Winrock Town Center to unveil new park in Uptown-area development

Winrock Town Center is unveiling its newest addition to the development, a 2-acre park in the mixed-use development in Uptown.

Winrock Park will have a grand-opening event Saturday, with activities, entertainment and live music. Morning yoga, an artisan market, a beer garden and a car show will be part of the day, along with other family-friendly activities such as pickleball. The event at Winrock Town Center — located behind Dillard’s and across from Regal Cinemas in the Uptown area — is free and will run from 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

Market vendors will include locals like Doughboy Cookies, Bella Rose Permanent Jewelry and Jennifleurs Flower Truck. Local food and drink purveyors such as Chamoy Bar, With Love Waffles and Safehouse Distilling will be open 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Darin Sands, senior vice president of development for Goodman Realty Group, is excited to show Albuquerque what they have been working on.

“This park is the core of the site. It’s a real community space, and we’re excited to have an all-day party for Albuquerque,” Sands said. “This event will give everybody a taste of what is in store for Winrock.”

The addition of Winrock Park is part of a plan to make Winrock Center more pedestrian-friendly and combine office spaces, health and wellness centers, shopping, dining and entertainment. Local development group Goodman Realty funded the park and has plans to develop more around Winrock Center.

“You can get a lot done in a short amount of time. This area will be a one-stop shop for anything you need,” Sands said.

Other development plans include a cafe, more restaurants and a food hall, a pharmacy, comedy club, a new office building and hotel.

“A lot of big cities have a community space like this and it’s an amenity we don’t have. Now we have a center for everyone to enjoy, too. We want it to be a place where you can go on a Friday and say, ‘Let’s go get dinner and see what’s happening at Winrock,’” Sands said.

The park, which is behind Dillard’s, across from Regal Cinemas, has been envisioned by many in Albuquerque, and plans were originally created in 2007. Development of the park finally began 18 months ago.

“Up until last week, people drove by the empty Winrock space with our construction set up and probably didn’t pay attention. Now the fence is down, and I think people oughta come out and see this gem in the middle of Albuquerque that was made for them,” Sands said.

David Stroud, event curator of the park, says there will be several summer eventsin coming months.

Events like Shakespeare in the Park, full moon yoga and a flamenco festival are scheduled for June and July. Stroud said he will be organizing a variety of performers for the park’s amphitheater stage, along with an art and farmers market.

“As time goes on and we continue to refine what we are doing out here, it’ll be a number of community events,” Sand said.

Other amenities in the park include a children’s play area, a walking trail, a grass lawn and a small lake, which was built in partnership with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority. The water feature uses recycled water, and the goal is to educate people on water conservation efforts throughout the state. Kiosks will be available around the park to highlight area nonprofits and educate people on the various organizations in their city.

“We have a lot of exciting things planned for the park, and we are working on more every day. We want the park to be a popular place for people to hang out,” Stroud said.

The park will be available to rent out for private events, but pricing is still being set, according to Stroud. Some private events already have been scheduled, including a few weddings.

Mayor Tim Keller and Lt. Gov. Howie Morales will attend Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.