East Lohman Avenue development ‘a defining moment’ for city’s mayor

Mayor Ken Miyagishima remembers visiting the East Lohman Avenue area in a gold Pontiac Bonneville in the early 1970s with his brother, Jim, who was teaching him to drive.

More than 40 years later, in 2017, the mayor led negotiations with the City of Albuquerque to purchase 110 acres on East Lohman between Roadrunner Boulevard and Sonoma Ranch Boulevard for $500,000 – a fraction of the land’s market value – in what Miyagishima called “a defining moment” of his administration. In 2019, Miyagishima decided to seek a fourth term as mayor in part to help guide the area’s development, he said.

That development took a major step forward during an April 13 special city council work session, as the mayor, councilors and members of the city Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) heard an update on the city’s plans for the area.

The council still must vote to approve a final plan, which could take place this summer. Miyagishima said builders could “begin turning dirt” on the project as soon as next spring.

Even with $3.5-$4 million spent to clean up the land added to the purchase price, Miyagishima said the city could see a profit of $45 million or more on the sale or rental of the property to builders and developers.

Miyagishima shared credit for acquiring the land with current city councilors, and with former councilors Ceil Levatino and the late Olga Pedroza, along with then Las Cruces Utilities Department Director Jorge Garcia, who retired in 2020. The mayor also credited Las Cruces builder Eddie Binns, who did a land swap with the city that helped make the purchase from the City of Albuquerque possible.

Miyagishima said the City of Albuquerque had owned the land for a number of years, and likely acquired it when a previous owner left the land to the city in a trust.

Development plans

Several members of Sites Southwest, the city’s consultant on the project, spoke at the April 13 joint work session about how the company, which has offices in El Paso and Albuquerque, came up with a “draft preferred scenario” plan for the area’s development.

The plan devotes about 20 percent of the site to commercial use, including retail businesses, offices, hotels and restaurants, said Sites Southwest principal George Radnovich. The other 80 percent would be residential property that would be for sale and for rent.

The development plan also calls for bike lanes, multi-use trails and open spaces. It also will “assure integration and connectivity with the recreation facilities and natural arroyos present in the proposed plan area,” the city said.

Several council members told Radnovich the plan must include housing for a range of incomes, with “affordable housing spread out across the whole development,” said PZC Chair Sharon Thomas, who is a former city councilor.

“We did consider mixed affordability in the housing,” Radnovich said. “We ‘ve heard that repeatedly from the public, and from council and planning and zoning and that is part of the planning effort that we’ve gone through and it’s also in the market study,” he said.

Sites Southwest planner Danni Wilson said public engagement on the project included stakeholder meetings last August, a community charette in December and a public survey that garnered nearly 400 responses.

With the council’s input from the April 13 meeting, Radnovich said Sites Southwest likely will present a final draft plan to the city council and to the public in May or June, with a final plan ready for a council vote in June or July.

The East Lohman area “could be a net-zero energy community,” Councilor Gill Sorg said. “I think we can make this a 21^st century city with 21^st century planning.”

He said the final plan should also include habitat preservation and a target of 20 percent affordable housing.

“I think this project can be very visionary, very collaborative,” Councilor Johana Bencomo said. The city’s marketing strategy should include an explanation of why affordable housing is a necessary part of the development, Bencomo said.

City Community Development Director Larry Nichols said the city has already been contacted by developers who are interested in the project and describe it as “a very attractive parcel of land for development,” Nichols said, saying, “’Let’s do it right; let’s make it unique.’”

“I’m just so pleased with the planning you’ve come up with here,” Thomas said. “It’s something we’ve talked about for so long.”

The development should include the same amenities and quality of life for people of different incomes, Councilor Gabe Vasquez said.

“Let’s promote as much sustainable energy production and net zero as we can,” Vasquez said.

“I think what you’ve developed is a wonderful plan,” PZC Commissioner Harvey Gordon said. He called for an access road on Lohman Avenue as part of the plan.

Mayor Pro-Tempore Kassandra Gandara said she is “very much for” at least 20 percent of the development’s housing being mixed-income housing, and is pleased that the area is pedestrian- and bike friendly.

“I think this is a great, great concept,” Gandara said.

“It’s really exciting,” Miyagishima said, adding that the site “may be too large for one developer.” The city might break it up into three or four parts, he said, and could use a public-private partnership in development plans. The mayor also said he will reach out to engineering students at New Mexico State University to assist with infrastructure development.

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