![]() A quaint retail structure in a northern New Mexico village where the population has gone from just under 800 a century ago to around 800 today is on the market for $262,000. Located in the village of Cimarron, near the eastern edge of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the structure was built when Theodore Roosevelt was president and is one of a handful of historic one- and two-story structures lining the 300 block of E. Ninth Street. Currently home to the Cimarron Blue Fine Art Gallery, the building is designated as a Class B structure and includes 11-foot vaulted ceilings in the gallery space, and 9-foot-tall ceilings in the living quarters. Listed by Caldwell Banker Mountain Properties of Taos, the structure was formerly the home of the Tumbleweeds Leather Company. Established in 1857, the Village of Cimarron originally served as an outpost on the famous Santa Fe Trail, providing supplies to travelers. By Garry Boulard
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![]() Office vacancies are up in much of the West, according to a new survey, with Denver in particular enduring a hefty 20% office vacancy heading into the summer. The latest figures, using numbers originally compiled by the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, shows that Los Angeles has a 14.2% office vacancy rate, with Portland at 15.7%. But the picture also appeared mixed along the East coast, with Brooklyn seeing a vacancy rate of 17.1%, Charlotte at 12.1%, and Miami at 11.8%. Despite those vacancy challenges, according to the site Commercial Edge, the East is currently witnessing an explosion of new office space construction, with Boston leading the way at 15.1 million square feet, followed by Manhattan at just under 9 million square feet. Washington, D.C., is also enjoying new office space construction, with 3.8 million square feet underway as of June. New office construction in the West, meanwhile, is seeing Denver with 2.5 million square feet; followed by Los Angeles at 1.4 million square feet, and Phoenix at just under 1 million square feet. Office sales price per square feet, meanwhile, have proven fluid in the West this spring. Notes the Construction Edge: Los Angeles has "seen one of the steepest falls in average sales prices across the nation, with the average sale price falling 43% to $237 per square foot from the $412 average price per square recorded last year." Denver in the last year has seen an increase from $195 to $233 per square foot, while Phoenix has gone in the other direction, dropping from $314 in 2022 to $210 as of June of this year. Filling out this regional profile, Construction Edge is also reporting that "San Francisco, San Diego, and the Bay Area led the West, with properties trading at $520 per square foot, $415 per square foot, and $348 per square foot, respectively." Providing a rather dire short and longterm picture of the national office rent picture, the analysis company Capital Economics has just released a forecast predicting that an unprecedented 35% decline in office value as an investment will make itself known by the end of 2025. But even more, the new report by the company contends that an upcoming plunge in office values is "unlikely to be recovered even by 2040." By Garry Boulard ![]() A proposal to expand a power plant in southern Arizona is taking a big step forward with an approval just issued by the Arizona Corporation Commission. The electric utility company Salt River Project, which is headquartered in Tempe, has long wanted to expand its generating facilities in the city of Coolidge. SRP has said that the expansion is needed in order to add some 2,000 megawatts of solar energy to its overall renewable portfolio in the next 3 years. According to the company's website, the expansion project will also have the effect of optimizing the "overall power transfer capability, reliability, and flexibility of SRP's transmission system." Members of the Arizona Corporation Commission have now voted in favor of the project, approving a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility which effectively puts to rest a challenge from the nearby Randolph community, with a population of around 200 people, which had earlier opposed the company's plans. Residents in that community, which has a large minority population, had complained about pollution from the existing SRP plant in Coolidge and scored a major victory last year when the corporation commission denied SRP's expansion application. Those homeowners, along with area environmental activists, contended that an expanded SRP facility would only increase pollution in their community. In the year since that decision, SRP officials have met with Randolph leaders and residents, eventually agreeing to reduce from 16 to 12 the number of proposed generation units, and building them in areas less visible to the community. The company also agreed to fund a scholarship and job training program for the residents of Randolph, while also supporting an effort to rehabilitate homes there. Such overtures on the part of SRP, which also included public input meetings with the Randolph community, led to the corporation commission's approval. In a statement, Bobby Olsen, associate general manager with SRP, said the company "looked forward to working with the community to follow through on the commitments we've made." It is thought that once the expansion project is completed, it will provide energy for up to 139,000 homes. By Garry Boulard ![]() Work may begin next year on the construction of a 12,000 square-foot new fire station in Las Cruces. What is officially called Fire Station Number 9 is set to go up near the intersection of Sonoma Ranch Boulevard and Central Avenue and is designed to serve residences and businesses in the East Mesa, a rapidly growing section of the city. Funding for the project is coming from a $9.8 million bond approved last year by Las Cruces voters by a roughly 66% to 33% margin. Of that $9.8 million, around $713,000 is expected to go to architectural and engineering services for the project. City officials have said the location of the new station will reduce by around 3 minutes the response time for fires and emergencies in the Sonoma Ranch and Central Avenue service area. The growing Las Cruces Fire Department last fall unveiled its new Fire Station Number 3, located at 380 N. Valley Drive. That 12,200 square-foot facility cost $6.2 million to build. The fire department currently has eight stations, operating at strategic locations throughout the city. The department responds to upwards of 17,000 calls per year, the majority of which are for emergency medical assistance. By Garry Boulard ![]() In an extraordinarily lengthy legal challenge regarding water access, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against the Navajo Nation and its bid to invalidate a treaty formulated 155 years ago. In a 5 to 4 decision, the court rejected a Navajo Nation claim that the federal government has failed in its legal duty to develop a plan to provide the tribe with an adequate water supply. An attorney for the Navajo Nation had argued that an 1868 treaty made clear that the tribe was to be provided with “adequate water for agriculture and raising livestock.” Referencing the lack of water access on the 17 million-acre Navajo tribal lands which takes in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, Shay Dvoretzky remarked: “Hauled from miles away, water can cost up to twenty times more than it does in neighboring off-Reservation communities.” Added Dvoretzky: “A promise is a solemn duty, and the United States’ duty is to see that the Nation has the water it needs, and the United States promised.” Writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that the historic treaty “reserved necessary water to accomplish the purpose of the Navajo Reservation,” and that it is not the responsibility of the Supreme Court to “rewrite and update” the treaty. “Rather, Congress and the President may enact—and have often enacted—laws to assist the citizens of the western United States, including the Navajos, with their water needs.” Dissenting, Justice Neil Gorsuch said the Navajo Nation has “waited patiently for someone, anyone, to help them, only to be told (repeatedly) that they have been standing in the wrong line and must try another.” “At each turn, they have received the same answer: ‘Try again,’” Gorsuch continued. The legal dispute, with many roadblocks, has been decades in the making. But in 2021, lawyers for the Navajo Nation won a signal victory when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed that the tribe could sue the federal government for a failure to carry out what was perceived as the duties of the 1868 treaty. The Supreme Court ruling did leave open the possibility that the Navajo Nation can in the future petition Congress for legislation addressing water allocation issues. In a statement, Crystalyne Curley, Speaker of the 25th Navajo Nation Council, said the Supreme Court ruling “will not deter the Navajo Nation from securing the water that our ancestors sacrificed and fought for—our right to life and the livelihood of future generations.” By Garry Boulard ![]() A move is underway in Phoenix to do what other cities across the country have done: to create a 24-hour, 7 days a week entertainment district. A City of Phoenix subcommittee has now voted to solicit bids from consultants who may be able to give shape and substance to the idea. As currently discussed, the district would be laid out surrounding the Phoenix Convention Center, which is located at 100 N. 3rd Street, and could include restaurants, bars, night clubs, and community gathering spaces. The project may also see the construction of an air-conditioned walkway connected to the convention center. City officials have said that the entertainment district could both add to the appeal of the convention center, while attracting visitors from across the country. Speaking on the local PBS television program Arizona Horizon, Christine Mackay remarked: "We have a lot of influx already of our local citizens that come into downtown Phoenix, and engaging something that makes them want to stay around a little bit longer." Mackay, community and economic development director for the City of Phoenix, added that the parameters of the entertainment district could ultimately include the historic Roosevelt Row and an event known as the First Friday art walk, which features art gallery receptions primarily in the downtown area. The creation of entertainment districts featuring art galleries, restaurants, and night clubs, with an emphasis on outdoor walkable space, have become increasingly popular revenue generators in such cities as Las Vegas, Nashville, and San Antonio. "Arts and entertainment districts focus on popular attractions and often have a more bohemian feel" than a simple arts district, notes the book Planning and Urban Design Standards. "Small theaters, private galleries, restaurants, and other entertainment venues are common attractions." But because the creation of such districts requires the use of public revenue and voter approval, they are not always popularly received: a move earlier this year to create such a district in Tempe, along with the construction of a new arena for the Arizona Coyotes, was overwhelmingly defeated at the polls. By Garry Boulard ![]() Plans are now underway for the construction of three big solar generating facilities that will go up in southeastern New Mexico and western Texas. The projects belong to the electric utility and natural gas company Excel Energy Incorporated. In a press release from the company’s Amarillo office, Adrian Rodriguez, president for Xcel’s New Mexico/Texas region, remarked: “Our region’s abundant sunshine provides some of the best solar power opportunities in the nation.” The new solar array projects, continued Rodriquez, “will help us fulfill commitments to our employees and host communities, while utilizing one of our greatest natural resources.” As planned, two of the solar facilities will be built at the site of the Cunningham Generating Station, which is located around 14 miles to the west of downtown Hobbs, New Mexico. The third facility is set for construction at the Plant X Generating Station, some 5 miles south of the small town of Earth, Texas. Both the Cunningham Generating Station and Plant X Generating Station currently house gas-fueled generating units that have been in operation for at least six decades. The three projects can only become reality once they have received regulatory approval in both New Mexico and Texas. Work would likely begin not long after the approvals are secured, with a likely completion date of either 2026 or 2027. Upon completion, the two Hobbs area solar facilities will have a combined 268 megawatts capacity, while the Plant X Generating Station project would be good for 150 megawatts. Notes the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Together, the three facilities “would provide enough solar energy to power 140,000 average Xcel customer homes.” By Garry Boulard ![]() Housing listings in recent years have tended to skew to an upscale market, according to a new study, so much so that the nation is in immediate need of at least 320,000 moderately priced residences. That is the conclusion of a new and comprehensive study put together by the National Association of Realtors looking at the dearth of a middle market with homes valued at no more than $256,000. To underscore recent industry trends, the report notes that as late as 2018, middle-income buyers could afford to buy up to 50% of the homes listed nationally. That figure, as of the spring of this year, is down to 23%. “Ongoing high housing costs and the scarcity of available homes continues to present budget challenges for many prospective buyers,” remarked Daniel Hale, chief economist with the site Realtor.com, in comments accompanying the NAR report. Hale added that those high housing costs are “likely keeping some buyers in the rental market or on the sidelines and delaying their purchases until conditions improve.” The report, titled Housing Affordability & Supply, notes that there are currently more than 1 million homes for sale nationally. “If these homes were dispersed in a more adequate match for the distribution of households by income level, the market would better serve all households.” Instead, “while household formation is rising faster than homes are being built, these missing homes in the middle-and lower-income price range add to the mismatch between housing demand and supply.” Put another way, while households earning $75,000 or less can only afford to buy homes making up just 23% of the listings, buyers earning $250,000 or more can afford to buy 85% of current listings. The numbers comparing where things stood in 2018 with today stand out in every income category: while in the previous year just under 30% of those making $50,000 or less could afford homes recently listed, today that figure for this same income category is down to just under 11%. The further down the income level, the worst the options: just under 17% of those earning $35,000 or less in 2018 could afford recently listed homes, whereas today only 5% in that category could do so. The report additionally notes that homes primarily in the Sunbelt had the least opportunities for those making $75,000 or less, while upwards of 51% to 72% of listings in certain parts of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania still had affordable homes in that category. The numbers were even more stark demographically. According to the report, while 66% of Black Americans earn $75,000 or less, they can afford only 22% of today’s listed homes. By Garry Boulard ![]() In an effort to reduce his city’s homelessness, the recently elected mayor of Denver has announced plans for the construction of up to 1,400 tiny homes. Former Colorado State Senator Mike Johnston, who was elected as the Mile High City’s new mayor in a runoff election on June 6 with around 55% of the vote, has said that the issue of affordable housing will be one of his administration’s top priorities when he takes office next month. Johnston has proposed building nearly two dozen micro-communities across the city that would include the tiny homes. He has additionally advocated for the conversion of older hotels into affordable housing space. During the recent campaign, Johnston remarked: “More than 50% of Denver voters can’t afford to live in Denver today. Families who have been here for generations are being pushed out, as well as the teachers, nurses, and first responders who serve our city.” In 2022, Johnston successfully sponsored and campaigned for a measure called Proposition 123. That state-wide measure is dedicating as much as $300 million a year to fund lower income housing units. The measure is also funding the purchase of land that can be used for housing construction, as well as loans for factory-built and modular housing, along with financing for low and middle-income housing. According to the Denver Post, rents in the city have more than doubled in the last decade, while the cost of a typical home has gone up by a significant 165%. Denver’s homeless population, meanwhile, has risen from around 3,700 in 2015 to nearly 6,900 as of last year. By Garry Boulard ![]() A move to clean up a toxic site that was once the home to the Midland Cereal Building in the northern Colorado city of Brighton is receiving funding from the Environmental Protection Agency. The Midland facility at 640 Baseline Road was built in the early 1920s and designed to manufacture the company's most popular product, Whole Wheat Nuggets, for regional and national distribution. The company’s products, however, never rivaled such industry mainstays as the Grape Nuts Cereal, manufactured by the General Foods Corporation, prompting Midland to go out of business by the end of the decade. In later years, the Midland facility was used as a warehouse and distribution center for several different companies. A $500,000 Brownfields Assessment grant has been awarded to Brighton to conduct an environmental assessment of the Midland site, while also developing a clean-up plan. The grant will also allow city officials to conduct assessment and clean-up plans for sites formerly inhabited by the Petroleum Wholesale company, the Brighton Grain Elevator, and the Wilmore Canning Factory, which was built in 1908, and was later used to house German prisoners of war during World War II. According to a press release issued by the EPA, a majority of the targeted Brighton properties are located next to the railroad that runs through the city, prompting concerns about arsenic and other potential contaminants. Those concerns additionally include the presence of “heavy metals, asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls, polyfluorinated compounds, and petroleum compounds.” Brighton officials have said that once the vacant industrial properties are cleaned up, the sites could be used for everything from mixed-use developments, marketplaces, restaurants, breweries, and housing. The Brownfields grant, said Brighton Mayor Gregory Mills in a statement, “will help us attract more employment, tourism, retail options, and investment in core areas of the city.” In a press conference announcing the grant, Kelly Watkins, chief of staff for the EPA’s Region 8, remarked that the Brownfield Assessment grants entail “partnerships between governments, housing authorities, private developers and others to help revitalize the most dangerous and polluted sites into cleaner, sustainable, and more environmentally just places that benefit the surrounding communities.” By Garry Boulard |
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