Albuquerque’s Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission again on Wednesday deferred a decision on whether to designate the historic El Vado Motel as a city landmark.
The decision has been moved to Nov. 14.
It has been reported that the city and owner Richard L. Gonzales have been negotiating a possible buyout of the motel. Gonzales initially wanted to tear down the motel so he could build luxury townhouses. But Mayor Martin Chavez — who, incidentally, announced Wednesday he is running for U.S. Senate — has very publicly vowed to not let that happen.
Chavez has said he would use eminent domain to protect El Vado as a last resort (and one New Mexico insider has assured me that Chavez is as serious as a heart attack about that).