East Downtown Los Alamos Metropolitan Redevelopment Area
Los Alamos County, Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District, and New Mexico MainStreet
are working to create a community-driven MRA Plan.
Overview & Background
Los Alamos County, Los Alamos MainStreet and Creative District, and New Mexico MainStreet are working to create a community-driven MRA Plan.
What is a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA)?
An MRA is an area that a city or county has prioritized for economic and physical reinvestment. The Designation area is approved by a city or county council. To be considered for designation, the area must have:
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Vacant or underutilized property
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Substandard buildings
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Insufficient infrastructure, or
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Other signs of disinvestment
MRA Overview
The MRA Plan is designed to identify specific redevelopment projects that when implemented will help stimulate business and community building activity. Tools enabled by the MRA can support projects and programs for a more welcoming, beautiful, accessible, and functional neighborhood.
The East Downtown Los Alamos MRA will identify projects and programs to address the issues identified in the designation report (linked below). Once adopted, it will allow the County to contribute public resources to private projects without violating the New Mexico Anti-Donation Clause. These private projects are guided by development agreements and require tangible community benefit.
White Rock Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA)
Overview & Background
The designation of a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) zone allows for the contribution of public resources to private redevelopment projects, thereby helping catalyze reinvestment in the area [See Benefits one-pagers in the Resources section]. The designation of a MRA is the first step to the development of a corresponding MRA Plan that outlines potential redevelopment projects and activities based on comprehensive community engagement and economic analysis.
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Los Alamos MainStreet previously requested New Mexico MainStreet consultants’ assistance to assess the potential in White Rock [see White Rock Designation Report in the Resources section], which was complimentary as a result of Los Alamos MainStreet’s good standing with the state and national accreditation status.
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White Rock officially became part of a County-wide Los Alamos MainStreet program in late 2018. Since that time, Los Alamos MainStreet has taken steps to speak with business and property owners about the benefits of designating the MainStreet district in White Rock as a MRA zone, in conjunction with simultaneous efforts by the County to initiate a Downtown Master Plan & Development Code Update for both White Rock and Los Alamos. These Downtown Master Plans and Development Code Updates were led by a consultant hired by the County, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini (DPS). In Oct. 2022, the final White Rock MRA was approved.
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Contact
Contact Los Alamos MainStreet at mainstreet@losalamos.org or 505-661-4844.
Contact Los Alamos County Planning Division at planning@lacnm.us or 505-662-8120.
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Resources
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