Reposted from the Las Cruces Bulletin, October 15, 2010
$5 million project to spur economic development
A broad coalition of local community groups has joined forces to add more “bling” to the growing jewel that is Downtown Las Cruces.
The Downtown Las Cruces Partnership (DLCP), which is the Las Cruces Main Street revitalization organization, along with the Doña Ana Arts Council (DAAC), the city’s leading arts advocacy group, are spearheading the effort to bring additional economic development to the heart of Las Cruces. The group’s official name is the Downtown Arts & Business Revitalization Partnership (DABRP). The group has three major objectives.
The first is to renovate and re-purpose the state-owned Camuñez Building for use as a retail and arts center. The proposed name of the project is El Mercado The two-story building, which contains approximately 17,000 square feet of interior space, was the site of Las Cruces’ original J.C. Penney store and most recently the state’s Juvenile Probation Offi ce. It is located between the Rio Grande Theatre and the award-winning La Placita outdoor entertainment venue now under construction.
The second objective is to create small business incubation and business accelerator programs for local farmers, artists, craftsmen and entrepreneurs.
The third aim of the project is to establish a film and theatrical production-training program to create jobs, apprenticeships and internships in the entertainment industry.
Funding will be provided through federal, state and private sources, so no increases in local property or gross receipts taxes will be used. Federal funding will come from grants from the Department of Commerce Economic Development Assistance (EDA), the Department of Educational Hispanic Serving Institutions and Academic Colleges (HSAIC) program, the Veteran’s Administration (VA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). State funding will come from New Mexico state appropriations and the Department of New Mexico Finance & Administration (NMFA). Private benefactors and philanthropic organizations, such as the McCune Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Mexico Arts Commission, will also be tapped for assistance. Within five years, the estimated $5 million development is projected to create a minimum of 100 Downtown jobs and thousands of dollars in gross receipts taxes.
Many players make up the revitalization team. The DLCP plans to utilize the ground floor of El Mercado to develop retail spaces and kitchen facilities for local entrepreneurs, such as farmers market’s vendors who want to grow their businesses to the next level. Initial plans call for the retail operations to be open seven days a week. The Doña Ana Arts Council, Alma d’Arte Charter School and Doña Ana Community College (DACC) propose to utilize the second floor to foster creation of an apprenticeship program for entrepreneurs who want to start their own media technology businesses. A recording studio and computer technology bay will provide lease space to the movie industry, among others. The Hispano Chamber of Commerce de Las Cruces, the Las Cruces Farmers & Crafts Market, the NMSU Agricultural Extension Office and the City of Las Cruces Film Office will also lend expertise to the venture.
Downtown is growing. The middle two blocks of Main Street have been reopened and have already welcomed thousands of people to the many events Downtown has to offer, such as SalsaFest, Winter Fest, events at the Rio Grande Theatre and the farmers market – just to name a few. Reconstruction of the northernmost two blocks of Main Street is currently underway and scheduled for completion within about a year.
Upon completion of the current project, construction crews are scheduled to begin reconstruction of the southernmost two blocks of Main Street. La Placita, which is the extension of Organ Avenue that runs between Main and Water streets and separates the Camuñez Building from the old Popular Dry Goods store and the soon-to-open La Iguana Restaurant, is nearing completion.
Future plans also call for the reconfiguration of Water and Church streets to two-way traffic, eliminating the “racetrack” effect created by the one-way streets currently in use. Plans also include utilizing the Downtown parking lots, which are owned by the city, for development of multi-story retail, housing and parking facilities.
Given the momentum of the revitalization of the heart of our city, the Downtown Las Cruces Partnership’s slogan – “Downtown – It’s Really Happening” – couldn’t be more accurate.