Site identified for West Side indoor sports complex

The dream of a late Albuquerque city councilor is one day closer to fruition.

A site has been identified for a West Side indoor sports complex, according to a news release sent out Monday.

Ken Sanchez, who died in 2020, championed the project, said Councilor Louie Sanchez, who now holds the late councilor’s District 1 seat. Ken Sanchez was instrumental in securing another West Side sports facility, the Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex.

Louie Sanchez, no relation to Ken Sanchez, has taken up that torch, saying there’s a need for more indoor sports facilities on the West Side.

“I wanted to follow Ken’s dreams,” Sanchez said. “We needed to get this for our community.”

The proposed location, currently sitting vacant, is south of St. Josephs NW, between Coors and Atrisco. Sanchez said the owner “really wants to help the citizens of Albuquerque.”

In an email to the Journal, city spokesperson Ava Montoya said the lot already has full approval for commercial development. The proposed Oxbow Center has other commercial projects, including restaurants, planned for areas near the sports complex.

The site has not yet been appraised.

Two public meetings, one in May and one in June, were held to discuss the new site. If the location is approved by the City Council, Sanchez said, he is optimistic that Phase 1 will begin soon.

The project has been floated for over a decade, Sanchez said. Over the years, other locations have been considered, including one near the Jennifer Riordan facility and another close to Nusenda Community Stadium.

In a statement, Mayor Tim Keller said the facility that could host tournaments would be a “huge asset” to the city.

The facility plans to serve athletes across a variety of disciplines, with basketball courts and spaces for volleyball, wrestling, cheer, dance and indoor soccer.

More than $11 million in city and state funding has been pulled together for the project. The first phase of the project, which includes purchasing approximately seven acres and building an eight-court facility, is estimated to cost $15 million.

“I think this is going to be a fantastic facility,” Sanchez said. “I think it’s going to fill a gap that we’ve been missing for our youth and our community.”