On October 9, 2026 the Office of outgoing Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced in a news release that the state’s General Services Department has selected the Albuquerque-based architect firm Hartman + Majewski Design Group to produce a detailed master plan for the New Mexico State Fair Grounds also known as EXPO New Mexico. The contract awarded is valued at more than $6.4 million. Stantec Consulting Services Inc. has already created a general master plan for the site.
Hartman + Majewski was founded in Albuquerque in 2002. The firm describes itself as a “full-service firm specializing in community development”. The group’s past projects include Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, the Albuquerque BioPark’s Asia exhibit, Rio Rancho’s City Hall, Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, UNM’s Anderson Student Financial Services Center, and the New Mexico State Police District 1 facility. The selection of Hartman + Majewski Design Group comes seven months after the State Fairgrounds District Board voted 6-1 to approve redevelopment plans for the property’s southwest corner.
The General Services Department has issued Request for Proposals (RFP) for an anchor developer and intends to make its selection in December. That developer will use the master plan to build Phase One, which will include affordable housing, parks, an event center and stadium. The state General Services Department will oversee the project development.
The multi-year redevelopment is projected to support upwards of 940 jobs annually over 30 years. The Hartman + Majewski’s detailed plan will provide more specific guidance for the project’s future developer including where to position a proposed sports stadium, a public park and housing. The plan includes designing a park, pedestrian improvements, mixed housing and commercial development, and a stadium. The entire planning and development process is expected to take up to two years. The Commercial Real Estate Development Association recently released a poll showing that local real estate leaders support the redevelopment project and think it could spur more investment in the International District located directly south if the fairgrounds on Central.
Phase One is funded with $200 million, which includes money for buying out private properties. The first phase could include housing, a public park, pedestrian improvements, mixed-use commercial spaces and a sports stadium for a professional soccer team. The state is also looking at a potential “phase two” which would add hotels and other features to the site.
State leaders call it an exciting milestone because of what it could do to revitalize Albuquerque’s International District along Central Ave., east of San Pedro. Anna Silva, the Secretary of the New Mexico General Service Department, said this:
“[The contract award marks] a significant step in establishing the planning and design framework necessary to advance the project. The detail master planner basically takes the concept and what we say, what we call program the site, and basically it’s determining where all the pieces are going to be laid out on the site. … The state is also looking at a potential “phase two,” which would add hotels and other features to the site. … We plan to bring security. We plan to bring development. We plan to bring opportunities for everybody around the area. So the housing is not going to be pushing people out. we’re going to be enhancing the community,”
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said this in a statement:
“We’re making steady progress on the State Fairgrounds, and each step brings us closer to the day when families in the International District can take pride in a revitalized neighborhood that’s safer and provides more economic, recreational and cultural opportunities for all who call the area home. Today’s announcement shows that my administration is committed to enhancing quality of life in the International District and all of Albuquerque.”
Links to quoted or relied upon news sources are here
https://www.krqe.com/home/state-picks-firm-to-create-state-fairgrounds-master-plan/
EVOLUTION OF STATE FAIR GROUNDS REDEVELOPMENT EFFORTS
It was on March 21, 2025, in response to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s announcement to redevelop or move the State Fair, also known as Expo New Mexico, the New Mexico legislature passed legislation creating the “State Fairgrounds District.” It is a board that has redevelopment funding authority over the existing State Fair grounds area. The State Fair Commission still remains as the oversight authority over of the state fair. Voting members of the State Fairgrounds District Governing Board are:
- Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, chairperson
- Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller
- Senator Mimi Stewart, Senate President Pro-Tempore, International District, #17
- State Representative Janelle Anyanonu whose district the fair grounds is located
- City Councilor Nichole Rogers whose district the fair grounds is located
- County Commissioner Adriann Barboa whose district the fair grounds is located
- Peter Belletto, President, District 6 Neighborhood Coalition
On June 18, 2025 the state General Services Department announced that a $844,433 contract with Stantec Consulting Services Inc. was entered into with the State for Stantec to create a Master Plan for repurposing the 236-acre tract of land that will make suggestions for the land’s use.
STATE FAIRGROUNDS DISTRICT BOARD VOTES TO SPEND $114 MILLION ON PHASE 1
On March 14, 2026, the State Fairgrounds District Board held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on the Fairgrounds, with the meeting chaired by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. All 7 voting members were present.
The State Fairgrounds District Board voted 6-1 to approve Phase 1 of the Master Plan giving their approval for the state to spend $114 million in appropriations from the Legislature once the fiscal year began on July 1. The Phase 1 price tag is upwards of $200 million when combined with previously approved bonds.
Phase 1 includes infrastructure maintenance for the State Fair and to add permanent retail space. Phase 1 concentrates on reshaping and redevelopment of the 250-acre site and includes upgrading fairground facilities, adding retail and entertainment options and an outdoor stadium. Phase 1 proposes a mixed-income housing and public park spaces.
According to Stantec Consulting Services Inc the investment is expected to generate $5.7 million a year in tax earnings which is double what the State Fair currently produces. Phase 1 is expected to create nearly 1,000 jobs.
Representatives with Stantec said the investment covers a wide mix of long‑needed improvements. Stantec said it’s recommending a stadium as an anchor tenant, because it could draw activity year-round. The funding triggers the start of Phase 1 construction and includes the following:
- A new multi-purpose sports stadium.
- New housing and business space.
- Park Plaza public spaces.
- Pedestrian safety improvements.
- Infrastructure upgrades.
- New traffic calming and pedestrian safety upgrades on San Pedro.
- New roads through the fairgrounds site, a park, housing.
The vote included building an outdoor sports stadium on existing State Fair property with no plans for replacing and demolition of the aging Tingly Coliseum. It also included a mixed use and mixed-income housing development on the property located at southwest corner of the Fairgrounds bordered by San Pedro on the West and Central on the South of the New Mexico State Fairgrounds. The Phase 1 development will see the annual State Fair operating as normal while demolition and construction are underway around it.
Voting “YES” to Phase One were Governor Lujan Grisham, Mayor Tim Keller, City Councilor Nichole Rogers, Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, state Rep. Janelle Anyanonu, D-Albuquerque, and Peter Belletto, the president of the District 6 Neighborhood Coalition. Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa voted “NO” after her motion to defer the vote for one month narrowly failed. Barboa wanted to defer the decision for a month so that the board could first vote on a Community Benefit Agreement (CBA), which sets out requirements for development, such as local hiring.
SEEKING TO REDEVELOP PROPERTY NOT OWNED
The current State Fairgrounds District Board voted to spend upwards of $200 million on property that is not part of the State Fair grounds and where there are 12 business located. The Southwest corner property is bordered by San Pedro on the West and Central on the South and is in fact private property owned by a number of individuals and including limited liability corporations. The state sent out Letters of Interest to Purchase with no responses received to date. Appraisals of roughly 30 lot parcels are only in the beginning phases and will likely take months to complete.
Governor Lujan Grisham and state officials had hoped to have all the property acquired by September 1 so they could break ground on Phase 1. They were being way too optimistic. The State has set aside $22 million to purchase the property and another $15 million for relocation on business, and that just may not be enough, especially if you are dealing with an unwilling seller.
Confidential sources have confirmed that property owners are extremely upset with the state efforts to buy their properties and they intend to resist and go to court if need be. State Officials have already said they are willing to initiate condemnation actions if the property cannot be acquired for fair market value.
MASTER PLAN PRESENTATION BY STANTEC
On March 14, 2026, after over three months of community input and surveys conducted, Stantec Consulting Services held a public meeting and made a presentation on the Master Plan which included a presentation on Phase 1 of the Master Plan.
“Recommendations highlights include the State Fair remaining on the Fairgrounds, with investment in infrastructure and facilities upgrades, as well as an outdoor sports stadium as a strong economic anchor, activating the Fairgrounds and its edges with a walkable, mixed-use core, including housing and commercial activity.
Based on community feedback and discussion with Expo NM staff, the Fairgrounds would be reimagined from a seasonal venue into a place where residents and visitors can meet, dine, shop, stay, recreate, learn, live, and work through-out the year. Mixed-use environments would be programmed even on non-event days, centering housing, community venues, parks, and workplaces that could significantly expand Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) generation, a portion of which is utilized to unlock bonding for future development on the Fairgrounds.
Critical to Phase 1 recommendations are that the Fairgrounds are integrated into the surrounding neighborhoods by connected streets, parks, activated edges and pedestrian improvements.”
The Stantec report found that the cost of relocating the fair would be $1.1 Billion to $1.970 Billion for relocation and redevelopment. ($1.1 billion along with another $870 million for development. )
The link to review Stantec’s March 14 Master Plan presentation is here:
Click to access NMSFG_Draft-Recommendations_Public-Meeting-3.pdf
COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS
On January 1, 2027, Governor Elect Deb Haaland will officially be sworn into office replacing Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Virtually all 6 of the Governor appointed members of the State Fairgrounds District Governing Board can be replaced by new Governor Deb Haaland. Haaland could decide not to chair the governing board and even seek to abolish it.
The entire seven member State Fair Commission appointed by Governor Lujan Grisham will likely be replaced by Governor Haaland as commission terms end. Then there is the fact that State Fair Manager Dan Morning could also be replaced by Governor Haaland. Dan Mourning has been the manager of the New Mexico State Fair for about a decade. He took over the role approximately ten years ago when he was appointed by then Republican Susana Martinez. By all accounts, Morning has done a respectable job and has significantly influenced the fair’s environment and operations. It is well known that Morning is no fan of moving the State Fair Grounds.
It is downright pathetic that outgoing Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham would award a $6.2 Million contract to create a detailed State Fairgrounds Redevelopment Plan less than 90 days before she leaves office. It is an apparent effort by her to cling to a legacy project depriving her successor Governor Deb Haaland any room to change course on design or priorities. Governor Lujan Grisham could easily go down as the Governor who destroyed the State Fair for the sake of her ego.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING NOT HIGHEST AND BEST USE OF FAIRGROUNDS
At least $30 million of the Phase 1 monies is dedicated specifically for affordable housing and other types of income level housing. The blunt reality is that $30 million will not go very far to build affordable housing. The term affordable housing is a false narrative. When the term “affordable housing” is used by elected officials, investors and developers, what they mean is “subsidized government housing.” Construction costs are consistent when it comes to building a new housing and affordable housinfg. According to the Homebuilders Digest, construction costs covering everything from materials to the actual construction average between $175 to $225 per square foot. To build a 750 square foot housing unit would therefore carry a cost of $131,000 to $168,750.
What the State Fair District Board did not take into account nor discuss is that the years 2024, 2025, 2026 were banners years for state appropriations to expand homeless and affordable housing projects in the City, including in the International District. During the 2024 and the 2025 legislative sessions, the New Mexico Legislature dedicated more than $300 million to various housing-related measures at different agencies, including revolving loans for builders, down-payment assistance and anti-homelessness programs. The Legislature specifically earmarked $110 million in the 2025 year’s budget of the $10.8 billion budget for affordable housing and homelessness assistance programs.
During the 2026 legislative session, the New Mexico legislature appropriated $175 million for statewide housing and homelessness initiatives with the lion’s share going to Albuquerque. The 2025 New Mexico Legislature approved upwards of $140 million for housing programs during the legislative session with $83 Million of the $140 Million is earmarked for projects in the Albuquerque area for housing and the unhoused.
PARK AREA ACCESED FROM CENTRAL WILL LIKELY BE MAGNET FOR CRIME AND UNHOUSED
Phase 1 places a major emphasis and dedicates a large portion of the State Fair property to park area with access from Central. The reality of the city’s homeless crisis is that parks are notoriously magnets for crime and the unhoused. At this point, the State Fairgrounds, does not have a crime problem with the New Mexico State Police having primary law enforcement responsibility to calls for service. The lack of crime on the state fair property will no doubt change with a park and access from Central.
Area resident Dave Kailer was absolutely correct when he was questioned whether a proposed park could thrive in the area and he said this:
“You know what is going to happen to that park if you put it in the war zone? It will turn into a homeless park, let’s face it. … I don’t want to be ugly about it or negative about it. I’m just being realistic.”
History tends to repeat itself over and over again especially when it comes to the homeless crisis and parks in Albuquerque. The State Fair District Board might as well dedicate any park on State Fair grounds property with public access from Central as Coronado Park 2 in remembrance to Coronado Park which was closed by the city as a result of more than 125 unsheltered people taking over the park to camp and it becoming a hot bed for narcotic usage, trafficking illicit drugs and violent crime, including homicides and rapes.
MISPLACED REDEVLOPMENT GOALS
Five out of the current seven State Fair District Board members are elected officials of the International District with the President of the District 6 Coalition of Neighborhoods all in the International District. It apparent that Governor Lujan Grisham’s appointed State Fair District Board were strictly dedicated to reviving and benefiting the International District. Governor Lujan Grisham and her appointments to the State Fair District Board essentially ignored the needs and concerns of neighborhoods and businesses to the West, North and East of the Fairgrounds as well as the state wide support for the State Fair remaining where it is.
Outgoing Governor Lujan Grisham and her appointed State Fair District Board are using State Fair property to solve all the crime, economic problems and lack of affordable housing of the International District. Until you reduce crime and homeless on Central itself and in the International District itself, redevelopment of the State Fair property to benefit the International District will fail.
The International District, which is bordered by Central South of the State Fairgrounds has had for decades some of the highest violent crime, property crime and drug offense rates, so much so that it was at one time referred to as the WAR ZONE until it was officially renamed the International District, but the renaming had no impact on the trajectory of the area. The International District continues to be plagued by high crime rates and now has become a magnet for the homeless with encampments constantly popping up and cleaned up by the city only to pop up again.
Crime and the unhoused is what is destroying private investment, job growth and small business development within in the International District. After all the millions are spent to redevelop the fairgrounds, to improve infrastructure and traffic flow, building a park, adding public spaces and allowing businesses and low-income housing, the problems of high crime rates and the unhoused will remain the same in the International District because they have never been solved for decades. No businesses will want to relocate to the State Fair grounds after it is developed into commercial property, and it will become a magnet for crime and for the homeless, especially with parks.
CONCLUSION
On day one of assuming office, Governor Deb Haaland will have to decide sooner than later exactly what to do with the State Fairgrounds District Governing Board, replacing members of the State Fair Commission where she can and perhaps finding a new State Fair Manager. Governor Haaland should also decide if she wants to suspend or decide what can be done with the $6.4 million contract awarded for to create a detailed State Fairgrounds Redevelopment Plan by Governor Lujan Grisham in the wanning days of her administration.
Expo New Mexico can be revitalized into an Entertainment and Commercial Hub that could revitalize the entire SE Heights and surrounding area with creation of all new commercial property areas leased by the State Fair for shops, restaurants, theaters and entertainment venues that would also be used for operations of the annual State Fair and during the State Fair itself. The aging Tingly Coliseum should be demolished and a new multipurpose, state of the art venue should be built to replace it.
There should be no affordable housing and no other housing on the property. No portion of the State Fair acreage should be sold to any developer. The existing walls along San Pedro, Lomas and Louisiana should remain intact for security reasons but develop larger entrances. Efforts to revitalize adjoining neighborhoods should only be undertaken by private developers perhaps with state and city development and tax incentives.
The link to a related, previous article is here: