New Mexico Business Weekly - 5:25 PM MDT Wednesday Online travel site Orbitz has named Albuquerque as one of the top five future tourist destination hot spots. Albuquerque made the list along with Reykjavik, Iceland; New Orleans; Cape Town, South Africa; and Shanghai, China. However, it did miss Orbitz's list of top five domestic and international destinations during the past five years. Topping that list was Chicago, London, Las Vegas and Cancun, Mexico. Albuquerque was cited for its "hot climate and variety of world class resorts rising in the area," according to an Orbitz release. The International Balloon Fiesta was also cited as a must-see attraction, as well as the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and Old Town's San Felipe de Neri Church. Orbitz is the third largest online travel company that offers a wide variety of travel products, including airline tickets, lodging, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. It launched its Web site, www.orbitz.com , in Ju...

The Albuquerque Tribune By Erik Siemers Tribune ReporterJuly 24, 2006 A Hollywood studio unveiled plans this morning to build a 50-acre film production campus at Mesa del Sol that could employ up to 2,000 people. Culver Studios of Culver City, Calif., began work last week on what they're calling Albuquerque Studios: a full-service site for film, TV, music videos, commercials and digital media processing. (Pacifica Ventures via U.S. Newswire) "Most of the movies that are not made in Hollywood are made in Canada," Nick Smerigan, executive director of Albuquerque Studios and a managing director with Pacifica Ventures, owners of Culver Studios, said in a news release. "This facility will bring a significant number of these productions, and the jobs that go with them, back to the U.S. where they belong." The studio's owner, Pacifica Ventures, plans an initial $75 million investment in the south Albuquerque development. The company will first have 75 permanent j...

PMBy: Todd Dukart In a city where the average home sells for about $190,000, the cheapest loft in Albuquerque’s oldest skyscraper will cost more than $500,000. Crews are finishing the Banque Lofts inside the old First National Bank building, which was built in 1922. The 27 luxury lofts come with a doorman, valet parking and concierge service, along with a plush interior. “It’s a product that you cannot get anywhere else,” said real-estate agent Alicia Feil with Coldwell Banker Legacy. “It’s time for Albuquerque to have a product like this.” Board of Realtors Director Nancy Kennedy says Albuquerque can support high-end real estate like these luxury lofts. A $1 million loft covers two stories with 2,000 square feet of real estate. That works out to $500 a square foot. Owners say four lofts have been sold, and it should take about a year to sell the rest.

By Associated PressJuly 21, 2006 Posted 1:10 p.m. The Westland Development Corp. board of directors has accepted a California development company's offer to buy 55,000 acres of Westland property on the West Side for more than $250 million. The deal, which is subject to approval by Westland shareholders, involves land given to Spanish settlers in the early 1700s as the Atrisco Land Grant. The land grant was incorporated in 1967 into Westland Development, which manages the land holdings for thousands of heirs. Westland announced the agreement with SunCal Companies of Irvine, Calif., on Thursday. Steve Greyshock, a spokesman for SunCal, said the company is interested in developing housing on the Westland property. A special shareholders' meeting to vote on the sale is expected before September. Westland has 794,927 shares, each of which counts toward a vote. Two-thirds of the votes must favor a sale for it to go through. James Aranda of Concerned Heirs of Atrisco said his group ...

Wednesday, July 19, 2006 Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com Looking for a home in Valencia County? You'll probably be paying more than $100,000. According to the Southwest Multiple Listing Service (MLS), there were 748 homes sold in Valencia County in 2005 at an average sale price of $154,880. In 2004, 655 homes sold at an average of $133,504. These figures do not include new houses being sold by builders or homes sold directly by homeowners. There are still bargains available, especially if you're willing to live a little farther from the freeways heading to Albuquerque. Valencia County's housing market remains steady as home sales and average sale prices increased during June compared to a year ago, according to figures released this week by the Valencia County Board of Realtors. Some 142 previously owned homes sold in the county during June compared to 108 for the same period last year, according to Phyllis Laureta, president of the Val...

Eminent Domain Limited in Rio Rancho The Rio Rancho City Council recently voted to pass restrictions against seizing residential homes or commercial businesses for redevelopment. The city has used eminent domain to seize property at least twice in the last two years and attempted a third time in February 2006, but failed after meeting strong resistance from property owners. Opponents call the process a political tool to coerce property owners and reward developers. Read the full story about the council’s unanimous vote in New Mexico Business Weekly. ****************************

Good News for New Mexico Schools New Mexico has received more than $12 million from the US Education Department to increase the number of charter schools in the state, the Associated Press reports. The funds will be made available over the next three years to plan, design, and create the new charter schools. State Public Education Secretary Veronica Garcia says 90 percent of the federal money will go to charter schools in the form of planning and implementation grants. The state agency also will work to improve the approval process for charter schools and make sure that parents and students are informed about charter school options. Read NAR’s look at the effect of charter schools on neighborhood quality of life.

By Amy Wolff Sorter WWW.GLOBEST.COM Tonjes ALBUQERQUE- With its state motto being "the Land of Enchantment," New Mexico conjures up images of sprawling vistas and colorful buttes with a river thrown in here and there. What it might not conjure up, however, is a growing population with a booming residential and commercial development in its wake. New Mexico in general and Albuquerque in particular have entered the business and real estate consciousness as a strong location for growth and development. Sandia National Laboratories, under its Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Application project, is developing a 400,000-sf spread in three buildings, valued at approximately $500 million. Intel Corp. is undergoing a $750-million upgrade of its campus. And just south of the city, the 12,900-acre Mesa del Sol, under the development of the Forest City Covington NM LLC, is taking shape as one of the largest master-planned developments in the US. Vacant land on the west side is ...