The City of Albuquerque has requested another deferral on whether to again designate El Vado Motel as a city landmark, and the owner has agreed to another 30-day delay, according to Maryellen Hennessy, senior planner with the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission.
The LUCC was supposed to decide this on Wednesday. It now looks like it will be until Oct. 10 at the earliest before anything is decided.
Previously, motel owner Richard Gonzales appealed a previous LUCC decision to designate El Vado a city landmark, thus protecting the property from redevelopment. The appellate court ruling sent the El Vado city landmark application back to the beginning.
The city has been in ongoing negotiations with Gonzales on a possible buyout of the property. Mayor Martin Chavez has threatened to seize El Vado using eminent domain if the historic property is threatened. Gonzales wanted to tear down the motel and replace it with luxury townhouses.