Four neighborhoods in mostly older sections of the second largest city in New Mexico have been identified as targets for redevelopment.
In a vote, members of the Las Cruces City Council approved a resolution identifying the four areas as “deteriorated,” with the next step expected to center on developing an actual redevelopment plan.
The move comes three years after the city’s Economic Development Department hired Groundworks, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based landscape architecture and urban design firm, to identify parts of Las Cruces that could be realistically regarded as burdened with deterioration and otherwise blighted conditions.
The four officially quantified Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas are the Amador Proximo and South, bounded by W. Hadley Avenue to the north and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe property to the east; the Apodaca and Lift Up area, bounded by N. Main Street to the north and Spruce Avenue to the south.
The next two areas are what is known as Bellamah, bounded by E. Lohman Avenue to the north, and Interstate 25 to the east; and the Mesquite area, which is otherwise known as the Mesquite Historic District.
All four areas, according to the Groundworks survey, are older, with a high percentage of people living below the poverty line, an abundance of vacant property, and buildings that are in various stages of decline.
In designating the neighborhood as Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas, the council is allowing for the “contribution of public resources to private redevelopment projects without violating the state’s anti-donation clause,” said Celina Morales, interim economic development deputy director with the city.
The MRA also, said Morales, “addresses conditions that may endanger life or property, enhancing public health, safety, and welfare.”
The MRA designation is particularly important because it allows cities to offer incentives to property owners to upgrade properties and also encourages the use of public-private partnerships in improving blighted properties.
The next step in the Las Cruces MRA effort will see council members developing a specific plan for each of the areas so designated, and then outlining the steps needed to implement those plans.
March 21, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Las Cruces postcard
