The New Mexico State Fairgrounds District Board unanimously approved a $67.8 million pre-development budget for the 236-acre EXPO New Mexico/State Fairgrounds site in Albuquerque. The decision marks a major step toward a comprehensive master plan for the New Mexico fairground renovation that the state launched in July.
The master plan will lay out multiple options for how the site could be used, including whether the fair stays or relocates. It will include an implementation strategy for future infrastructure, development phases, and funding. The board expects to complete the master plan by March 2026.
The approved funding targets infrastructure improvements and community-driven upgrades while not committing either way to keeping the fair at its current location. It includes approximately $16 million for demolition and land preparation, about $27 million for internal roadways and utilities and roughly $19 million toward a proposed 10-acre public park featuring plazas, trails, play areas and storm-water management.
In addition, because the intersections of Central Avenue at San Pedro Drive and Central Avenue at Louisiana Boulevard that flank the fairgrounds are among the most dangerous pedestrian-vehicle crash areas, the board is reserving nearly $6 million in off-site pedestrian-safety and landscaping improvement will include about $2 million for intersection upgrades, $2.6 million for sidewalks and landscaping, and $140,000 for bus-stop enhancements.
The plan is being developed in three phases: The first and current phase is discovery. It involves assessing current conditions, gathering community input, and preparing initial market and site analyses. The second phase will be visioning, a time for exploring multiple alternatives and ultimately leaning toward a preferred option. The final phase is implementation when recommendations are made regarding policies and capital-funding strategies.
At this point in the development of the plan, community engagement is essential. The redevelopment website is filled with multiple surveys, public meetings and ongoing stakeholder outreach initiatives.
Board members suggest that the broader redevelopment effort may deliver up to $2 billion to $4 billion in economic activity depending on final plan components, funding sources, and inclusion of local residents.
The next milestone will be a public presentation of the Discovery-phase findings, followed by a visioning exercise in coming months. Meanwhile, construction of the early infrastructure is expected to begin in 2026 and reach completion by fall 2029. The New Mexico Legislature must approve remaining bonding next session before funds can be issued.
Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels
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