Albuquerque Development Showcase

Test Showcase



Albuquerque Business First has a story about the mixed-use project at Unser and McMahon. It says preliminary site work has gotten underway and the project has signed at least one tenant, a gas station. The leasing agent says that about 60 percent of the commercial space is committed and under various stages of the leasing process. He also says that the retail shells could be ready for tenants in 8-9 months.

Strickland said a fueling station has signed a lease, but declined to disclose its name and added that several other leases are in various stages of the leasing process. The field of tenants could include a bank, restaurants, other food concepts and a dental office, among others, he said. Strickland said about 60% of the space is already spoken for with commitments.

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Construction on the retail center is in the early stages, with grading ongoing for the next three to four months. The infrastructure and access points are also being built. From there, Strickland said the shells for the retail tenants should be ready five months from there.

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Downtown Albuquerque has made a list of the 15 most affordable downtown areas to live in the country, based on zip code data. It came in at number 3 in a list that also includes cities like Reno, Colorado Spings, Louisville, Winston-Salem and Huntsville.

3. Albuquerque, New Mexico — 87102

• Selected monthly owner costs: $976
• Median rent: $714
• Monthly cost of utilities: $203
• Monthly public transportation pass: $30

Albuquerque is a Southwestern gem nestled in the center of New Mexico. Just outside the limits of this affordable ZIP code lie the charms of Old Town Albuquerque, the ABQ BioPark Aquarium and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. Albuquerque is also the home of the world's longest cable-car route, the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway, offering breathtaking views of the valley below from a height of 10,378 feet.

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A nice recent aerial pic of Downtown Albuquerque posted on Wednesday by Ben Bunner on Facebook.




The building permit for the Lofts at One Central project was issued last week and its first inspection is scheduled today for wallboard installation.




The building permit for Canvas Artistry's new location at One Central was also issued last month and work is underway. They announced on Facebook that they will move from Nob Hill and open later this summer. The nearly 10,000 sq ft space will be located on the third floor of the south wing of the building, above the space that's reserved for a hoped-for bowling alley. This is the huge restaurant project that was nearly killed by the pandemic and riot aftermath last year. I'm glad that it is going forward!





Also under construction and opening soon at One Central is Yummy's Mini Donuts & Ice Cream. They will occupy space on the ground-floor of the west wing of the building.






The Paleta Bar and Spring Rollin' recently opened a joint location on Gold Avenue near 4th Street in the building most famous for the "Stay Gold" mural painted on its side a couple of years ago. Items from sister brand Pho Kup are also available at the location. The grand opening celebration featured a car show, live music and merchandise booths on the sidewalk and parking lot adjacent to the building.









Curious Toast cafe has announced on its Instagram account that it will finally be opening next month in the historic home located at 718 Central Avenue SW. The project was first announced last year before the pandemic, but was sidelined by it. In the meantime, the structure found use as artist studios and pop-up gallery space. Those uses will continue even with the new cafe's opening. The exact opening date is June 9th.




Unfortunately, Villa di Capo next door will be closing this weekend after 40 years in business in the historic Skinner Building. The two sisters who own the restaurant told KRQE that they want to retire. The good news is that they have sold the building to family friends who intend to open a new restaurant in the space next month. The new restaurant will serve tapas and steaks.




Another new establishment featuring tapas has announced on Instagram that it will be opening soon in Downtown Albuquerque. Damacios Bar & Tapas is by the owner of Cake Nightclub. I haven't been able to find where they might be opening downtown. I'm kind of wondering if it might even be the new establishment going into the Skinner Building. They sound similar enough. We'll just have to wait and see!




One other fairly new establishment in Downtown Albuquerque that I want to mention is HoneyRose Nutrition smoothie and juice bar. It's located on 7th Street between Central Avenue and Copper Avenue. It opened in late March. It's the sister operation to JulieAnn's Fashion Boutique that opened last year and is next door.






Castle Coffee last month announced that it will soon move to the opposite end of downtown. They have purchased the historic building at the southeast corner of Arno Street and Tijeras Avenue in EDo across the street from the Lofts at Old Albuquerque High. They are currently located just west of Downtown Albuquerque proper on the northeast corner of 8th Street and Tijeras Avenue.

http://instagr.am/p/CN5UQsmlh2x/


I had been following the restoration and renovation of the historic building they are moving to for the last couple of years. I hoped something nice would end up in the building. It received new windows and doors that are more historically appropriate and much better looking than the hideous, cheap windows and doors it had before. Many of the openings were also fully or partially blocked up before.





I hope we'll see more of these old corner-store type of buildings that are located in the neighborhoods surrounding Downtown Albuquerque restored and brought back to life in such a way. Another recent example is Slow Burn Coffee in the Mountain Road corridor. It opened last year in a restored building on the northeast corner of the intersection with Forrester Street.


http://instagr.am/p/CILjC2zls9n/

Below is information from one of the Civic North RFP submissions that reveals two more exciting urban residential projects planned in Uptown Albuquerque. The information came from FBT Architects when giving their recent projects and work experience. It describes two podium-style apartment projects in Uptown Albuquerque that were in design at the time of the submission to the Civic North RFP. The two projects are a 287-unit structure at Coronado and a 255-unit structure at Winrock.


I really hope these two projects come to fruition. It looks like the Markana Uptown project will be coming to fruition, so Uptown would really be on a roll with all the other projects at Winrock and the Uptown Transit Center TOD project as well. I really want Uptown to develop into a more urban place. It will be a nice area and alternative for those kinds of people who will never give Downtown Albuquerque a chance.