City planners and consultants presented the draft West Picacho & Motel Boulevard Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) plan at the Las Cruces City Council work session on Nov. 10 and asked for council feedback ahead of a Dec. 4 adoption hearing.

Selena Morales (Deputy Director, Economic Development) introduced the plan and said it was developed with Stantec after year‑long community engagement; the draft includes a proposed modest extension of the MRA boundary along West Picacho to capture older motel parcels that could benefit from redevelopment. Rhonda Bell (Urban Planner, Stantec) emphasized the plan’s people‑centered vision: “The vision of this plan is all people focused,” and said public outreach produced about 700 community survey responses, with top community priorities identified as supporting small business, improving property conditions, public safety, street beautification and addressing homelessness.

Stantec organized recommendations into six strategy buckets: safety and security (lighting, CPTED, police presence and smart infrastructure tied to the real‑time crime center), mobility (protected bike lanes, traffic calming, pedestrian improvements on Picacho), economic and workforce development (storefront improvements, land banking and small‑business supports), housing (motel conversions, protections such as right‑to‑return), beautification and cultural identity (public art and stories), and a funding/action matrix that identifies departmental 'champions' and potential funding sources.

Three catalytic sites were presented for concept‑level planning: a large privately owned 42‑acre Teshero parcel envisioned for phased mixed use with commercial edges and housing to transition to nearby neighborhoods; Camunez Park (2.6 acres) for park upgrades and programming; and the Blues Apartments (a converted motel) as a template for motel‑to‑housing conversions. The plan includes a detailed funding matrix with federal, state and private funding options and an action matrix that assigns departmental leads and phasing for each recommendation.

Councilors praised the engagement and largely supported extending the MRA boundary to the river and moving forward with the concept work, while asking for clearer analysis on jurisdictional limits and costs if the city were to assume control of Picacho from NMDOT. Stantec noted the single substantive change city control would allow is prohibiting truck traffic on West Picacho but cautioned taking over maintenance would be costly, so the draft does not recommend immediate transfer of the roadway to the city.

Public commenters supported the plan but raised questions: Joan Woodward suggested the river bridge could be considered as the West Gateway and urged traffic/accident analysis; others pressed for careful attention to event parking at Teshero/Field of Dreams and safety near schools.

Next steps: staff will return to council Dec. 4 for adoption (or to address further comments), continue MRA committee coordination in January and proceed with the action and funding matrices to help move projects toward readiness.

Provenance: Topic begins at SEG 1609 and continues through SEG 2448 (presentation and council discussion); public comments and follow‑up run through SEG 2780.

Quotes used here are taken from the Nov. 10, 2025 meeting transcript.