CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY-THIRD COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-18-62 ENACTMENT NO. _____________________
SPONSORED BY: Klarissa J. Peña, Ken Sanchez
RESOLUTION
title
Formalizing A Collaborative Effort Between The City Of Albuquerque And Bernalillo County To Preserve Crestview Bluff As An Historic Urban Green Area (Peña, Sanchez)
body
FORMALIZING A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE AND BERNALILLO COUNTY TO PRESERVE CRESTVIEW BLUFF AS AN HISTORIC URBAN GREEN AREA.
WHEREAS, Crestview Bluff has a long and rich history and is the last undeveloped location in direct proximity to the original Atrisco Village settlement and land grant that pre-dates the Albuquerque’s “Old Town” founding; and
WHEREAS, The site area is located along the western edge of the Middle Rio Grande Valley in Albuquerque near Central Avenue and Old Coors Boulevard; and
WHEREAS, Crestview Bluff originated twelve years after the reoccupation of New Mexico by Don Diego de Vargas in 1692, an 82,000-acre land grant was awarded to Don Fernando Duran y Chaves II as a town settlement, which became known as the Atrisco Land Grant. The land grant stretched from the Rio Grande to the Rio Puerco and included the Crestview Bluff area and surrounding neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, The site comprises 34.11 acres, under multiple ownerships; and
WHEREAS, The subject property is located in both unincorporated Bernalillo County and within the City bordering Central Avenue; however, the residential subdivisions bordering immediately to the west of Crestview Bluff are within the city limits; and
WHEREAS, A study commissioned by the City of Albuquerque to evaluate the possibility of a land acquisition revealed as many as 152 occasional, vagrant and migratory wildlife species, of which, 17 species are formally recognized by either State or Federal authorities as sensitive, may be found at or proximate to the site; and
WHEREAS, Crestview Bluff has one of the few undeveloped and unobstructed west mesa views incorporating downtown, the Bosque and Sandia Mountains; and
WHEREAS, The community desires the land to be publicly acquired, preserved and used for the purposes of historical and ecological interpretive outdoor education; biological conservation, wildlife viewing, scenic overlooks, and recreation; and
WHEREAS, There is a need for open space opportunities including bicycling, walking trails; pedestrian access, picnic, shaded areas and view opportunities; outdoor education, and cultural resource conservation in this area.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
A. The City Parks and Recreation Department shall work in collaboration with Bernalillo County to explore the possible public acquisition of Crestview Buff as an historic urban green area for the purposes enumerated above;
B. The Parks and Recreation Department shall report to the City Council on progress toward this initiative in six months from the adoption of this resolution.
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