Does Downtown Las Cruces Have Any Chance Of A Rebirth? (Albuquerque: real estate, apartment complex)

[Poncho_NM]

The interest in roundabouts seems to have increased in New Mexico over the past few years, we got a few new roundabouts in our area Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Sandoval County and Bernalillio county. I know funding to design and construct some of the roundabouts has been made available through the New Mexico Department of Transportation using Federal Safety funds and a match from the local areas.

I have mixed experiences with them.


Rich

[smarino]

I think downtown is dead, and going to stay that way. It's been a wake up call watching the city's "leaders" try band aid approaches, then abandon these when they don't work out. Look, why would anyone go downtown? We lived very close to it, and never went there except for the Saturday market or to eat at the pizza place. The fancy smancy Oregon eatery closed because they had NO walk by traffic, and lousy food and service. Downtown is nothing but gutted, dilapidated buildings! After four years of watching this debacle, we moved from LC this year. The frustrating thing was watching the city put about five people to work redoing that one road, which took what? a year or two to do? So, they have a new road now. And no businesses to drive to! Total mismanagement of the city's resources by people who clearly have no idea what they're doing.

[cosmicrowbar]

The city of Las Cruces doesn't operate businesses, or serve mediocre food by untrained waitstaff. All the city can do is design (with tons of input from citizens) a workable plan and then implement it over time. There are no magic wands in public infrastructure contracting, only long term plans that need steady effort and progress to succeed.
In the whole scheme of things, the downtown revival is in the very early stages. There isn't even a thru road yet, but when that happens things will start to pop.
Honestly, in an area that was practically abandoned by viable businesses I don't find it a surprise that a restaurant opens, then closes. This happens every day. The fact that I personally thought La Iguana was second rate is beside the point...another entrepreneur will take over that space, and maybe they'll fail also....then another will make a run at it. Someone will succeed. The normal rule in restaurants and some other developments is that the third person in makes the money, and that may be the case here. We'll find out. If downtown was a bad place for foodservice Zaffiro's would be gone also, don't you think??
The Sun News today says that Lorenzo's de Mesilla has closed...long track record, decent location, what appeared to be good business, yet, there it goes. Does that mean Mesilla is going down the tubes? Don't think so....
You may be guilty of unrealistically high hopes...you wouldn't be the first and certainly not the last. But these things take time, and patience will be rewarded.
I seriously doubt, as you suggest, that a four year debacle drove you from LC...come on....

[cosmicrowbar]

Jeez...I must be a prophet..lol
I think Gary will do great things at the Iguana location, and wish him the best of luck.
Zeffiro owners plan to open new eatery at former La Iguana location - Las Cruces Sun-News

[mike0421]

Originally Posted by cosmicrowbar

The Sun News today says that Lorenzo's de Mesilla has closed...long track record, decent location, what appeared to be good business, yet, there it goes. Does that mean Mesilla is going down the tubes? Don't think so....
You may be guilty of unrealistically high hopes...you wouldn't be the first and certainly not the last. But these things take time, and patience will be rewarded.
I seriously doubt, as you suggest, that a four year debacle drove you from LC...come on....

No, no, no.....
That was my favorite place. Oh wow, that's the worst news about the area I've heard in a while.

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by cosmicrowbar

The city of Las Cruces doesn't operate businesses, .... All the city
can do is design (with tons of input from citizens) a workable plan
and then implement it over time.

In that "design," I wonder what the costs, to the business, are to operate
downtown vs out in the strip malls? If someone wanted to open a 25k sq ft
store or restaurant downtown, do they have to pay a bunch of tacked-on
fees or taxes to operate or to build there there?

This plays itself out from state-to-state where there are relatively few starts or
expansions in states like New Jersey or Illinois vs. places likie Arizona or North Carolina.

It also plays itself out from country-to-country.

Once the president asked Steve Jobs why Apple doesn't manufacture anything
in the US anymore. He said "Because you make it too hard to." Here in the US,
we expect to be able to drink directly from a factory wastewater flow.

There are all kinds of things working against a business downtown.
The property taxes should be lower there due to the inferior roads
and parking and dirt and scumbags, etc.

There are very few places in the US where downtown is considered
to be a more desireable location than the burbs.

[cosmicrowbar]

Originally Posted by mike0421

No, no, no.....
That was my favorite place. Oh wow, that's the worst news about the area I've heard in a while.

One of mine too, mike...I'm bummed. The dining in-house was good, and only a 2 minute drive from my house for pizza to go.
I wonder what the reason was...might be fallout from the Olive Garden moving in.

[gogo girl]

Not too happy with the amount of money spent downtown. They used redevelopment funds I believe to do this; noone goes downtown unless you get much more renivations and better museums. You know the museum out in the middle of nowhere-El Camino Real near Socorro- that collection in the downtown area would be a great anchor to get things going. I would like to keep it tourist orientated down there and retain the funkiness. The main street is too narrow and very little parking, with the biggest benefactor is COAS bookstore. We need solid, good anchors to attract people!

[mike0421]

Originally Posted by gogo girl

Not too happy with the amount of money spent downtown. They used redevelopment funds I believe to do this; noone goes downtown unless you get much more renivations and better museums. You know the museum out in the middle of nowhere-El Camino Real near Socorro- that collection in the downtown area would be a great anchor to get things going. I would like to keep it tourist orientated down there and retain the funkiness. The main street is too narrow and very little parking, with the biggest benefactor is COAS bookstore. We need solid, good anchors to attract people!

Am I hallucinating, or would it have been more logical and sensible for Pro's Ranch to take up residence downtown close to Main somehow, thereby filling the need for an 'anchor' store, instead of on the more car-dependent El Paseo Road?

[domino]

I'm guessing Pro's Ranch will do better at its location on El Paseo. Lots of parking. A downtown location would have been great for downtown, probably not so great for Pro's Ranch Market. Both areas needed rehab.