albuquerque once again moving to spur development of railyards

In an effort to jumpstart a project that has beguiled local officials for more than a decade, the City of Albuquerque has issued a call for developers to submit Expressions of Interest in the redevelopment of a portion of the massive downtown Albuquerque Rail Yards.

That portion is confined to the 1.1-acre north entrance of the site, and according to the city’s official invitation, comprises “one phase of the larger 27-acre Rail Yard redevelopment project.”

The document, issued by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, also notes that the entrance should provide “street level interest that relates to the look and feel of the residential community on the west side of 2nd Street and draws people into the Rail Yards property.”

The Railyards is the former home to the Atlantic and Pacific railroad. The sprawling site was purchased by the City in 2007 and has been the subject of numerous studies and public input regarding what its eventual redevelopment should look like.

The site is dominated by several century-old structures, including the 165,000 square-foot former railroad machine shop.

Ideas have most frequently centered on building new affordable housing at the site, along with a combination of both office and retail space.

Previous estimates have pegged the total redevelopment of the site as a process that could take more than a decade to be fully realized.
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The submission deadline for the Requests for Expressions of Interest is June 26.

By Garry Boulard

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