really see any need for commercial spaceships...
Are they building it just because they can or what? lol

[desertpunk]

Originally Posted by VoieLactee

The spaceport's pretty awesome and it's structure is breath taking, but... What is it for? What's the whole point of it? I don't really see any need for commercial spaceships...
Are they building it just because they can or what? lol

Space tourism. $200,000 per passenger.

[VoieLactee]

Woah, that's ridiculous! Good for New Mexico, I lived in Deming one year ago. Nice people and nice landscapes. I really liked it, it's a unique place.

I hope that spaceport brings at least a liiiitle economic boost to my Wonderful Chihuahua City (considering there's a lot of aerospace industry down here)

Greetings people!

[desertpunk]

Greetings!

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Alameda 575

A new mixed income development in downtown Las Cruces.

This is a 61-unit development that will be located on the corner of Alameda and Lohman streets in downtown Las Cruces. The development will serve tenants earning 60% or less of the area median income. The project won the 2010 State design competition and SHC-NM is anticipating a gold LEED certification for the incorporation of green features.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...BcIWveT5nsS-Gw

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The Sun-News

Study: Casino could be a jackpot
By Diana M. Alba DALBA@LCSUN-NEWS.COM
Posted: 06/04/2011 10:36:20 PM MDT


An artist's rendering of a casino project in Anthony, N.M., planned by the Jemez... (Courtesy image)

LAS CRUCES - An off-reservation casino proposed for Anthony, N.M., by a northern New Mexico pueblo would generate about $157.2 million in economic activity and about 1,490 jobs in its fifth year, when operations reach full hilt, a federal analysis found.

However, about 75 percent of the activity and jobs would be taken from other businesses in El Paso and Do-a Ana County, as residents shift their entertainment spending to the casino, according to the report.

That means the casino would be a net gain of about $39.3 million in new economic activity and 372 jobs in both counties annually, according to the federal government's draft environmental impact statement. Those numbers factor in both direct spending by the casino and secondary spending - either by vendors a casino would rely upon or the employees it would pay.

The casino is proposed by the Jemez Pueblo of northern New Mexico and developer Gerald Peters, also a Santa Fe art dealer.

Denise Greenlaw Ramonas, Peters' chief of staff, pointed out the study also indicates that about two-thirds of the substitution effect would occur outside Do-a Ana County.

The study concludes that some $78.6 million and about 743 of the jobs would be drawn from the El Paso County economy.

"The important point is that the economic activity is either new to Do-a Ana County or substitution that moves across county lines from El Paso County to Do-a Ana County," she said. "This is a good thing for Do-a Ana County and the state."

The Jemez Pueblo and Peters have touted that the casino directly would generate 950 new jobs and spur economic development in Anthony. And opponents have countered, since the proposal first arose, that a casino would simply take away jobs and revenue from other area businesses. The 950 jobs are counted among the 1,490 outlined in the draft study.
A public comment period on the draft study was recently extended by the federal government to July 1.

The conclusion that only a quarter of the economic activity would be new is "not inconsistent with the analysis I've done previously," said New Mexico State University professor Christopher Erickson, also a consultant for Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. But Erickson said the increase in new activity may be even less. While some new revenue is likely, he said, the 25-percent estimate is "generous."

"The only way for them to create a new job is to attract new tourists," he said.

Sunland Park Racetrack owner Stan Fulton opposes the Anthony casino, saying it would hurt his business.


Pueblo benefit

The several-hundred-page study is the first glimpse of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' perspective on the proposed casino. The agency must consider comments it received before releasing a final version, which serves as a basis for a decision by the secretary of the Interior on the project. The governor of New Mexico also would have to OK the casino for it to be built.

The Jemez Pueblo is pursuing the off-reservation casino under an exemption to the National Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. A tribe can seek an off-reservation casino if the project passes a two-part test: It must be in the best interests of the tribe, and it can't be detrimental to the surrounding community.

The environmental impact study evaluated three options: building a temporary casino, with a permanent facility and hotel to follow; building only a permanent casino and hotel; and taking no action. There would be "no net significant permanent adverse environmental effects after mitigation" for either casino plan, the study concluded. Rather, both would be beneficial by providing "socio-economics and environmental justice for the Pueblo of Jemez."

Anthony, N.M., Mayor Ramon Gonzalez and Trustees Betty Gonzalez and Trustee Jim Scott backed the casino, while Trustees Diana Murio and Juan Acevedo oppose it.

Scott advocated approval of the proposal in a letter sent to the federal government in August of last year. The Anthony casino was the main reason he sought office and his election was a "referendum on the casino," he said.

"We need Texans to cross the state line to spend money in our community," he wrote in a letter included in the draft study. "We need their expenditures ... to fund services for our residents."

Some Anthony residents argue a casino would promote social problems, such as gambling addictions, and isn't the best way to spur economic development.

Nedra Darling, a Bureau of Indian Affairs spokeswoman, did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

The pueblo is applying for 70.2 acres to be placed into federal trust for the purpose of operating a casino. Its plan entails building a 24,000 square-foot temporary casino, to be followed by a 103,500 square-foot permanent facility. On the remaining acreage, a 90,000-square-foot hotel would be built.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.

Local interests endorse plan for Anthony casino
By Diana M. Alba DALBA@LCSUN-NEWS.COM
Posted: 06/04/2011 10:36:21 PM MDT



LAS CRUCES - Two Las Cruces business groups and the town of Mesilla recently endorsed a proposed off-reservation casino in Anthony, N.M.

The Mesilla board of trustees, the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce and the Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces each OK'd statements of support in May.

An expected 950 direct jobs, a $28 million employee payroll annually and about $30 million in spending on goods and services by the casino were among reasons cited by the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce.

"The Chamber feels that many of the casino's jobs and outside needs will be filled by Las Cruces residents and businesses," said Joel Courtney, communication director for the group.

A draft Environmental Impact Statement compiled by the federal government indicated the Jemez Pueblo's casino proposal would generate 1,490 direct and indirect jobs and about $157.2 million in both direct and secondary spending yearly, once a casino was at full operation. However, about 75 percent of jobs and economic activity would result from "substitution," dollars people would have spent or jobs that would have existed elsewhere in Do-a Ana and El Paso counties.

But the substitution would affect El Paso County businesses more than those in Do-a Ana County, the study found.

The Greater Las Cruces Chamber said the 2.7 million visitors expected annually at the Anthony casino would boost the city's economy. And the chamber "feels that the impact to spending in Las Cruces will be negligible at best and may actually improve due to the addition of visitors to the casino," Courtney said.

The horse racing industry in New Mexico has opposed the project, saying it would hurt revenues at a casino at Sunland Park, thereby cutting into horse racing purses and causing the quality of the industry to decline.

Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino lobbyist Scott Scanland said a yet-to-be-made decision by federal officials on the casino won't hinge on statements from the chambers of commerce.

"This process isn't a popularity contest," he said. "I guess this is their appreciation of a business that's been providing jobs and taxes for 50 years in Do-a Ana County. I guess this is the way they say 'thank you' to that," he said, referring to the Sunland Park operation.

Denise Greenlaw Ramonas, chief of staff for Gerald Peters, the developer partnering with the pueblo, described the overall economic impact as "huge."

"Business people understand it and understand that this project is a tremendous economic boon to Do-a Ana County," she said in an email

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Recently completed:

ODonnell Hall at NMSU





Dona Ana Magistrate Courts

image hosted on flickr

Dona Ana Magistrate Court by G. O'Graffer, on Flickr

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The Sun-News

First Community Bank, now U.S. Bank, prepares for future
Brook Stockberger/Sun-News Business Editor
Posted: 06/10/2011 06:03:49 PM MDT



LAS CRUCES - The permanent signs have come down on the two First Community Bank branches in Las Cruces, and signs of rebirth will soon take their place.

You might have noticed that banners now hang from the buildings at 277 E. Amador Ave., and 901 E. University Ave. That's because, as of the middle of July, new signs will reflect the new realty: The company is now part of U.S. Bank, the 10th-largest bank company in the nation, based on assets.

In January, Taos-based First Community Bank was taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and then acquired by Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp, U.S. Bank's parent company.

"Our transition is going extremely well," said Jed Fanning, executive vice president and group manager, based in Albuquerque. "We couldn't be more pleased with being a part of U.S. Bank."

Las Cruces-based Senior Vice President Karen Bailey has seen her bank through several changes. Before First Community, it was Matrix Capital Bank and also Access Bank. She said there is a new computer system to learn as well as the nuances of a new employer and its products.

"We're all on a very steep learning curve," Bailey said. "But I love the (company) culture going forward. They treat us very well."

What happened

Since the economy nose-dived in 2008, the FDIC has added more than 300 banks to its "failed" list, three of them from New Mexico: First Community; High Desert State Bank in Albuquerque; and Charter Bank in Santa Fe.

At the time of the closure, the FDIC reported that First Community Bank had approximately $2.31 billion in total assets and $1.94 billion in total deposits. The FDIC estimated that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund for the takeover was about $260 million.

Fanning said that much of the company's problems came about due to "issues that were actually in Colorado and Utah.

"The short answer is that it was related in large part to real estate loans, predominately development and construction loans (and) the deterioration in real estate values," he said.

[...]

Down the road

A new Las Cruces market president has been named, Craig Buchanan, but many of the same employees remain. U.S. Bank, which previously had not locations in Las Cruces, reports that there are 20 employees in Las Cruces and 375 statewide.

"We'll be able to offer a significantly more extensive set of services for our customers - both our business customers as well as our consumer customers," Fanning said. "We were always traditionally more of a commercial bank; U.S. Bank brings to us a lot of consumer opportunities that were simply not available (before.)"

Plus, First Community Bank had purchased property at the corner of Lohman Avenue and Foothills Drive with the intention of building a third branch in Las Cruces. Fanning said U.S. Bank plans to continue with those places sometime in the upcoming year.

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The Sun-News

Call center coming to Las Cruces, to hire 120
Brook Stockberger/Sun-News Business Editor
Posted: 06/10/2011 04:36:54 PM MDT



LAS CRUCES - Another dormant commercial location will again be alive with the buzz of Las Cruces workers.

Arlington, Va.-based Vangent announced that it plans to hire 120 employees as it takes over the empty location at 1630 Hickory Loop, vacated in 2009 by Frontier Airlines. Vangent operates call centers, so, if you're looking for a job, warm up your vocal cords and spruce up your résumé, because the company plans to hold job fairs starting Wednesday next week at the Workforce Connection office, 226 S. Alameda St. "This is another great opportunity to refill lost jobs," said Daven Lopez, president and CEO with the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance.

The news comes after the recent announcement that the large Rea Magnet Wire building on the West Mesa Industrial Park had been sold to Alaska Structures, which also has occupied parts of the years'-empty Parkview Metals buildings. "I'm excited; this is great news for Las Cruces," said Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima. "I'm so proud of our community and economic development team." The job fairs will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday as well as from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.

Lopez said a delegation from Las Cruces first met with the company in February in Washington D.C. "They are a third-party contract center that does work for a variety of industries, including the federal government," Lopez said.

Vangent reports it has been serving clients in the federal government since 1973 and has more than 7,000 employees worldwide. The company did not give specifics on the function of it's Las Cruces facility, but its website reports that is has worked with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, NASA and other clients.
Vangent will hire entry-level customer service representatives, senior representatives, supervisors, quality monitors, operations representatives, workforce management specialists and a trainer. The company offers temporary and full-time employment. It did not disclose wage information, but reports it offers "competitive pay, benefits and flexible schedules."

For all positions, a high school diploma or GED is required and applicants must pass a typing test of at least 20 words per minute. Everyone who is hired also must pass a security clearance and a pre-employment drug test. "Our unemployment (rate) is already down and this will help that even more," Miyagishima said. "I can't stress enough the teamwork at MVEDA, the city and county and university on (economic development)."

Vangent said it chose Las Cruces "due to a well-educated workforce, an area free from extreme weather and easy access to major metropolitan centers in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. In addition, Vangent has received valuable support from the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance and members of their board of directors."

[desertpunk]

Las Cruces Sun-News

Groundbreaking set for $350 million Sunland Park project
Sun-News report
Posted: 06/22/2011 04:56:34 PM MDT

LAS CRUCES - A residential and commercial development project expected to cost more than $350 million is scheduled to break ground next month in Sunland Park.

Hanson Asset Management, LP has scheduled the ground breaking for July 8 on its new Santa Teresa/Sunland Park Real Estate Development Project. The construction is eventually expected to include 1,400 homes, 1,200 apartments as well as commercial and industrial projects.

"We will deliver competitively priced, entry-level buildable lots," said Russell Hanson, principle manager with the company. "The low New Mexico real estate taxes will be an attraction to our target market in the region."

Hanson Asset Management and El Paso-based Desert View Homes purchased 458 acres from Verde Realty, which includes the four corners of McNutt Road and Pete Domenici Highway in what was previously referred to as Project Checkpoint.

Phase one of the project, referred to as Villa Valencia Unit 1, is a 117-single-family lot subdivision developed by HAM in conjunction with Winton and Desert View Homes. The development of another 100 lots will begin in eight months, when the second phase of the project is undertaken. When completed, the 330-acre residential portion of the project will consist of more than 1,400 homes averaging in price $150,000 and above.

The remaining 120 acres of the project were purchased by Santa Teresa Properties, LLC also managed by HAM, to develop commercial and industrial projects, and more than

1,200 apartments. The company already has sold a portion of these properties to investors that are developing a medical clinic. A regional nursing school also has contracted to build a 30,000-square-foot instructional facility in the near future.
"Projects such as the Union Pacific Santa Teresa facility, the expansion of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry, and the development of the Sunland Park International Border Crossing are making this region one of the most dynamic on the entire U.S.-Mexico border," said Jon Barela, New Mexico Economic Development Secretary designee. "The development of affordable, entry-level housing and retail services is critical for the hundreds of jobs that will be created due to these projects."

---

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Spaceport America update:

Terminal work shifts indoors:








Metal siding panels being weathered before placement



May view of the terminal complex


http://spaceportamericaconstruction.blogspot.com/

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abqjournal

A Port In The Desert

By Bill Hume / For the Journal on Mon, Jun 27, 2011



SUNLAND PARK – Santa Teresa “will become a key inland port in the United States” when Union Pacific Railroad’s massive $500 million refueling and intermodal yard is completed there in five years, according to Zoe Richmond, UP’s director of public affairs for Arizona and New Mexico. “Think of it as a chicken coop for trains,” Richmond said.

It will be a major refueling, crew change, switch yard and intermodal ramp for UP’s busy Sunset Corridor, from Los Angeles-Long Beach through to Chicago and across the nation.

Union Pacific in New Mexico
• 618 miles of track
• 327 employees
• Annual payroll: $22.4 million
• In-state spending: $4.1 million
• Capital spending: $14.8 million
- Source: Union Pacific

An intermodal ramp is characterized by the heavy gantry crane machinery necessary to move massive freight shipping containers from railroad cars to highway trailers and vice versa.

Speaking to more than 700 people attending the 17th annual NAFTA Institute, Supplier Meet the Buyer trade conference earlier this month, Richmond and other UP officials outlined details of the five-year project.

Construction alone will have a major impact on the economy of southern New Mexico. It will generate more than 3,000 jobs during the construction phase, and result in the payment of more than $23.5 million in state and local taxes, UP officials said. When in full operation, projected for 2015, it will have a permanent workforce of about 600. The project also is expected to trigger significant retail, service and entertainment enterprises in the Santa Teresa area in the near term, to serve this influx of workers. UP currently is moving about 40 trains a day on the Sunset Corridor, not yet back to the levels prior to the economic crash, “but getting close,” Richmond said. The goal is to support a capacity of 70 to 90 trains a day.

The railroad intends to use the Santa Teresa facility as a virtual extension of its Long Beach port facilities, with ocean freighters being unloaded in bulk onto trains bound for Santa Teresa. The cargoes will be broken down in Santa Teresa for shipping to diverse destinations around the country. The objective is to try to reduce the bottleneck and congestion at the California ports, Richmond said. The southern New Mexico operation will facilitate the movement of goods into the nation’s heartland – and, of course, to all points in New Mexico. In addition, it will give New Mexico manufacturers and agricultural producers an efficient and direct connection for shipment all over the country and the world.

The El Paso/Ciudad Juarez, Mexico/Las Cruces area already is the seventh biggest manufacturing center in the world – and the UP facility will materially improve its global connections to raw materials, components and consumers. “Make no mistake, we intend that Doña Ana County and the border area will lead jobs development in New Mexico,” said Economic Development Secretary-designate Jon Barela, at the NAFTA conference, predicting at least 800 new jobs in Doña Ana County within the next 12 months. “Infrastructure development along the border is a priority of mine, it’s a priority of the governor’s.”

Statistics on activity at the Santa Teresa border crossing demonstrate the growth potential. In 1997, fewer than 100,000 private vehicles crossed at Santa Teresa; in 2010, more than 500,000. Trucks totaled about 3,000 in 1993; in 2010, more than 80,000. “It is the fastest, most modern port crossing in the district,” said Jerry Pacheco, primary organizer of the NAFTA conference and a Journal trade columnist. “It still has to be fully developed and its potential fully realized.”

[...]