From today’s Albuquerque Journal:
El Vado Motel owner Richard L. Gonzales says he will ask that his zoning request be postponed so there is time to explore the possible preservation of the motel.
Gonzales has planned to build townhomes at the site at Central and New York near the BioPark.
Mayor Martin Chávez said this week he will oppose a zoning change that would clear the way for the project. He offered to work with Gonzales to find a way to preserve the structure, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Gonzales said Wednesday he’s open to discussing the possibilities, which could include saving part of El Vado while also building townhomes.
“This doesn’t change my intent to build townhomes there, but I’m willing to compromise with a portion of the property,” he said.
This is a big change from his earlier stance last week in which he basically said he would bulldoze El Vado, damn the torpedoes. So the pressure from the local politicians and Route 66ers must be inducing him to take a more conciliatory tone.
So it appears Route 66 enthusiasts have been a benefit to Mr. Gonzales’ education! Good. Now some reasonable 66 fans, certainly including some local politicians, need to sit down with the man and show him how he can become a real hero — benefactor of historical preservation — by keeping El Vado and using it in a way that benefits both the Mother Road and his own reputation. Can the NM 66 Association step here and assist? Can the Federation point him to some examples of how this has been done in other places? Can the City of ABQ offer financial grants or incentives? We’ve won an advantage here, but it’s only the first step.
Bob, I think you’re on the right track, and I think all of your suggestions are excellent. We’ll wait for Emily to get home from ABQ and then discuss options.
If any y’all have other suggestions, feel free to use the comments section.