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At its March 20 regular meeting, the Las Cruces City Council approved a three-year pre-development agreement with Sierra Norte Land Holdings, LLC of Las Cruces for the development, design and pursuit of federal funding for the Mesa Grande Drive Project.
The city was approached by the developer “with an innovative strategy to develop and design an extension of Mesa Grande Drive from U.S. Highway 70 south to Lohman Avenue, through a private-public partnership,” the city said in a news release.
Setting the project as a priority “will provide mobility benefits and serve as a catalyst for development of the East Mesa, the city said.
Under the agreement, Sierra Norte will perform all services required at its sole expense, the city said, will be responsible for planning, preliminary design, engineering and other project-related activities and will secure necessary rights-of-way. The city will act as the applicant for federal grants and will prioritize the project for future federal funding.
At the meeting, the city council also adopted a resolution that designates the El Paseo and south Solano and west Picacho areas of the city as metropolitan redevelopment areas (MRAs).
An MRA designation and development of an MRA plan “are the first steps in providing the city with the tools needed to facilitate the redevelopment of targeted areas of Las Cruces,” the city said.
The MRAs “exhibit deteriorated and blighted conditions due to a variety of factors,” the city said. “There is a significant need for the improvement of commercial and residential buildings, streets, sidewalks and utilities throughout the areas to ensure the health, safety and welfare of residents, businesses and visitors.”
