National Retail Trade Magazine pegs ABQ the next Sunbelt Hotspot (Albuquerque: real estate, employment)

[finmqa1]

Shopping Center Business magazine has pegged ABQ as the next great Sunbelt City, largely due to Mesa Del Sol. I imagine this was written before Sun Cal purchased 57,000 acres on the Westside for the countries largest development, maybe in history! This is great news for our city as this development will spur faster growth rates, while both Mesa and SunCal build their new Master Planned communities! Hopefully good retail, sports, and other entertainment will follow. This publication goes out to thousands of retail professionals and real estate advisors, so it is quite an honor for us to make the cover story.



http://www.shoppingcenterbusiness.co...7/story1.shtml

[observe]

Originally Posted by finmqa1

Shopping Center Business magazine has pegged ABQ as the next great Sunbelt City, largely due to Mesa Del Sol. I imagine this was written before Sun Cal purchased 57,000 acres on the Westside for the countries largest development, maybe in history! This is great news for our city as this development will spur faster growth rates, while both Mesa and SunCal build their new Master Planned communities! Hopefully good retail, sports, and other entertainment will follow. This publication goes out to thousands of retail professionals and real estate advisors, so it is quite an honor for us to make the cover story.



http://www.shoppingcenterbusiness.co...7/story1.shtml

Great article!

“Albuquerque is on the precipice of Phoenix and Las Vegas 20 years ago. The Californians and Nevadans are flocking here, as well as retirees. We are the last undiscovered area of the Southwest.”

Just what I've said before Albuquerque is the next MAJOR Southwest city!

[Zoidberg]

Not sure spurring faster growth rates is great news, especially for sprawl out to the Rio Puerco. Albuquerque's still reeling from growing pains out on the west side, and kicking things up faster without fixing some underpinnings could be a recipe for trouble. Any westsiders who are pleased as punch with their morning commute can feel free to correct me.

Phoenix and Las Vegas, most Albuquerqueans would agree, are fun to visit, but wouldn't want to live in them.

Can't we just continue our moderate growth rate?

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by finmqa1

Shopping Center Business magazine has pegged ABQ as the next great Sunbelt City, largely due to Mesa Del Sol. I imagine this was written before Sun Cal purchased 57,000 acres on the Westside for the countries largest development, maybe in history! This is great news for our city as this development will spur faster growth rates, while both Mesa and SunCal build their new Master Planned communities! Hopefully good retail, sports, and other entertainment will follow. This publication goes out to thousands of retail professionals and real estate advisors, so it is quite an honor for us to make the cover story.



http://www.shoppingcenterbusiness.co...7/story1.shtml

So, you want Albuquerque to be just like southern California? Another totally characterless, amorphous, completely automobile reliant blob? I'm sure the strip shopping center builders and big box retailers would LOVE that, which is the group that I presume this trade magazine represents. When are we Americans going to figure out that THIS kind of growth is neither positive nor sustainable? About when gas passes $6.00/gal. on its way up, I would guess . . .

[finmqa1]

Jazzlover - My hopes are not to be another Phoenix. And I don't think that is what the article is all about. The point is ABQ is in a very unique position with Mesa Del Sol and the future Westland area. These two humongous tracts of land are the future of ABQ. If developed correctly, meaning we learn from past mistakes the city will grow into an even more unique and special place than it already is. I don't think growth translates into selling out to chain stores. There are cities half our size that are dotted with more national retail/restaurants than us. One of the reasons for this is Albuquerqueans whether native (like myself) or not, choose to support our local retailers. We most definitely support our restaurants. I don't see this changing whether we are 750,000 or 1,000,000+ residents. Besides if some residents want to support this then that is their choice, the point is we'll have more choices! I also believe (as a Westside resident for 30 years) that things West of the river are improving. ABQ is going to grow no matter what people think, and what I like about these two developments is the amount of planning that is going into them. Each project will take 20-40 years to complete, so for them to start the planning now shows their commitment to quality growth.

[_yb]

The current leadership of the state has sure made off like bandits on the Mesa del Sol deal.
They taken over 500k in campaign contrbutions to various politcals mainly numero uno. That does not include use of planes and other good stuff.

In return the company has recieved 500 million in bonds and 4 millon in freeway access curtosey of the NM taxpayer's. I sure hope they can make a profit.


The WASTELAND deal is all smarty. Once he got started on a certain road over there the whole deal really took off.



I sure hope we can make more water. Good thing NM has a lot of oil and gas so we can pay for these sweet deals.

[finmqa1]

Originally Posted by _yb

The current leadership of the state has sure made off like bandits on the Mesa del Sol deal.
They taken over 500k in campaign contrbutions to various politcals mainly numero uno. That does not include use of planes and other good stuff..

This happens everywhere, not just our leaders. This is no different than luring Intel here and waiving there taxes on billions of dollars.

Originally Posted by _yb

The WASTELAND deal is all smarty. Once he got started on a certain road over there the whole deal really took off.

Tanoan sits on the site of an old city dump, and look how beautiful it turned out.

Originally Posted by _yb

I sure hope we can make more water. Good thing NM has a lot of oil and gas so we can pay for these sweet deals.

I don't think ABQ will ever reach 2 or 3 million, and we have come a long way in our conservation efforts. In fact SMARTY as you refer him, has been the one responsible for many of these milestones. Sure he is not always honest nor the best leader by any means, but he has done some good as well as bad.

[observe]

Originally Posted by finmqa1

Jazzlover - My hopes are not to be another Phoenix. And I don't think that is what the article is all about. The point is ABQ is in a very unique position with Mesa Del Sol and the future Westland area. These two humongous tracts of land are the future of ABQ. If developed correctly, meaning we learn from past mistakes the city will grow into an even more unique and special place than it already is. I don't think growth translates into selling out to chain stores. There are cities half our size that are dotted with more national retail/restaurants than us. One of the reasons for this is Albuquerqueans whether native (like myself) or not, choose to support our local retailers. We most definitely support our restaurants. I don't see this changing whether we are 750,000 or 1,000,000+ residents. Besides if some residents want to support this then that is their choice, the point is we'll have more choices! I also believe (as a Westside resident for 30 years) that things West of the river are improving. ABQ is going to grow no matter what people think, and what I like about these two developments is the amount of planning that is going into them. Each project will take 20-40 years to complete, so for them to start the planning now shows their commitment to quality growth.

Thats right SMART GROWTH......Thats what makes Albuquerque's future good, some people over react about growth & sprawl. First of all there is not very much sprawl in Albuquerque, take a look at Oklahoma City, Houston and yes Pheonix those are SPRAWLING cities.
I meant Albuquerque will be a major city in the southwest....by smart growth which the article points to, and a major employment center.
The water issue is being dealt with now with the chama river project which treats river water for drinking and will help preserve the ground water.

[AndyJ]

The Chama isn't a huge watershed, certainly nothing like the Colorado, which Phoenix, Tucson, and parts of Nevada and Colorado use, and the impact on it is undeniable. I do think that growth in Albuquerque is a good thing, and has been heading in a mostly intelligent direction, but water alone can make or break so called "smart growth." Let's face it, conservation of natural resources is something most people just don't know much nor really seem to care about. Fortunately, I think that a lot of people in ABQ actually do seem to understand this concept. I don't really think the same can be said for places like Phoenix.

At any rate, Albuquerque is a great place to live. I don't blame people for wanting to live here, and I think Chavez, for all his shortcomings, has done some good things for the city and its development.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by AndyJ

The Chama isn't a huge watershed, certainly nothing like the Colorado, which Phoenix, Tucson, and parts of Nevada and Colorado use, and the impact on it is undeniable. I do think that growth in Albuquerque is a good thing, and has been heading in a mostly intelligent direction, but water alone can make or break so called "smart growth." Let's face it, conservation of natural resources is something most people just don't know much nor really seem to care about. Fortunately, I think that a lot of people in ABQ actually do seem to understand this concept. I don't really think the same can be said for places like Phoenix.

At any rate, Albuquerque is a great place to live. I don't blame people for wanting to live here, and I think Chavez, for all his shortcomings, has done some good things for the city and its development.

You are right on the water issue. I am amazed at how seriously water is treated in Albuqurque (and for that matter, Tucson and El Paso) but so callously disregarded - in general - and not even talked about in Phoenix. When I am in Phoenix, I often see watering going on in the middle of a 110-degree afternoon with full sun and even if it is windy...it is amazing. I talk to friends/acquaintences who live in Phoenix (I nor they are even close to being "tree huggers") and they are almost sickened at the callous disregard for water conservation in Phoenix. A city with a metro of 4-million that averages 8-inches of rainfall per year that treats water so callously...that is very disappointing.

I like Phoenix, but their abuse of water (not everyone there of course, but the overall attitude towards it) it disappointing.