This revitalization strategy and master plan focused on the commercial corridor along 4th Street through the Village of Los Ranchos. The project focused on strategies that could promote the commercial revitalization of the businesses in the corridor while encouraging a mixed land use pattern. Recognizing the nature of the Village, the length of the corridor, and varying market opportunities by segment of the corridor, Sites Southwest identified areas with the highest commercial potential through a market study which included surveys of businesses and residents and created a land use plan and catalytic project zones to encourage development in those nodes. Outside the commercial nodes, the revitalization strategy recommends mixed uses. Design guidelines in the master plan for the corridor were intended to retain the character of Los Ranchos with higher density patterns as the corridor develops. The plan provided information regarding community demographics and retail expenditure potential as well as background information on local businesses. Following the conclusion of master planning efforts, the project team moved on to the total redesign of the corridor. A sense of the community’s unique history and culture was integrated into the redesign through the use of materials, design motifs and a complete street approach to design.
Aldea El Paso
El Paso's Aldea is a 250-acre Master Planned New Urbanist Community located in the city's northwest sector. It is situated near the dramatic Franklin Mountains and the beautiful Chihuahuan Desert. Sites Southwest collaborated with the owners and Moule&Polyzoides Urbanists to create a plan for the residential and commercial center in a desert-friendly community.
Parks, streetscapes, trails, a parking grove with water harvesting and wildlife attractants, a winery, and a series of interconnected arroyo/open space environments are all part of the plan. Water conservation strategies for the community include green infrastructure, low-impact development, and water harvesting. Environmental efforts at the sites included a wildlife survey, 404 permitting, and a mitigation plan with planting designs.
Sandia Ranch Master Plan
Sandia Ranch is a 19-acre recreational complex in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sites Southwest recently master planned the land that would house the Extension Service of Central New Mexico, as well as a place to experiment with restoration and agricultural techniques to redevelop the land. A portion of the famous Camino Real is included in the project, as well as habitat along an acequia and drainage areas.
We were also in charge of obtaining entitlements for the complex. Coordinating community outreach for the plan, compiling technical documents, preparing land use applications, and presenting the plan at public meetings and hearings were all part of the entitlement process.
Tiguex Park Museum District
Tiguex Park has been a part of Albuquerque and its residents since its inception in the early 1970s, when it was designed by Antoine Predock. It has been redesigned to provide a lovely shaded promenade connecting Old Town and the City's three museums to the northeast. Tiguex Park is not only a neighborhood park with playgrounds, ball courts, and soccer fields; it also serves as a focal point for Old Town Fiestas and a gathering place for the greater Albuquerque metropolitan area. Sites Southwest reviewed the context, street crossings and linkages, and programmatic needs to redesign this special place. The new design repurposed the soccer fields as an amphitheater, incorporated water conservation strategies with seat walls along the park's edges, improved safety and visibility by opening up the berms around the park, and updated the park's orientation and connection to its neighbors: neighborhoods, the Museum District, Mountain Road, and the Sawmill Area. Sites Southwest created a series of aesthetic elements to make the park more identifiable, highlighted by the iconic gateway monuments fabricated with New Mexico Travertine that linked the design to the building forms of the Albuquerque Museum.
