City purchases 387 acres near Sunport to shape airport growth, trade plans

Albuquerque’s Aviation Department has acquired major acreage in recent months, aiming to shape what development around the state’s largest airport will look like.

In a transaction that closed in September, the Aviation Department purchased 387 acres of land near the Albuquerque International Sunport for $29 million, said Director Manny Manriquez.

The acquisition enables the Sunport to “shape the future immediately adjacent to the airport, as well as more fully participate in the regional economic development that is unfolding and ... pursue the kinds of projects that are in alignment with (Federal Aviation Administration) regulation,” Manriquez said.

The land, previously owned by Arizona-based Horne-Stewart LLC, is largely undeveloped and situated south of the Sunport, north of Isleta Amphitheater, west of the Albuquerque Dragway and east of Interstate 25. Both University and Los Picaros SE run through the property, Manriquez said.

The city has been eyeing the property for more than a year, Manriquez said.

The 387-acre acquisition comes three years after the department purchased a rail spur that runs through the property. A rail spur is a short railroad track that branches off from the main track to serve a specific site, usually an industrial property or transiting and multimodal facility, Manriquez said.

“We’re in the process of envisioning how we activate the rail spur, but we definitely view it as an opportunity to not only create revenue for the airport but also support some of the regional economic activity going on,” Manriquez said.

Once activated, the new rail spur also has the potential to strengthen the city’s capacity for managing trade coming in and out of Albuquerque, Manriquez said.

The Sunport plans to rehabilitate the rail spur, which Manriquez said has been defunct for decades and is largely buried beneath dirt. A timeline for laying down new track hasn’t been set, as the Aviation Department is still working on creating a funding plan for the project, Manriquez said.

The department’s plans for the property beyond the rail spur rehabilitation are still in early planning stages, but Manriquez said he wouldn’t rule out leasing the property for projects compatible with airport operations.

Creating a “buffer zone” around the Sunport’s airfield for airport-related development or complementary leased projects was another motivator for purchasing the property, Manriquez said.

The newly acquired property isn’t the Aviation Department’s only area of focus for expansion. The department also acquired 129 acres of land adjacent to the Double Eagle II Airport, owned and operated by the department, for $9 million in July. The department is exploring expansion opportunities for aeronautical purposes at Double Eagle, Manriquez said.

Manriquez said he looks forward to sharing more as the department’s plans for these properties are ironed out in the coming months.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller hailed the acquisition in a statement to the Journal.

“This acquisition will help unlock capacity to support long-term growth in and around Albuquerque,” Keller said. “It enables the development of a rail-based cargo transportation network in a strategic location between the Sunport and Mesa del Sol.”