Mesa del Sol

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Mesa del Sol, meaning Table of the Sun in Spanish, is the largest new master-planned, mixed-use, New Urbanist community currently under development in the United States. It covers 12,900 acres (20 square miles annexed to Albuquerque, New Mexico which the population was 521,999 in 2008, and metro population of 845,913 in 2008, once Mesa del Sol is built over next 50 years Albuquerque will about 1 million residents .

The plan is for 100,000 residents and 37,000 homes build in three phases by the master developer, Forest City Covington, a joint venture between Forest City Enterprises and Covington Capital, but due to current economic conditions it has delayed residential development.

Mesa del Sol is currently working on job creation rather than building homes to boost the economy in Mesa Del Sol area , so that when they do break ground on homes it would offer jobs within the community. It has already attracted Advent Solar, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Molina Healthcare’s facility, Albuquerque Studios, and SCHOTT Solar; these currently offer 3,000 jobs, and by 2010 it plans to increase this to 5,000 jobs.

Forest City's company has placed specific targets on five industries: renewable energy, digital media and entertainment, government services and financial services.This strategy gives them ammunition to convince home builders that the time is right to build at Mesa del Sol despite the current downturn in the housing market.).

Mesa del Sol aims to be conveniently close to existing facilities, with downtown Albuquerque 10 minutes away with the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque International Sunport Airport only five minutes away from Mesa del Sol . Other nearby establishments include Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base and Air Force Research Laboratory, and Central New Mexico Community College.

Mesa del Sol Plan

Mesa del Sol will be structured as a series of villages and neighborhoods, each with an identifiable center and edge. Mesa del Sol will have 37,500 homes for 100,000 residents built in three phases, approximately 40,000 jobs created and 18 million square feet of office, industrial and retail space.

Mesa del Sol will offer a variety of home-types including town homes, condominiums, apartments, single-family houses and semi-custom homes as well are planning for community centers, schools, family parks and access to jobs. The homes will have rear loading alleys, porches and interconnected open spaces and would be designed to be pedestrian and community-friendly, with an emphasis on sustainability.

Mesa del Sol will be built on 20 square miles (52 square kilometres) of land and will set aside 3,200 acres (1,300 ha) for parks and open space. 150 to 200 of the first homes will be built on a 30 to 50-acre site neighborhood adjacent to its town center in Mesa del Sol which will be scheduled for touring late in 2010, with homebuyers moving in 2011. Home prices will reflect a wide range, from approximately $125,000 to $300,000 in today's dollars.

Mesa del Sol shopping

Mesa del Sol is planning on creating a series of town centers, each town center will give residents a convenient place to pick up groceries or shop along with everyday essentials within easy walking or biking distance.

Mesa del Sol has selected world-renowned architect Antoine Predock, AIA, of Albuquerque to design the new 78,000 square foot first mixed-use town center building. The town center will be the first hub for Mesa del Sol, and will house the visitor center, business office space and retail Groundbreaking took place in 2005 for the new first $10 million town center.The mixed-use town center building for Mesa del Sol building is expected to be completed in early 2009, Shopping will come probably in 2012 or when build out of first residential.

Mesa del Sol series of town centers at build out will feature Town center downtown, four large villages centers and urban center that all planned to include shopping, housing, jobs and are plan for first, second and third phase for the community.

Mesa del Sol History

Mesa del Sol planning begain in early 1980s and was annexced to city of Albuquerque in the 1990s and was approved by Albuquerque City Council in later 2002.

After the tax increment financing law was passed, the Albuquerque City Council approved the creation of a tax increment development district for the Mesa del Sol area to aid in the creation of infrastructure for the development. [http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/%7BFB3C17E2-CDD1-4DF6-92BE-BD4429893665%7D/Final%20Development%20Industry%20Subsidy%20PDF.pdf

The development and the use of tax increment financing has been viewed negatively by some Albuquerque advocacy groups. Urban planner Peter Calthorpe worked on the design of the project.

Mesa del Sol projects

The Molina Healthcare’s facility at Mesa del Sol, The building is scheduled for completion in mid 2009.).

Construction has begun on the new 100,000 square-foot Sony Pictures Imageworks digital production facility on the Albuquerque Studios property at Mesa del Sol.The groundbreaking for the digital production facility was held on June 25 ,2007.

Mesa del Sol Amenties

Mesa del Sol at build out will offer the follow Amenties for it residents some already exist within Mesa del Sol here what planned: The Mesa del Sol master plan calls for mixed-use development that will include: Bernalillo County Recreational Complex is plan for Mesa del Sol which, when built out, will house 3 large multi purpose fields for soccer, football and baseball fields work will begain on Bernalillo County Recreational Complex in fall 2009.

The current Journal Pavilion a 12,000 seat Amphitheater is within Mesa del Sol.

A large central park is plan for center of Mesa del Sol for phase two.

Mesa del sol has plan for Village and community centers and hundreds of miles of open space, Bike paths, hiking trials.

Mesa del sol will have own education system school district separate fromAlbuquerque Public Schools, it plans to build 15 elementary schools, five middle schools, three high schools, Unversity of New Mexico are all planned an will be build over 50 builtout.

Urban center, Town center, Villages centers planned for major retail.

3,200 acres for parks and open space are planned this also includes small pocket parks, neighborhood, Bernalillo County Recreational Complex, Central parks, pools, larger community parks.

Mesa del plan offer 40,000 jobs for 100,000 residents

Mesa plans to have New Mexico Rail Runner Express, a commuter rail line station.

Innovation Business Park a major employment center that will bring in large scal employment for Mesa Del sol.

La Semilla, a planned 2,800-acre environmental education and research center that will highlight solar energy in Mesa Del sol.

Mesa del Sol infrastructure

Franklin Earthmoving, a New Mexico based company, are currently installing underground utilities including water and sewer lines, gas and electrical lines and fiber for the first homes at Mesa del Sol as they prepare the crews are readying the first 250 residential lots that will comprise Mesa del Sol’s first residential neighborhood, Work includes constructing and planting Aperture Park, the community’s large linear park, both are to be completed before the new homes are ready for their owners will be complete and ready for the homebuilders to begin their construction.).

A 175-foot water tower was build in June 2008 in Mesa del Sol to supply new town with water.The water tower has a 46-foot diameter base and was built using 1800 cubic yards of concrete. Built at a cost of $3.6 million will be part of the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility District.

Vaughn Wedeen Creative since 2007 has been currently name the street signs for Mesa del sol ,75 of the approximately 200 streets plan for Mesa del Sol have been named and will be some of first streets that will be opened for the first phrase of the project, Such as Eastman Crossing, Fritz Crossing, O’Keefe Drive, Unversity blvd.Naming the streets have been through long process plan of Mesa Del sol and requires approval from the developer, the City of Albuquerque and the U.S. Post Office. In cases where the streets are named after individuals they must obtain permission to use the name from the individual. Once approved, the names will be painted on street signs unique to Mesa del Sol and installed as the project progresses which many are set for Mesa del Sol first neighborhood in 2011.

A proposed Mesa del Sol I-25 interchange is proposed.

Mesa del Sol will have LED street lights with full cut offs to preserve the dark night sky and will conserve energy, crews have aleady began install them on University Boulevard these lights will be smilar use in the first homes and the rest of community.

Mesa del Sol schools

Mesa del Sol is currently developing a comprehensive education master plan for Mesa Del Sol and plans to offer and support an array of options for parents and students. Options currently being examined are public, charter, private schools, home schooling, early childhood education, pre-K and opportunities for online learning, post secondary and lifelong learning.

The New Mexico Public Education Commission approved The International School (TIS) at Mesa del Sol’s application at a meeting of the commission on Sept. 12, 2008. The school will serve grades K through 8 and will feature an open enrollment policy, It will be the first public school located at Mesa del Sol and open for 2009-2010 school year.

.Most of the school sites will be adjacent to joint use park sites with multi-purpose fields.Elementary schools will be anchor by neighborhood centers, along with swimming pools, plazas, and opportunities for neighborhood-scale retail shops. To the extent that phasing considerations allow, middle schools at Mesa del Sol will typically be co-located with either an elementary school or a high school in order to create opportunities for shared athletic and other facilities. High schools and combination middle/high schools will typically be located near mixed-use centers.

Nearly all schools will be located adjacent to open space corridors, providing opportunities for environmental education as well as convenient and pleasant off-street pedestrian and bicycle access routes to schools.

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) planning guidelines call for a maximum of 500 to 600 students per elementary school, 900 students per middle school, and 2,200 students per high school. Using student generation rates calculated from the 2000 Census and APS enrollment figures, this translates to approximately one elementary school per 2,500 dwelling units, one middle school per 7,900 dwelling units, and one high school per 14,800 dwelling units. At buildout, with around 37,500 units, Mesa del Sol could have as many as 14 or 15 elementary schools, four to five middle schools, and two or three high schools.

The developers of Mesa del Sol have set a side 440 acres for University of New Mexico for large campus uses and 40 addition acres for a satellite campus by Urban Center these are both plan for Phase two and three. University of New Mexico is planning to open a firm school in Mesa del Sol.

Mesa del Sol Dates

Past:

1993

The City of Albuquerque annexed Mesa del Sol into the city in 1993.

2001

In May 2001, the State Land Commission announced that Forest City had been selected as the master developer of Mesa del Sol.

2002

In September 2002, the MdS business lease was signed between the New Mexico State Land Office and Forest City Covington NM, LLC.

2005

On September 19, 2005, the Albuquerque City Council approved a zoning request for 210 acres of Mesa del Sol.

On September 28, 2005, the City of Albuquerque broke ground and began the extension of University Boulevard to Mesa del Sol.

2006

On January 14, 2006, Advent Solar held its groundbreaking ceremony at Mesa del Sol.

On January 19, 2006, the Albuquerque City Council approved the Mesa del Sol Level “A” Master Plan.

On May 18, 2006, the City of Albuquerque’s EPC approved a site development plan for a building permit in Tract 3A of Mesa del Sol. . On July 24, 2006, Mesa del Sol announced Albuquerque Studios, its second tenant, plan to develop 50 acres at Mesa del Sol. The first film is scheduled to begin production in February 2007.

On October 16, 2006, University Boulevard was officially opened. The road was built at a cost of $27 million, with the city, the county, the state, the federal government and Forest City Covington all paying for a portion of the costs

In November 2006, Advent Solar moved into its new 87,596 square-foot office and manufacturing plant.

2007

On January 10, 2007, the Albuquerque City Council approved a proposal by Forest City Covington, to allow future gross receipts and property tax revenues to pay for infrastructure at the development. The Council set the percentage of taxes to be collected at 67 percent of gross receipts and property taxes.

On January 11, 2007, the Albuquerque Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) approved the Level B Plan for 3,082 acres at Mesa del Sol.

On April 30, 2007, Mesa del Sol selected world-renowned architect Antoine Predock, AIA, of Albuquerque to design the new 78,000 square foot mixed-use town center building.

On June 1, 2007, Albuquerque Studios opened at Mesa del Sol.

On June 21, 2007, a new citywide, real time Global Positioning System (GPS) was installed at Mesa del Sol.

2008

On September 11, 2008, The New Mexico Public Education Commission approved The International School (TIS) at Mesa del Sol’s application at a meeting of the commission on September 12, 2008. The school will serve grades K through 8 and will be the first public school located at Mesa del Sol

On January 14, 2008, Mesa del Sol announced that SCHOTT AG, a global leader in glass and optics and one of the largest solar technology manufacturers in the world, will build a 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility for SCHOTT Solar, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary, on 80 acres.

On January 17, 2008, Fidelity Investments, one of the world's largest providers of financial services, chose Albuquerque’s Mesa del Sol as the site of its 217,892 square foot operations center.

On March 3, 2008, SCHOTT Solar broke ground on a 200,000 square foot solar manufacturing site.

On April 22, 2008, Mesa del Sol signed an agreement with the South Valley Economic Development Center to create the Rio Grande Grower’s Association a landscaping venture. Mesa del Sol provided the capital to create the economic venture that will supply it with locally grown, drought-tolerant, low water use and native plants.).

Mesa del Sol walkabilty

To reduce the need for automobiles, Mesa del Sol has been designed as a series of compact village centers surrounded by a mix of uses and densities. On average, homes will be within one-half mile of a neighborhood park or a village green, while schools, the library and retail will be integrated into a pedestrian-friendly network, and streets will safely and easily accommodate both bicycles and foot traffic.

Cars will not be necessary to travel to many areas of Mesa del Sol. Paseos, walking paths, and biking paths will link each village, encouraging residents to leave their cars at home for short trips. These trails will be carefully aligned, allowing children and parents to walk or bike to schools or parks. Similar alignments will also link homes to jobs and shopping areas.

Mesa del Sol Environmental building

Mesa del Sol says it will use energy saving systems, non-toxic recycled materials, product selection and design techniques to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. It would engage in energy and water conservation and recycling projects. ).

Mesa del Sol Landscape

Mesa del Sol landscape plan calls for the lush desert streetcape that will include planting of thousands of trees, native plants, wildflowers, plam trees, rocks, scrubs, on tree-lined streets instead of merely using traditional grass strips. Primary drainage areas would be preserved and used as greenways and pedestrian paths; all of the irrigation in parks, greenways, and public areas would come from recycled water and advanced water conservation and water harvesting.

Mesa del Sol Jobs

Currently, 3,000 jobs are offer in Mesa del Sol and is home to It is currently home to Advent Solar, a manufacturer of solar panels, Albuquerque Studios, a 168,000-square-foot, $74-million motion picture and television production facility, Fidelity Investments and SCHOTT Solar. .).

The northern portion of the project in Mesa del Sol is designated as a major employment center, named Innovation Parkand will be use Mesa del Sol is attractive to manufacturing, warehousing and distribution uses, as well as regional commercial uses. Plans are underway for a new 92,640 square feet Tech/Flex building. The office-warehouse shell will house a combination of light manufacturing building features with office space that will be virtually tenant ready.

See also

• New urbanism

External links

• Advent Solar
• Albuquerque Studios
• 1000 Friends of New Mexico Opinion Piece in Albuquerque Journal (December 14, 2006)
• Forest City Mesa del Sol
• http://www.tisnm.org/International School at Mesa del Sol
• Mesa Del Sol Video Tour http://www.mesadelsolnm.com/