Dear All,

Thank you Sam for your data-heavy email.  These facts are very important.  I want to bring everyone’s attention to the last line of his email. .   Here is it:

 Nob Hill Main Street, and the local business association, and all Nob Hill residents should be scrutinizing and imposing as much oversight as possible upon any of Tom Long/Heritages designs in Nob Hill, holding them to account.

There are so many angles/approaches.  This plan is clearly bad for historical preservation, bad for community, bad for walkability, bad for the environment etc.  I agree that individuals should be involved, but I am concerned that when Heritage was bombarded with emails and phone calls about the parking situation, it only made them more hostile to the co-op or (per this interview) ANY grocery store.  I’m hoping that the organizations cited above will take this up so that we can work strategically within pre-existing structures. I imagine, for example, that Nob Hill Main Street has data on revitalizing neighborhoods.  The NHNA Historic Preservation Committee also has authority in this area.  We might even bring in the city and/or our district councilor to discuss the issue of food deserts.  It’s ironic for example that while city councilors are trying to get more people access to basic groceries within neighborhoods, he is planning on removing one.  

So many things…but what is to be done? 

Shoshana
Solano SE 



On Apr 10, 2026, at 9:38 PM, Rebecca & David Steele via Neighbors_nobhill-nm <neighbors_nobhill-nm@mailman.swcp.com> wrote:

Right on, Sam and Karin! I totally agree! The new parking rules will keep people from shopping at the Co-op. This developer does not care about being a neighborhood partner. Rebeca Steele.

On Fri, Apr 10, 2026 at 9:26 PM Sam Bawcum via Neighbors_nobhill-nm <neighbors_nobhill-nm@mailman.swcp.com> wrote:

So, Jim Long/Heritage envisions a community retail environment in which "We're not necessarily looking for big brands with a big balance sheet, we're looking for somebody who does something very unique and very special”, that would "play off the strengths of the area”. 

And yet, he considers the presence of La Montanita, a proven home-grown retail anchor and bulwark of Nob Hill for 50 years, as ""...a difficult one to operate out of for logistical reasons., giving preference to high-risk niche businesses (“antiques and found items, records and vinyl shop, retro game store, comic books, candy store, leather goods and hat shop”) and restaurants (average 1st year failure rates of 17% to 30%, and 5 year failure rates of 50%). A primary factor for the high rate of failure amongst these “handcrafted” retail ventures is high rent, minimal capital investment in actually maintaining the property, and the ever increasing rental rates.

Rarely do retail property owners and managers vet businesses for sustainable planning and long-term financial stability. If the business can pony up the initial rent and deposits, that’s all that matters to the owner/management. Hence the high turn-over rate, and vacancies, in which the rent is increased between tenant occupancies in an upwardly spiraling unsustainable manner.

As far as the paid parking setup, how are restaurants going to attract customers who must dine and dash within 1 hour? That is unless these "restaurants" are little more than drive-by pizzarias and coffee shops.  I don't think that falls into the category of "visionary" local chefs.

Don’t be fooled by this so-called visionary.  The only true vision is projected increase in revenue at the expense of truly sustainable home-grown businesses and the community at large. They have no intention of compromising their profit motive over maintaining a sustainable thriving retail environment in Nob Hill.

We require quality over quantity, long-term sustainability of short-term profitability.

Nob Hill Main Street, and the local business association, and all Nob Hill residents should be scrutinizing and imposing as much oversight as possible upon any of Tom Long/Heritages designs in Nob Hill, holding them to account.

Sam Bawcum
FP-C,NR-Paramedic 
Flight/Critical Care/Remote/Offshore
BSMT, AAS-EMS
+1 505.710.8418 
(Cell, WhatsApp)


On Fri, Apr 10, 2026 at 3:56 PM kingkb via Neighbors_nobhill-nm <neighbors_nobhill-nm@mailman.swcp.com> wrote:

Hi all,

I, too, saw this ~ looks pretty hopeful for nice work to come at Nob Hill Center. Also nice to hear of hopes of keeping the Coop:)

Thought I'd share a heads up I recently got that is worth attention.

Apparently, parking will be (or has) significantly changed. The area behind the Coop is no longer offering unlimited time for free parking. What I heard (I had walked) is that you will need to scan a code from a parking sign in order to get one hour of free parking. After that, it's expensive (I was told $75 and up).

Now, if someone out there knows this is not correct, I will thank you bunches for setting me ~ and everyone I just cautioned ~ straight!

Karen on Hermosa


On Apr 7 2026 10:02 AM, meyster1--- via Neighbors_nobhill-nm wrote:

Forwarding this item from this morning's ABQ Journal for your interest.
 
We still have a couple of newsletter routes that need delivery. If you can help please email newsletter@nobhill-nm.com
 
<image.png>

New Mexico businessman Jim Long remembers the awe he felt as a kid traveling along Route 66, enamored by the neon signs, unique diners and history he encountered along the way.

Long — now the founder and CEO of Heritage Cos., which owns many of the state's prominent hotels and culturally significant properties — is hoping to instill that same sense of discovery into Nob Hill Center, formerly Nob Hill Business Center, at 3500 Central SE along old Route 66.

Heritage acquired the 47,315-square-foot property in March of last year, announcing plans to "preserve and revive the historic shopping center," Long previously said. Now, more than a year later, Long shared that Heritage's vision for the property includes a renovation and leasing revamp effort slated to begin this year.

In addition to the new name, the project will include upgrading the property with a new patio, classic awnings, fresh bold accent colors, new signage, Route 66-inspired murals by local artists and an enhanced street presence through improved softscaping, lighting and pathways.

The aim of the upgrades is to create "a walkable, light-filled destination that feels both nostalgic and newly alive," according to a flyer outlining Heritage's vision for the property.

Heritage will get started on the property's new awnings in about two to three months, but construction on the remaining architectural upgrades will likely begin this fall and wrap up early next spring, pending the necessary permitting and a review from the city's Landmark Commission.

The U-shaped property, built between 1946 and 1947, was New Mexico's first modern suburban shopping center, according to its website. Today, Nob Hill Center is home to several tenants, including a New Mexico United shop, Gecko's Bar & Tapas, La Montañita Food Co-op and Organic Books — but the tenant lineup will look a little different in the coming years.

Over the next couple years, Heritage will be looking for tenants to fill both the property's existing vacant spaces and spaces that they expect to be vacant soon.

One of these spaces is a former Italian restaurant by the name of Scalo, which closed in August after the owners were hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit and failed to find a buyer for the eatery.

The space will remain a restaurant in Heritage's plans for the property, Long said. Several prominent chefs have toured the space and are considering it, he added, but nothing official has panned out yet.

The center also has two small retail vacancies, but the majority of the tenant revamp will occur in about two years — when the bulk of the center's current leases expire, Long said.

Heritage is also expecting the departure of some tenants for other reasons, including New Mexico United, which will close its Nob Hill shop when the soccer team's new facility is built. The company plans to add a patio to the space and fill it with a dining option, Long said.

La Montañita's presence in the center is also up in the air, as Long said the community- owned grocery store's growth is making the Nob Hill location a difficult one to operate out of for logistical reasons. But the co-op is a tenant Heritage hopes to keep, so Long said the company is in talks with La Montañita about building them a new location on the corner of Amherst and Silver SE to help meet their and their customers' needs.

If that occurs, it's unclear who would fill that space. Long said it probably wouldn't be a grocery store, but it would be a tenant that aligns with the company's overall vision for the property.

"We see this as an opportunity to revitalize the center, invest some capital in the property to bring it to a different level of physical condition and then carefully curate a collection of tenants that we feel will be the right mix for the future of this asset," Long said.

In Heritage's view, the right mix includes tenants that are all local, independent and offer "something rare, nostalgic or handcrafted," the company's flyer says.

"We're not necessarily looking for big brands with a big balance sheet, we're looking for somebody who does something very unique and very special," Long said, adding that Heritage is seeing high demand for rare finds and experiences across its properties.

In addition to handcrafted, the company wants to "play off the strengths of the area" and create a vintage retro feel at the center by attracting tenants that fit in some of the following categories: antiques and found items, records and vinyl shop, retro game store, comic books, candy store, leather goods and hat shop. Supporting local startups will also be a priority for the center, Long said.

"The Nob Hill Center is not a mall or marketplace," the company's Nob Hill Center flyer says. "It's a curated community of local visionaries, artisans and local chefs who embody the timeless appeal of Route 66: adventure, authenticity and Americana."

Over the last several years, the center "lost some of its luster," due to challenges with ART bus construction, COVID closures and a shifting retail landscape, Long and the flyer said. But with a selective tenant plan and some of those challenges now behind Nob Hill — as well as this year being the centennial of Route 66 — Long said he thinks now is the time for a project like this.

"It's all positive going forward," Long said. "There's a lot of new food establishments that have been opening, and they're doing well. So things are really shaping up nicely for Nob Hill, and it's exciting to be part of that."


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