The Las Cruces City Council will meet at 1 p.m. Monday, March 23, 2023, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St. for a regularly scheduled meeting.
City Council will consider the adoption of a Resolution that could approve a pre-development agreement between the City and Sierra Norte Land Holdings, a limited liability company, for the development, design, and pursuit of federal funding for the Mesa Grande Drive Project. The City has been approached by the developer, Sierra Norte Land Holding, LLC, with an innovative strategy to develop and design an extension of Mesa Grande Drive, from U.S. Highway 70 to Lohman Avenue, through a private-public partnership.
Setting the Mesa Grande Drive Extension Project as a priority would provide mobility benefits and serve as a catalyst for development of the Las Cruces East Mesa. Sierra Norte Land Holdings has provided the framework to City staff that would facilitate the utilization of private resources for the planning, design, pursuit of funding, and allocation of required local match funding.
The pre-development agreement would serve as the first step toward the implementation of the Mesa Grande Drive Extension Project that develops infrastructure with significant positive impacts on the community.
Additionally, City Council will consider a Resolution, and conduct a public hearing, that would make certain findings and determinations pursuant to the City’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Code. Council approval of the Resolution would designate the El Paseo and South Solano, and West Picacho areas as Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas (MRAs).
The City’s Economic Development Department hired Groundworks Studios in the fall of 2022 to evaluate the City’s Infill Area to determine if all or portions of the Infill would qualify for MRA designation. As a result of that process, the Las Cruces Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) Boundary Designation Report is the culmination of an extensive and detailed assessment of multiple focus areas within the Infill Development Overlay District of Las Cruces.
The MRA designation, followed by the 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 assessment process and designations align with Elevate Las Cruces and the El Paseo Blueprint.
The proposed Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas designated in this report exhibit deteriorated and blighted conditions due to a variety of factors. There is a significant need for the improvement of commercial and residential buildings, streets, sidewalks, and utilities throughout the area to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of residents, businesses, and visitors in the proposed MRAs.
The full agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting is available online at https://lascruces.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=505.
Monday’s Council meeting will be televised live on Comcast Cable channel 20 and will be broadcast in high definition on Comcast Cable channel 928. The meeting also will be streamed online at clctv.com and at YouTube.com/clctv20.