CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE
CITY COUNCIL
MEMORANDUM
TO: All City Councilors
FROM: Joaqu?n Baca, City Councilor, District 2
SUBJECT: 508 1st St. NW Essential for Municipal Purposes
DATE: December 12, 2025
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508 1st St. NW Essential for Municipal Purposes
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This communication is to inform the City Council of the City of Albuquerque that the property located at 508 1st St. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 (the "Property") is essential to the City's facility inventory. This property is currently leased by 516 ARTS, a nonprofit, non-collecting contemporary arts museum that serves artists, creatives, and the public - youth and adults in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and beyond - with a focus on accessibility and inclusion for historically underserved communities.
In 2024, the City Council approved EC-23-383, which declared the Property to be Non-Essential for Municipal purposes pursuant to ROA 1994, section 5-2-2(C), in preparation for this parcel to be sold. However, following the approval of State Capital Outlay funding, improvements were made to the Property, and it appears that the City no longer plans to proceed with the sale.
In 2025, the City Council received EC-25-482, transmitting the Operating and Facility Lease Agreement for 516 ARTS to continue the public-private partnership for a five (5) year period, until January 1, 2031. The City, as reflected in the Operating and Facility Lease Agreement, "desires to continue promoting contemporary art, culture, education, community engagement, and tourism by supporting 516 ARTS in its mission to present innovative exhibitions, public programs, and other initiatives that explores and foster artistic collaboration, and highlight the unique cultural heritage of Albuquerque and the broader reason." For these reasons, it is necessary to designate the Property as essential for municipal purposes.
Although it is not required to re-designate a municipal property as essential, this OC serves as notice that the pr...
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