A one-story building in downtown Las Cruces that has been vacant and abandoned for more than a decade is in the process of being demolished, with city officials hopeful that the site can be redeveloped.
Located at 430 S. Main Street, the just over 3,100-square-foot structure was built after an earlier structure of a similar size housing Dona Ana County offices was leveled. That former structure, in the 1970s, also provided office space for Las Cruces Community College.
Work began on a new building in 2011, planned as the home to a restaurant, but was never completed. Since then, the property, surrounded by a six-foot high chain link fence, has been a forlorn site, with city officials for years pushing to either finish construction of the building or tear it down altogether.
At last members of the Las Cruces City Council voted in favor of a resolution declaring that the structure is so “ruined, damaged, and dilapidated that it constitutes a menace to the public comfort, health, peace, or safety, and warrants abatement and removal.”
A determination of the building’s condition was made by staff with the City Community Development District, as well as officers from the Las Cruces Police Department’s Code Enforcement Division.
Because the site is located on a block with a busy furniture store, and just down the street from Visit Las Cruces Visitors Center, it is regarded as prime for future development.
By Garry Boulard
Image credit: Pro House Demolitions
