Reimagining Albuquerque

From a vacant office building near Presbyterian Hospital to a long-awaited film studio on the city’s edge, Albuquerque is starting to see signs of thoughtful reinvestment that could shape a more connected, job-rich, and livable future.

At 1400 Central Ave. SE, developers Fritz Eberle and Avi Lahiani are planning to convert the long-vacant Sycamore Square building into 20 apartments marketed toward healthcare workers and UNM students. The building, just steps from both institutions, will maintain ground-floor office space while adding one- and two-bedroom apartments on the upper floors—units ranging from 612 to 896 square feet with market rents. Amenities will include covered parking, EV charging stations, and balconies.

Broker Kate Potter says “The focus is on revitalizing this key part of Central Avenue in a way that contributes to the community.” That focus is timely. The stretch of Central between East Downtown and the UNM campus, once a natural connective corridor now bisected by Interstate 25, has struggled in recent years to retain businesses and attract foot traffic. Longstanding vacancies and disinvestment have left the area feeling fragmented, despite its prime location. A successful adaptive reuse of Sycamore Square could help bring new energy, residents, and vitality to a part of the city that has the bones for walkability, but has lacked sustained momentum.

A few blocks away, the El Parador Apartments at Yale and Silver are also leasing, providing additional housing options in one of the city’s most strategically important urban corridors. And another nearby project, a proposal to replace the long-vacant and deteriorating church at 1701 Gold Ave SE, is moving forward after surviving a contentious appeal. Led by Juniper Properties LLC, the redevelopment would bring new housing to the intersection of University and Gold, a corner with strong transit connections and walkability, but long underutilized.

That project is now awaiting a final vote at City Council to approve a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) boundary expansion, after securing committee approval. Once finalized, the project would continue a growing trend of infill development in the UNM area, adding housing to a corridor with existing infrastructure and demand.

Both El Parador and 1701 Gold, along with the Sycamore Square conversion and new townhomes on Garfield, reflect a potential turning point. Since 2010, the UNM and Nob Hill area has lost over 1,000 residents—contributing to weaker retail, lower transit ridership, and a loss of vitality in what should be one of the city’s most walkable and sustainable neighborhoods. These projects could mark the beginning of a reversal.

Meanwhile, on the city’s western edge, Mesa Media Group received final City Council approval to build a 60-acre film studio complex near Double Eagle II Airport. The project, first reported by City Desk ABQ and Albuquerque Business Weekly, will include six sound stages, 60,000 square feet of office space, and construction space for film sets. It is projected to bring more than 750 production jobs to Albuquerque and 24 full-time staff positions.

But getting to approval wasn’t easy. The project was subject to one of the last pre-O-69 neighborhood-led appeals—a relic of the city’s older, more permissive land-use challenge process. The appeal, filed by groups based miles from the site, argued the project violated viewshed protections that don’t apply to the area and claimed the developer failed to engage the general public and tribal governments, despite documentation to the contrary. The developer hosted more meetings than required by law and received input directly from tribal representatives. The Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) noted that none of the appellants appeared to have legal standing—even under the more lenient pre-reform rules.

City Council dismissed the appeal unanimously.

The case reflects a broader shift in Albuquerque planning: with new reforms like O-24-69 strengthening standing requirements and clarifying rules, future development is likely to face fewer delays based on technical misreadings or far-removed opposition. Still, the time and acrimony spent on the Mesa Studio appeal underscore why further reform at the state level—including modernized appeals processes that remove standing for non-relevant third parties, as sponsored in the last legislative session by Senator Maestas—remains a priority.

“This is a major win for the Westside and all of Albuquerque,” said Councilor Louie Sanchez. “These are good-paying jobs closer to home, reducing commutes and pollution, and strengthening our local economy.”

In the South Valley, the Council also approved $600,000 in LEDA funding to support the $5.2 million expansion of Vitality Works, a local manufacturer of herbal and vitamin supplements. The expansion will add 18 full-time jobs and upgrade production facilities in a sector closely aligned with sustainability and regional strengths.

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A More Sustainable, Resilient Path Forward?

As Albuquerque faces a housing shortfall of tens of thousands of units and works to retain jobs and talent, these projects point to a more future-ready direction: adaptive reuse over vacancy, infill over sprawl, and homegrown industry over economic leakage.

On the Westside, industrial and film developments like Mesa Studio—and expansions by manufacturers like Vitality Works—are emerging alongside larger ambitions. Bernalillo County recently secured a $15 million federal planning grant to begin work on the proposed I-40 TradePort, a massive logistics and industrial hub envisioned for the West Mesa. And in a parallel move, the state, in conjunction with Sandoval County and Rio Rancho, has entered early planning stages for a new Paseo del Volcán extension, which would arc around the metro’s northwest edge and connect Rio Rancho to I-40 via a corridor several miles west of Double Eagle II Airport.

Taken together, these efforts show that West Mesa development is no longer speculative—it’s strategic. But without coordinated land use, regional transit planning, or clear environmental safeguards, this wave of growth risks repeating the very patterns Albuquerque needs to leave behind: sprawl, isolation, and infrastructure inefficiency.

We have a choice. The momentum is here. Whether it leads to a more equitable, connected, and resilient city will depend on whether local and state leaders act now to align housing, infrastructure, and industry—not in silos, but as part of an integrated regional plan.

With the right vision, these investments can strengthen the very neighborhoods people want to protect—and ensure that Albuquerque grows not just more, but better.