Mesa del Sol

The huge Mesa del Sol development in Albuquerque may soon start its first building project, a 90,000 sq. ft. light industrial and office building for the photovoltaic cell manufacturer Advent Solar, which hopes to employ 1,000 people there by 2010. The developer, Forest City Covington, is awaiting the Albuquerque City Council’s approval of the master plan for the 12,900-acre plateau of desert scrub land south of downtown and west of Kirtland Air Force Base (see Dec. 2002 New Urban News). Forest City Covington, a subsidiary of Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises, says it may take 35 to 50 years to develop the land along new urban lines, including 37,500 housing units for 100,000 people, 3,400 acres of open space, and 1,400 acres of business parks containing 3 million sq. ft. of commercial buildings. Chief operating officer Michael Daly told the Albuquerque Journal Jan. 1 that Mesa del Sol will be built by selling small blocks to developers who agree to meet design guidelines that call for features such as largely xeriscaped and natural landscapes and traditional Southwestern architecture. Narrow roads, wide sidewalks, and an “eclectic” housing mix recalling adobe and pueblo-style architecture are part of the plan. Housing options will range from detached dwellings to “compound”-style apartments to live-work and condominium buildings interspersed with parks and plazas. Four town centers will be connected by a meandering road that will connect to Interstate 25 and commuter rail. Developers intend to start with industrial buildings and with attracting jobs, which they believe will encourage the demand for residential development. Forest City Covington is working with business developers and recruiters such as the nonprofit Albuquerque Economic Development to attract businesses, particularly those that practice low resource use. A major goal is to attract knowledge workers. “Rejection of suburbia is happening all over the US,” Daly said, describing Mesa del Sol as “not suburbia, not sprawl, but urban.”