Mesa del Sol (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

for "table of the sun") is an uncompleted

mixed-use Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to som ...

master planned community in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

. Mesa del Sol, a 12,900-acre mixed-use community, is located on Albuquerque's South Mesa. By combining job creation with sustainable urban community planning, Mesa del Sol will represent a blend of natural resources, economic objectives, and social amenities in a community with a forward-looking and distinct sense of place. Mesa del Sol is a sustainable city with plans to build 37,000 homes on 4,400 acres of residential property and 18 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail space.

Location

Mesa Del Sol is located approximately southeast of downtown Albuquerque. It is bounded by the

Albuquerque International Sunport Albuquerque International Sunport is the primary international airport serving the U.S. state of New Mexico, the Albuquerque metropolitan area, and the larger Albuquerque– Santa Fe– Las Vegas combined statistical area. It handles around ...

along the northwestern edge,

Kirtland Air Force Base Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Ro ...

on the north and east sides, the Isleta Reservation to the south, and

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mexi ...

to the west.

Master plan

Mesa del Sol's master plan called for development over a 40-year span that would cover 9,000 acres of the 12,900-acre site. The remaining 3,200 acres was proposed for parks and open space. The project is expected to house 100,000 people, with a

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

area, 37,500 homes, of office space, for residential and supporting retail, and for schools including university branches. The master plan also includes two new interchanges providing access to

that would be financed as part of the development.

History

Mesa del Sol was approved as part of a public-private partnership strategy with the New Mexico, Albuquerque and

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. It has been in planning stages since the 1980s. In 2002, after an open bid process, the New Mexico State Land Office selected Forest City Enterprises as the developer of Mesa del Sol. The project broke ground in 2005 with University Boulevard extended to the community. Forest City Enterprises and Covington Capital Partners were the initial developers. On March 17, 2011, Forest City announced that on March 28 it would break ground on the first phase of its residential development. Forest City plans to build 250 homes and models in the first phase, including infrastructure, and has selected four home builders including Rachel Matthew Homes, RayLee Homes, Paul Allen Homes and Pulte Homes. Builders estimate by early 2012, homes will be available for residents. The homes will range from in size and will cost between $100,000 and $300,000. In September 2015, a state audit showed a

default judgement Default may refer to: Law * Default (law), the failure to do something required by law ** Default (finance), failure to satisfy the terms of a loan obligation or failure to pay back a loan ** Default judgment, a binding judgment in favor of ei ...

against approximately 2,700 acres of the undeveloped community and the land was placed in

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...

. In December 2017, with approximately 250 homes having been built, the Mesa Del Sol owners appealed to Albuquerque's Environment Planning Commission for changes to the master plan that might encourage more home building. Netflix committed to purchasing Albuquerque Studios in 2018 and has employed nearly 4,000 local and, largely, minority film and production workers, merchants, and talent to support and create their shows and movies. As it adds additional staff, Fidelity Investments is enlarging its Mesa del Sol human resources and regional client services support center. The company is expanding its 216,000-square-foot structure at 5401 Watson SE, south of the airport, by about 10,000 square feet. The cost of the renovation, according to the city building permit, is $2.5 million. The smaller of the two former Schott Solar structures will be taken over by a Springfield, Missouri-based plastic pipe manufacturer for its second facility at the Mesa del Sol master-planned community. After it opens in the spring of 2015, this facility will eventually create 25 to 30 jobs. After an almost two-year search that encompassed Arizona and West Texas, United Poly Systems chose Albuquerque for the project.

Smart Community

The innovative mixed-use Mesa del Sol community in the southern part of Albuquerque was recently highlighted in NEDO Focus, a global publication that specializes in energy, environmental, and industrial innovations. The article highlighted Mesa del Sol as one of the world's "Smart Communities" and highlighted the smart grid that powers the Aperture Center in Mesa del Sol. The long-term development plan of the Land Office envisions up to nine towns, recreational areas, and industrial employment sectors that are all connected to the rest of Albuquerque by light rail. Wastewater Treatment Facilities, the Mesa del Sol development, and a pretreatment and reuse plant in cooperation with the Kirtland Air Force Base might be built to handle the wastewater flows from the development. In order to reuse treated effluent for non-potable purposes, such as golf courses, parks, and other non-potable applications, the Mesa del Sol development has expressed interest in developing one such facility. The Kirtland Air Force has also expressed interest in using the new waste treatment building as a training facility for evaluating novel treatment options. With a reduced liquid flow stream, the facility would transport concentrated solids to the water reclamation plant.

Aperture Center

Architect and New Mexico native

Antoine Predock Antoine Predock ( ; born 1936 in Lebanon, Missouri) is an American architect based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the principal of Antoine Predock Architect PC, the studio he founded in 1967. Predock first gained national attention with the La ...

designed the Aperture Center building which opened in late 2008 as the centerpiece of Mesa del Sol. It is a

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

-certified environmentally friendly building clad in a glass curtain wall inspired by the shape of bone cells. The $11 million town center building has retail shops and restaurants on the ground floor and offices above. In 2016, the Aperture Center was purchased from Mesa Town Center Building 1 LLC by SC3 International which would relocate its headquarters to the building. At that time, the other tenants were the offices of Mesa Del Sol and the

's New Energy and Industrial Technology and Development Organization (NEDO). In 2018, Guzman Construction Solutions signed a lease for 17,000 square feet of space.

In popular culture

The television show ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited h ...

'' (filmed in Albuquerque) utilized Mesa del Sol for most of the show's desert shoots and many notable scenes.

Albuquerque Studios Netflix Albuquerque Studios is a film studio located in the Mesa del Sol development of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The premises include eight sound stages, production offices, and a backlot. The studios served as headquarters for the ''Breaking Bad ...

, located in the Mesa del Sol development, served as headquarters for the ''Breaking Bad'' film crew, as well as for the films '' The Avengers'', ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'', and ''

The Book of Eli ''The Book of Eli'' is a 2010 American post-apocalyptic neo-Western action film directed by the Hughes Brothers, written by Gary Whitta, and starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, and Jennifer Beals. The story ...

''. The coordinates at which ''Breaking Bad'' character

Walter White Walter White most often refers to: * Walter White (''Breaking Bad''), character in the television series ''Breaking Bad'' * Walter Francis White (1893–1955), American leader of the NAACP Walter White may also refer to: Fictional characters ...

buries his money in the season 5 episode " Buried" — — actually points to Albuquerque Studios in Mesa del Sol.

Championship Soccer Complex at Mesa Del Sol

The world-class soccer complex has an agreement with Bernalillo County to construct facilities to make the property more useful to the New Mexico United Soccer Club and for other sports programs that plan to use the field.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , first=Lisa , last=Chamberlain , title=Planned City Rises Within a City, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/realestate/commercial/26mesa.html?_r=1, date=September 26, 2007, access-date=September 26, 2007 , work=The New York Times {{cite news , first=Richard , last=Metcalf , title=Mesa del Sol Reshapes Region, url=http://nreionline.com/news/areas/forest_citys_mesa_delsol_0301, newspaper=nreionline.com, date=March 1, 2008, access-date=Mar 1, 2008 {{cite news, first=Dennis, last=Domrzalksi, title=Mesa del Sol developer chosen, url=http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2002/05/06/daily8.html, newspaper=New Mexico Business Weekly, date=May 8, 2002, access-date=May 8, 2002 {{cite news, first=Steve, last=Ginsberg, newspaper=New Mexico Business Weekly , url=http://albuquerque.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2009/06/15/story5.html, title=Forest City eyes 2010 Mesa del Sol housing start, date=June 12, 2009, access-date=June 12, 2009 {{cite news, first=Dennis, last=Domrzalksi, title=Mesa del Sol gets ready to build houses , url=http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2011/03/17/mesa-del-sol-gets-ready-to-build-houses.html, newspaper=New Mexico Business Weekly, date=March 17, 2011, access-date=March 17, 2011

External links

Forest City Mesa del Sol
Geography of Albuquerque, New Mexico New Urbanism communities