ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Downtown Albuquerque has seen its ups and downs over the years. The pandemic was absolutely one of those low points, but city leaders are doing what they can to swing things in the other direction. That includes letting downtown decide its own destiny.

City leaders are moving forward with two big initiatives designed to put the people who live and work downtown back in the driver’s seat.

“We have continued to make downtown like this subsidy of City Hall, and that’s the problem. So we’re trying to sever that,” said Mayor Tim Keller. 

But letting downtown Albuquerque determine its own future requires two things, money and power. City leaders are making sure downtown has both.

“It has to be seen again like it was in its heyday, as the center of Albuquerque, as the center of New Mexico, the place where you go everything is downtown,” said Terry Brunner, director of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency. 

Let’s start with the money. Brunner says the city is ready to implement a tax increment financial district downtown. That essentially means a portion of tax revenue collected downtown will go into a fund to be reinvested downtown.

We’re talking up to $200 million over 20 years.

“A lot of those vacant properties you see downtown, we’re not able to get it because we simply don’t have the funding. So with the funding, we could maybe buy those properties, incentivize a developer to come in and do something new and interesting with those,” said Brunner. 

Such as new housing options.

“I think if we could add 1,000 to 2,000 units in the next few years, that would really be a dramatic change,” Brunner said. 

The power part is a bit trickier. The city is encouraging downtown property owners to come together and form a “business improvement district.” It’s kind of like a homeowner’s association, giving business and property owners more power over how downtown is managed. That includes security, parking, and even street cleaning.

“For years, they look to government to figure out how to create the right business environment downtown, and that doesn’t compute. You really have to have much more influence from the business interest in the downtown area,” said Brunner. 

Brunner says these initiatives are spurring growth in cities like Boise, Colorado Springs, and Tucson. They believe downtown Albuquerque deserves to be on that list.

“What’s key to making downtown safe is lots of people. When you go downtown, sometimes there’s nobody around. The more people we can get down there make it a more encouraging place to visit for everybody,” said Brunner.  

Brunner says that tax increment district is technically already in place, and the city just has to implement it.

At least 51%  of business and property owners downtown would need to petition the city council to form an improvement district.

Even with all of that in place, Brunner says downtown will still need to overcome its negative reputation to actually thrive. 

City leaders hope projects like the Rail Trail and new businesses opening downtown will help change that perception.