More good news on El Vado Motel

I received this e-mail this afternoon from Michael Taylor of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. Here is an excerpt that should explain things nicely:

I just spoke with Ed Boles, Preservation Planner for the City of Albuquerque, regarding the status of El Vado. Ed, and others on the city staff, have been working diligently on trying to find a workable solution to preserve El Vado. There is some optimistic news that I wanted you all to be aware of.

An application for landmarking the building has just been filed with the City by Mayor Chavez. This application will be heard by the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission on November 9. The guidelines to be adopted with landmarking, actually called development guidelines in the city’s code, are intended to preserve the significant aspects and parts of the property, but as always they must be written to allow some change, especially the kind of change that makes ongoing use and viability likely. However, options such as only preserving the sign, the office, and a few rooms would most likely not be acceptable. Any proposal to demolish a city landmark must be justified on grounds that the owner cannot rehabilitate the place and gain a reasonable return on that investment. The City’s Landmarks and Urban Conservation Ordinance can be found in the Planning Publications section of the City’s website, www.cabq.gov.

Mayor Chavez’s commitment to preserving El Vado is key to getting a good result and he was on board for its preservation before all the publicity. The publicity, however, has undoubtedly helped, and will be key when the city council hears the matter. No date has been set for the city council hearing.

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