************Call to Action*************** The final East Downtown (EDO) Master Plan will be heard in the Albuquerque City Council on Wednesday, February 23, 2005, 5:00 p.m. in the basement of City Hall. The EDO Master Plan is supported by the AMBR/CARNM Legislative Committee. What Can You Do to Help? Please attend if you can and express your support for this community effort. If you cannot attend, please contact your councilor and ask for a vote to pass the EDO Master Plan. Summary of the East Downtown (EDO) Master Plan The plan is a comprehensive vision for the redevelopment of Central Avenue and Broadway Boulevard between I-25 and downtown and between MLK and Coal. With historic Albuquerque High taking the lead, the area is rapidly and positively changing. In the past 3 years, there have been 70 new residential lease units and 110 residential sale units in addition to retail and office space. This plan extends those efforts with a 20 year roadmap providing for over 1,500 ...

Sunday, February 20, 2005 Infill Uses Suggestions From Historic Santa Barbara-Martineztown Area Albuquerque Journal By Jane MahoneyFor the Journal Thirteen single-family houses are rising out of the ashes of an abandoned, fire-damaged property in the shadow of one of Downtown's oldest neighborhoods. What's more, plenty of folks have expressed an interest in buying and living in the development spearheaded by the Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership, a private, nonprofit, housing developer that works with the city, the neighborhood and finance institutions. With an emphasis on creating affordable housing for first-time homeowners in the city's oldest neighborhoods, the Greater Albuquerque Housing Partnership is selling houses in the new infill El Porvenir subdivision near Lomas and Arno NE in the heart of the Santa Barbara-Martineztown neighborhood. Six houses have been completed. With three distinct designs and ranging from 920 to 1,300 square feet, the houses are reser...

Monday, February 7, 2005 Home Permits Reach Metro Area Record By Rory McClannahanJournal Staff Writer Growth on the west side of the Rio Grande drove metro-area home building permits to a record in 2004, a 12 percent jump above the previous year. The hottest spots in 2004 for new home construction compared with 2003 were Rio Rancho with 43 percent growth, the Southwest Mesa with 26.6 percent, and Valencia County with 46 percent. Albuquerque's Northwest quadrant fell by a half-percent and the city grew by only 0.6 percent. During 2004, 7,719 permits were issued in the metro area, according to the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico. In 2003, 6,879 permits were issued. "I knew we would be over last year's numbers, but not that much," said Jim Folkman, vice president of the association. In addition to the cities of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, the metro area includes Los Lunas and unincorporated Bernalillo and Valencia counties. Rio Rancho...

Saturday, February 5, 2005 Double Eagle Gets Funds for Upgrades Journal Staff Report The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded a $201,184 grant for upgrades to Double Eagle II Airport. Funds will be used to help bring electricity and natural gas to the airport, which is undergoing improvements to become a center for economic development in Albuquerque. "It is important to ensure that Double Eagle II airport is ready to accommodate Eclipse Aviation when they move into their new home in Albuquerque," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., in a prepared statement Thursday. Bingaman helped secure the funding in a 2003 spending bill and has also worked to secure millions for other airport-related expenses, such as road and runway improvements and construction of a new control tower. Last year, the airport received a $3.13 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to begin runway improvements to the airport as part its ...