UNM, City of Albuquerque working to expand university's presence downtown
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The City of Albuquerque's continued quest to bring more people downtown now has it partnering with the University of New Mexico in an idea to expand the university's presence on a parking lot that's long been eyed for redevelopment.
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The city signed an agreement with UNM saying they'll work together to try to build a downtown presence for the university near Civic Plaza but there are still a lot of questions about what that could look like.
'I think Civic Plaza can serve as a really nice hub for university students,' said CABQ Metro Redevelopment Agency Director Terry Brunner.
That vision is now one step closer to reality as the city and UNM look to partner on a downtown Lobo expansion. 'The idea is we will bring academic pursuits, offices, housing, and other university attributes and assets to the downtown area,' said David Campbell, Lobo Development Corporation.
Those ideas are still in the planning process but the city is offering this parking lot across from Civic Plaza at 3rd and Marquette for the possible expansion. There are also mostly vacant buildings nearby like the Galeria building and the old Bernalillo County courthouse but this isn't the first time the university has built something downtown.
'This new initiative builds upon our existing downtown projects, like the Lobo Rainforest, and opens new avenues for education, research, and community engagement,' said Garnett Stokes, UNM president.
As of now, they don't have a solid idea of what university majors or programs could go in the potential downtown campus but they say the idea has worked in other southwest cities like Phoenix. 'We're not concerned essentially about the details about what particular major comes down here or student or things like that or where they go. We just want UNM and downtown connected as a symbol of strength and a symbol of growth,' said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller.
Other developers with downtown properties say they're excited about what the future might look like. '505 Central Food Hall, we look forward to feeding all of those students and faculty and staff down there and serving delicious food. So thanks again for this commitment to downtown, and we really appreciate it,' said Mark Baker, developer.
The terms of the city and UNM's new deal don't commit to any deadlines and also don't guarantee that UNM will build a downtown presence but UNM is expected to determine the feasibility of the idea.
Previous failed ideas to redevelop that lot across from Civic Plaza have included building a skyscraper on it called the 'Symphony Tower' and building a space-focused technology hub there.
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