On Monday, City Council heard from the city’s General Services Department about restoration of the firehouse located at the Albuquerque Rail Yards. The early 1900s structure is part of the city’s Rail Trail and is located on the northwest corner of the Rail Yards.
The Chamber has supported the proposed 7-mile, heart-shaped urban trail, and the safety and economic development it will bring, for years. It will allow residents and visitors to walk or bike from the historic Rail Yards to Downtown proper, to Old Town and the Sawmill District and to museums and BioPark and the beautiful Rio Grande bosque.
The Rail Yards Stabilization Project includes:
- A grant for $250,000.
- Stabilization that will allow for the preservation of the firehouse with building envelope improvements and preventative measures to preserve it.
- The General Services Department will work to execute the grant funding to achieve the stabilization of the firehouse.
The Chamber has recently championed various successful initiatives that hold potential to energize the economy Downtown and create a synergy with the Rail Trail, including formation of a Business Improvement District (BID) and a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District.
And the Rail Trail itself may supercharge interest in Downtown investments, as other urban trails have brought great increases in economic investment — around $1 billion in less than 20 years in peer cities like Indianapolis.