New Mexico
Preliminary ideas released for potential New Mexico State Fairgrounds redevelopment
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Potential redevelopment of the New Mexico State Fairgrounds in Albuquerque is moving fast, and KRQE News 13 is getting our first look at some of the big ideas being offered up to redesign one of the main corners of the property. The 49-acre corner is located on San Pedro and Central. Planners are emphasizing they’re only in the idea phase, but so far, that includes a lot of new potential housing and a possible, massive new park.
“Today, we’re looking at things like traffic calming on San Pedro, pedestrian safety on Central, which is one of the most dangerous roadways in the United States of America. Ten acres of green space that can open up and be available to the public,” said Martin Chavez, New Mexico State Fairgrounds Initiative.
Planners emphasize their concepts are not final, but they include ideas of adding a bunch a different types of housing, better bus stops, space for food trucks, and the flea market in what would be a big, open park and promenade. An initial estimate outlines a $64 million cost.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said the neighborhood is overdue for an update. “It just never got what it deserves to be a meaningful community that reflects the people who live there who have always deserved this level of prioritization and support,” said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-New Mexico).
Redevelopment could also include buying up neighboring land, like the closed CVS near Louisiana Blvd. and Central Ave. “So, it’s a balance of as things happen inside the fairgrounds, we also want to see good things happening outside the fairgrounds, and it’s a good first step,” said Roger Valdez, Director, the Center for Housing Economics.
Reacting to the ideas, Albuquerque City Councilor Nicole Rogers said it’s a great start, going in the right direction for her district. “This is stuff that we can do right away, regardless of what happens with the fair, if it stays or goes. Community wants green space, the community wants better pedestrian safety around the fair, and we need to lower the heat index,” said Nichole Rogers, Albuquerque City Councilor for District 6.
The Tax District Board overseeing the plan effort passed a resolution on Thursday to move the ideas forward to the next design stage. It will have to go to the State Board of Finance for approval next. The Fairgrounds District will host a second public meeting to get community input on the potential drafts on November 18.
After years of failure to land a “big fish” business for New Mexico’s economy (or effectively use the oil and gas revenues to grow the economy) Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham with the help of her Economic Development Secretary Rob Black have lured no fewer than three large data centers to New Mexico. These data centers are being built to serve the booming world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and they will have profound impacts on New Mexico.
It is our view that having these data centers locate in New Mexico is better than having them locate elsewhere. While we have many differences of opinion with this governor, we are pleased to see her get serious about growing and diversifying New Mexico’s oil-dependent economy albeit quite late in her second term.
Sadly, the governor and legislature have chosen not to use broad based economic reforms like deregulation or tax cuts to improve New Mexico’s competitiveness. But, with the failure of her “preferred” economic development “wins” like Maxeon and Ebon solar both of which the governor announced a few years ago, but haven’t panned out, the focus on a more realistic strategy is welcome and long overdue.
Currently, three new data centers are slated to be built in New Mexico:
- Oracle’s Project Jupiter in Santa Teresa with an investment of $165 billion.
- Project Zenith slated to be built in Roswell amounts to a $11.7 billion investment.
- New Era Energy & Digital, Inc. While the overall investment is unclear, the energy requirement is the largest of the three at 7 gigawatts (that’s seven times the power used by the City of San Francisco).
What is a data center? Basically, they are the real-world computing infrastructure that makes up the Internet. The rise of AI requires vast new computing power. It is critical that these facilities have uninterrupted electricity.
That electricity is going to be largely generated by traditional sources like natural gas and possibly nuclear. That contravenes New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act of 2019 which was adopted by this Gov. and many of the legislators still in office. Under the Act electrical power emissions are supposed to be eliminated in a few years.
With the amount of money being invested in these facilities and the simple fact that wind and solar and other “renewable” energy sources aren’t going to get the job done. In 2025 the Legislature passed and MLG signed HB 93 which allows for the creation of “microgrids” that won’t tax the grid and make our electricity more expensive, but the ETA will have to be amended or ignored to provide enough electricity for these data centers. There’s no other option.
New Mexicans have every right to wonder why powerful friends of the governor can set up their own natural gas microgrids while the rest of us face rising costs and decreased reliability from so-called “renewables.” Don’t get me wrong, having these data centers come to New Mexico is an economic boon.
But it comes tempered with massive subsidies including a 30-year property tax exemption and up to $165 billion in industrial revenue bonds. New Mexico is ideally suited as a destination for these data centers with its favorable climate and lack of natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. We shouldn’t be giving away such massive subsidies.
Welcoming the data center boom to New Mexico better than rejecting them and pushing them to locate in other states. There is no way to avoid CO2 emissions whether they happen here or somewhere else. But, there are questions about both the electricity demand and subsidies that must be addressed as New Mexico’s data center boom begins.
What will the Legislature, radical environmental groups, and future governors of our state do to hinder (or help) bring these data centers to our State? That is an open question that depends heavily on upcoming statewide elections. It is important that New Mexicans understand and appreciate these complicated issues.
Paul Gessing is president of New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation. The Rio Grande Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan, tax-exempt research and educational organization dedicated to promoting prosperity for New Mexico based on principles of limited government, economic freedom and individual responsibility
SANTA FE, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) – The New Mexico Department of Health says it will continue to recommend the full schedule of childhood vaccines.
State officials announced the move Tuesday, directly defying a new federal policy that scaled back routine immunization guidance.
The announcement comes after U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS), under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., reduced the number of vaccines it recommends for all children.
The New Mexico Department of Health stated the federal changes were “not based on new scientific evidence or safety data.”
“New Mexico will not follow the federal government in walking away from decades of proven public health practice,” said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. “Our recommendations remain unchanged.”
State health officials sought to reassure parents, emphasizing that vaccines remain widely available and covered by insurance.
“We know this is confusing for parents, but the science is clear: vaccines are safe, effective, and save children’s lives,” said Dr. Miranda Durham, chief medical officer for NMDOH.
All childhood vaccinations will continue to be covered under programs like Medicaid and the federal Vaccines for Children Program.
The state encourages parents to consult their healthcare providers using the American Academy of Pediatrics’ immunization schedule.
RECOMMENDED: CDC cuts childhood vaccine list, sparking healthcare professionals’ concerns
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