![]() Road, street and bridge projects throughout New Mexico have secured funding as part of a larger $6.3 billion fiscal year 2019 budget just approved by Governor Susana Martinez. In signing the state budget into law, Martinez said “Overall, I’m pleased that this budget invests in key priorities like public safety and education.” The Governor also noted that upon her inauguration in 2011, New Mexico had a budget deficit of more than $450 million, but that as she leaves office next year, she will be “handing to the next governor our eighth consecutive balanced budget and strong cash reserves of more than $600 million.” Among the capital outlay priorities as passed in House Bill 306, Martinez approved $1.8 million for the rights of way, design, and building of Paseo del Volcan, otherwise known as New Mexico State Road 347. $2.5 million was approved for the planning, design and construction of a replacement bridge over the San Juan River on County Road 5500; along with $1.1 million for the planning, design, and construction of several runways at the Dona Ana County Jetport in Santa Teresa. Curry County will see $713,000 in state support for the planning, design, and construction of County Roads 4, 14, 20 and E; with $450,000 allocated for improvements to busy Camelot Boulevard in Los Lunas. Smaller funded projects include intersection improvements to Hobson Road in Chaves County, which secured $205,000 in state money; and $170,000 for improvements along historic Fourth Street SW in the Albuquerque neighborhood of Barelas, The New Mexico 2019 fiscal year budget takes effect starting in July. By Garry Boulard
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Planners in Denver have long been frustrated by what has been described as a sea of cement surrounding the city’s Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park.
A site adjacent to the increasingly popular neighborhoods of Highland and LoDo (Lower Downtown), the space has been used primarily for visitors to the park, which is known for its roller coaster and other amusement rides. But now the Denver-based Revesco Properties, a real estate investment and management company, is proposing the creation of a mixed-use development called The River Mile, which will entirely transform that parking space. The new development, to be bordered by I-25, Speer Boulevard, and the South Platte River, will see the building of affordable housing, and both retail and office space. Revesco, which purchased the entire Elitch Gardens site three years ago, also wants to carve out three new parks at the site, and build two bike and pedestrian crossings across the South Platte River, along with a pedestrian tunnel under Speer Boulevard. Revesco has said that the purpose behind the project is to not only find a new and varied uses to the current acres and acres of parking lot, but to build a development that will allow for a greater daily interaction with the South Platte River. The project is scheduled to be the subject of several community meetings this spring, while also being submitted to the City of Denver’s Planning Board next month. By Garry Boulard The announcement of President Trump’s plans to impose a 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports and an even larger 25 percent tariff on steel imports, could have a downer impact on home construction, charges one industry leader.
“This announcement by the President could not have come at a worse time,” said Randy Noel, the chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. “Tariffs hurt consumers and harm housing affordability.” Noel continued: “We hope the administration will work quickly to resolve these trade disputes regarding lumber and steel so that businesses and consumers have access to an adequate supply at a fair market price.” Industry experts say that the tariffs, which could cause the price of aluminum and steel to increase in the U.S., may prove particularly rough-going for office, condo, and apartment construction, which tend to use more of those materials than do home-builders. In making his tariff announcement, Trump pointed to an “$80 billion dollar yearly trade deficit,” that he said exists because of “our very stupid trade deals and policies.” In meeting with steel and aluminum producing executives, Trump added “You’ll have protection for a long time. You’ll have to regrow your industries. That’s all I’m asking.” By Garry Boulard ![]() The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company is planning to spend big money this year in New Mexico. The Fort Worth-based freight transportation company has announced that it will put $80 million into basic maintenance efforts, including upgrading and replacing rails, rail ties, and track ballasts. Crucial to the company’s operations in New Mexico is the famous Southern Transcon route, of which 10 miles of a third mainline will be constructed between Belen and Dalies, 11 miles to the northwest. In a statement, Kerry Walls, general manager of operations for BNSF’s Southwest Division, called the Southern Transcon the “rail equivalent of a superhighway, making it an idea route for high-priority containerized traffic.” The Southern Transcon connects Chicago to southern California and is primarily a double-track intermodal corridor. It runs through central Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas, before slicing through northern Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Updating work will also include about 1,600 miles of undercutting work, or track surfacing. In addition, BNSF expects to replace nearly 15 miles of rail in New Mexico, along with 110,000 rail ties. Altogether, BNSF nationally is planning to spend some $3.3 billion updating its infrastructure this year, with $500 million of that figure going to expansion projects. By Garry Boulard A homeless advocacy group based in Denver has announced plans to build what could turn out to be 600 housing units spread out over five buildings and specifically geared for the homeless.
The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless says it will build the ambitious project in Lakewood, some 8 miles to the southwest of Denver, on a currently vacant 59-acre site at W. Sixth Avenue and Simms Street. The site became available for development after the federal Housing and Urban Development department, which owns the land, reversed an earlier decision saying the property was unsafe due to a previous toxic chemical contamination. According to officials with the Coalition for the Homeless, the project will see the initial installation of temporary housing in the form of insulated tents and geodesic domes, to be followed by the apartment building construction later in the year. Those buildings, which could provide housing to up to 1,000 people, will be U-shaped, surrounding a green community space, with the entire site itself lined at its perimeter with trees. The project, which will cost $120 million to build, will go up adjacent to the massive 670-acre Federal Center, the compound that houses a variety of federal government offices. The proposed complex, which has been the subject of at least one community meeting, is still awaiting city approval. By Garry Boulard A decline in the nation’s housing stock is driving up the price of houses that are available, which in turn is having a downward impact on home sales nationally.
That’s the conclusion of a new report issued by the National Association of Realtors, showing that home sales nationally declined by 3.2 percent in January, from the 5.5 million of the month before to 5.3 million. The decline was particularly notable when compared with national home sales in January of 2017, charting an overall 4.8 percent drop. The sales drop was seen in all regions of the country, with the Midwest suffering the greatest decline at 6 percent, followed by the West at 5 percent, the East at 1.4 percent, and the South at 1.3 percent. Lawrence Yun, chief economist with NAR, is predicting that the picture may improve once “multi-family supply catches up with demand,” and institutional investors with large single-family holdings put more of those properties on the market. By Garry Boulard ![]() Fifty year-old housing for state troopers in Arizona may be replaced by more modern structures if a proposal by that state’s governor wins legislative approval. Governor Doug Ducey has said that just under 10 percent of the housing units provided to state troopers in largely rural areas are substandard. Those housing units are used by the state’s Department of Public Safety for officers who are stationed at various distances between Arizona’s major population centers. Typically, troopers live in such housing units only during their workweek. There are currently almost 60 such residential units, most of which were built in the 1960s and 70s and are regarded as having exceeded their useful life. In his fiscal year 2019 budget, Ducey notes that “newer units are more energy efficient and cost less to operate and maintain.” The Governor adds that “better living and working conditions offer more incentives for state troopers and their families to remain in or relocate to rural areas.” According to the Department of Public Safety, there is currently a 50 year-old, 1,300 square foot residential unit in Dateland in southwest Arizona in need of replacement. The department also lists a 39 year-old 1,000 square foot facility in Gila Bend; and a two units that are more than 40 years old with a total space of just over 2,000 square feet in Wikieup, in northwest Arizona, all in need of being replaced. Ducey is asking for $2 million for the construction of new trooper housing facilities. His request is part of a significantly larger $10.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year. By Garry Boulard A well-known motel in south Tucson that has fallen on hard times is on track to being redeveloped as an affordable housing complex.
The Spanish Trail Motel at 305 E. Benson Highway traces its roots to the World War II era, with a nightclub venue that attracted such entertainers as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Nancy Wilson. The two-story motel accommodated players for the Cleveland Indians during their annual spring training. The Spanish Trail Motel was turned into an apartment complex sometime in the late 1980s, with several structures on the 5-acre site falling into disrepair. The decline in the property’s fortunes was also seen with its 70-foot front sign that once contained several plastic box billboards and a large neon arrow pointing to the property. The neon arrow is all that is left of that structure today. City officials have unsuccessfully tried several times to have the sign demolished, regarding it as an eyesore. But now two developers, Morgan Abraham and Kevin Volk, who purchased the property for $2.5 million early last month, have announced plans to renovate and upgrade the site’s 120 rooms. The plan is to repurpose the property as affordable housing, with a special emphasis placed on rooms for veterans. Headquarters for the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System are located just one mile to the south of the motel. Plans for several of the other buildings on the site, which have been vacant for years, have not yet been announced. A 1944 ad for the motel, which was highly popular with travelers in the pre-interstate highway days, told visitors: “Come As You Are. Stay As Long As You Like.” By Garry Boulard Responding to customer demand, the Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market has in recent weeks opened new stores in Sahuarita, Arizona; Las Cruces; and Albuquerque.
Those store openings are part of a larger plan announced by the company known for its fresh produce, organic foods and range of vitamin offerings, to expand its footprint nationally. Currently Sprouts, which last year saw revenues in excess of $3.5 billion, is working to open eight new stores by the end of the second quarter of 2018 in California, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Given its steady growth, it is perhaps not a surprise that analysts of the company are forecasting an 11 to 12 percent revenue growth for this year. With a total of 290 stories in operation, Sprouts altogether plans to open exactly thirty new stores in 2018, and has approved 52 sites for new locations. Launched in 2002, the chain’s outlets have primarily been located in the southwest. It has just over 180 stores in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Texas. Company officials say the typical Sprouts store size is around 30,000 square feet. Those spaces with its most recent locations are either carved out in existing malls and shopping centers or are built entirely new. By Garry Boulard ![]() A lease sale that could lead to oil and gas drilling near the Chaco Canyon in northwestern New Mexico will be held off for now as the Department of Interior seeks more information on the history and cultural significance of the land itself. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has issued an order postponing the lease sale of land parcels comprising around 25 parcels in Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and San Juan counties after objections were raised by Navajo Nation Leaders, preservationists, and U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall. Those objections said that the land slated for possible exploration is too close to a sacred tribal site in the Chaco Culture National Historic Park. By drilling in that area, opponents have maintained, historic and fragile structures, which include remnants of kivas and houses, could be permanently damaged. Pueblos within the Chaco Cultural National Historic Park are thought to be more than 1,000 years old. In a statement Zinke said, “I’ve always said there are places where it is appropriate to develop and where it’s not. This area certainly deserves more study.” Zinke also noted, “There is some concern about the proximity to Chaco of some of the leases and the uncertainty about cultural impacts.” The Bureau of Land Management has established a 10-mile buffer zone round the Chaco Park. The agency will now be required to conduct an extensive cultural review for that area. Adam Siedlitz, acting director of the New Mexico branch of the BLM, said in a statement: “We will continue to work with consulting parties, including tribal and state governments, state and federal agencies, and others, as we consider and analyze impacts of oil and gas leasing in the area.” The lease sale, to be conducted by the BLM, was scheduled for March 8. By Garry Boulard |
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