CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
EIGHTEENTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. F/S R-08-47 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Isaac Benton
RESOLUTION
t
F/S Approving a Pre-Development Process For The Rail Yards Property; Making an Appropriation (Benton)
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APPROVING A PRE-DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE RAIL YARDS PROPERTY; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.
WHEREAS, the City purchased the 27 acre tract of real property with assorted buildings commonly known as the Rail Yards Maintenance Facility (hereinafter referred to as the Rail Yards site) a description of which is attached as Exhibit A and incorporated herein by reference; and
WHEREAS, the City, in conjunction with Wheels Museum and the University of New Mexico, engaged the Urban Land Institute ("ULI") to conduct an Advisory Services Panel and make recommendations to the City regarding the use and future development of the Rail Yards site; and
WHEREAS, the residents and property owners in the Barelas neighborhood and the South Broadway neighborhood will be directly affected by the uses and future development of the Rail Yards site, and therefore, the input of those neighborhoods regarding the Rail Yards site redevelopment should be given significant weight; and
WHEREAS, the Rail Yards site contains many unique structures of historic importance which should be protected by City landmark designation; and
WHEREAS, the City should initiate and complete the process, including a survey conducted by the City, for designating the Rail Yards site and structures as a City landmark; and
WHEREAS, the Rail Yards site and the structures on the site should be properly protected prior to receiving a City landmark designation; and
WHEREAS, present or future uses of the Rail Yards site that could damage the historically or culturally significant aspects of the site or the structures should be absolutely prohibited; and
WHEREAS, as a moving force behind the City's purchase and protection of the Rail Yards, the Wheels Museum should be located on an appropriate portion of the site and should be included in the City's planning process for the future development of the Rail Yards; and
WHEREAS, the City has entered into an interim management agreement to ensure that the Rail Yards site is properly secured which also allows for the interim use of the site for appropriate activities, such as filmmaking (attached hereto as Exhibit B); and
WHEREAS, any uses or modifications of the Rail Yards site and structures should receive prior approval from and be monitored by the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission (LUCC) and the City's Historic Preservation Planner; and
WHEREAS, any management agreement allowing interim uses of the Rail Yards site and structures must clearly state that the interim uses will terminate upon or before a date certain, and under no circumstances will those uses interfere with or delay the commencement of pre-development work at the Rail Yards site, including environmental cleanup; and
WHEREAS, the redevelopment of the Rail Yards should be phased, and each phase should have a clear focus and objectives to accomplish prior to moving on to subsequent phases; and
WHEREAS, the pre-development process for the Rail Yards site should focus on site preparations and other activities that will make the site ready for redevelopment; and
WHEREAS, the conversion of 2nd and 3rd Streets from one-way to two-way streets has been identified by both the Barelas community and the ULI Panel as a priority project to complete in the pre-development phase of redeveloping the Rail Yards; and
WHEREAS, an orderly and well-defined process to guide the redevelopment of the Rail Yards is in the best interest of both the affected neighborhoods and the City at large.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
1. The following pre-development process is approved for the Rail Yards:
A. The City shall commence and complete necessary activities to prepare the site for redevelopment. Such activities shall include, but not be limited to, undertaking environmental remediation and resolution of easement issues, seeking approval from the Workforce Housing Committee to use Workforce Housing Trust Fund monies for the Rail Yards, working with the Wheels Museum to hire an independent expert on museums, and converting 2nd and 3rd Streets in Barelas to two-way streets.
B. The Council supports the designation of the Rail Yards site and structures as City landmarks and asks the Mayor to exercise his authority by applying for City Landmark designation by the end of FY/08. It is the policy of the Council that until such designation is accomplished, the site and structures shall be protected, no modifications of the site or structures, or activities that would cause any modifications of the site or structures, are allowed other than superficial and transitory alterations that must be completely removed, and any uses of or modifications to the site or structures must receive prior approval from and be monitored by the City's Historic Preservation Planner and/or the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission as determined to be necessary by the City's Historic Preservation Planner. Routine repairs and maintenance will be allowed, subject to prior consultation with and approval by the City's Historic Preservation Planner.
C. Any agreement for the use of all or any portion of the Rail Yards site or structures that may exceed 180 days must receive prior approval from the Council.
2. The City shall retain the services of an independent consultant to coordinate the execution of all efforts and activities related to pre-development of the Rail Yards. Initial funding for the consultant, in the amount of $25,000, shall come from the Council Service Department's existing FY/08 general fund appropriation.
3. The City shall form the Rail Yards Advisory Board to establish a competitive public process for the selection of a Master Developer. The Master Developer shall assist the City of Albuquerque and the Advisory Board in developing a Master Plan for the site. The Master Plan shall be reviewed by the Environmental Planning Commission and approved by the City Council. The Advisory Board will oversee the redevelopment process and shall include, at a minimum, the following members:
A. City of Albuquerque
i. The Mayor or Mayor's designee
ii. The City Councilor from District 3
B. State of New Mexico
i. A representative appointed by the Governor
ii. The State Senator from District 12
iii. The State Senator from District 14
iv. The State Representative from District 14
v. The State Representative from District 18
C. Bernalillo County
i. The County Commissioner from District 2
D. A representative of the Wheels Museum
E. A representative elected by the Barelas neighborhood
F. A representative elected by the South Broadway neighborhood
G. A representative of the New Mexico District Council of the Urban
Land Institute
H. If applicable, the developer selected to develop Workforce
Housing at the Rail Yards during the first phase of
redevelopment.
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