An article in the Albuquerque Journal says that the city and El Vado Motel owner Richard Gonzales have entered talks to settle their spat over the historic Route 66 property:
City officials and the old Route 66 tourist court owner, Richard L. Gonzales, are pursuing “settlement negotiations,” according to a letter from Planning Director Richard Dineen to the city’s Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission.
An application requesting that the motel, on Central near the Botanic Garden, be designated a city landmark was to be considered again by the commission Wednesday. But the city requested a 60-day postponement of the case, and any other pending cases concerning El Vado, “to facilitate settlement negotiations,” Dineen’s letter reads.
Gonzales, who did not agree to the designation attempt, consented to the delay.
Talks with the city started about a week ago, Gonzales told the Journal. Gonzales has proposed saving a portion of the motel and redeveloping the rear of the site with condominiums.
The property owner said there have been no discussions about the city buying the site.
I’m not sure what this means. I don’t know whether Gonzales simply wants this standoff to end and hand the property over to the city, or whether the parties are talking about demolishing part of the motel and keeping other parts of it for a museum or other purposes.
We want the entire motel to be preserved, not demolished entirely or in part. Tell them this. Write the city council, using this link here. You can also write to Mayor Martin Chavez at mayor@cabq.gov