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Estevan López spent a dozen years managing water controversies in drought-prone New Mexico as director of the Interstate Stream Commission and the deputy state engineer.
That training was about the best anyone could get for managing the nation’s largest water wholesaler, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said his longtime colleague, former state engineer John D’Antonio. The U.S. Senate confirmed López on Wednesday as the federal agency’s new commissioner.

The Paseo del Norte/I-25 interchange is finally set to open. Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the $93-million project right now.
On Tuesday, barrels will be gone and so will a lot of the traffic headaches. The Paseo project, which started more than a year ago, is expected to wrap up Monday night.
Gov. Susana Martinez, Mayor R.J. Berry and others will gather to celebrate the end of the project with an event starting at 8:30 p.m. Monday. Soon after they cut the ribbon, the first cars will be able to use the flyover.
On Tuesday, drivers will be able to pass through four new bridges and three new interchanges that link the city’s east and Westside. The most noticeable change, the flyover that connects northbound I-25 to westbound Paseo – will also be open.
The free-flow ramp is expected to cut down the drive time for many people in that area.
“We’ve opened up quite a bit of the project already as we crept toward the end of the project, and this is the final piece, and by tomorrow morning, everybody will be able to use Paseo Del Norte at full capacity the way the project was intended,” said Phil Gallegos, spokesman for the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

Transportation officials said approximately 154,000 cars travel through the interchange each day. In addition, an estimated 470 accidents a year have occurred at the interchange, and the new project is designed to reduce those crashes.
Drivers like longtime Albuquerque resident Pete Roth said, “I remember when this was a dirt road out here for Paseo, so this is a whole near era for Albuquerque.” He is confident the traffic congestion will be eased. “Absolutely, this is going to be a great improvement, especially for those who live on the west side,” he said.
Jesse Story, another driver, added, “Oh, yes, it will definitely make a difference. Get the traffic flow going a little faster. That’s what’s it’s all about.”
“We live in Placitas, so having the freeway closed sometimes and taking a half an hour to just get through this area, it’s going to be awesome,” said Alyssa Lamb. “We will celebrate tomorrow once we see it completely open.”
Even though there’s a big ribbon cutting Monday night, the project isn’t completely finished. Crews still need to work on a few things in the spring when weather allows. The New Mexico Department of Transportation said crews will return once the weather warms up in the spring to complete bridge overlay work.
The opening of the flyover is four days ahead of schedule. KRQE News 13 will have crews at the ribbon cutting and will provide updates on air and online.
By: Emily Younger, Aaron Drawhorn and Alex Goldsmith (KRQE News 13)
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Local efforts to boost educational opportunities and career paths for young people helped Albuquerque land up to $1.2 million in funding as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Innovation Teams program, Mayor Richard Berry said Monday.

Albuquerque is one of 12 cities nationwide, including Boston and Los Angeles, along with two Israeli cities, that won awards from the foundation started by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to create teams charged with tackling problems of job growth, poverty and public safety.

“Bloomberg Philanthropies is validating what is going on, they are seeing us (Albuquerque) as innovators, and they’re bringing additional resources to bear for us to continue the work that’s already going on,” Berry said at a news conference Monday.

The city will be granted $400,000 annually for three years to create an “innovation team” that will study education and employment and identify ways the city can make improvements.

“The i-team will provide Albuquerque with a clear-headed approach and resources to identify gaps in Albuquerque’s decision-making infrastructure in regards to education and employment opportunities,” city spokeswoman Rhiannon Schroeder said in a release.

Among innovative efforts in Albuquerque are Running Start for Careers, a public/private partnership designed to give high school students access to industry-taught curricula, and Homework Diner, a school-based initiative that helps elementary-age kids and their parents with homework tutoring, Berry said.

The grant was possible because of a public/private partnership between the city and New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union. The credit union paid one of its vice presidents, Robin Brule, while she worked with the mayor’s office and wrote the grant, Berry said.

Brule said the city will receive the money in a couple of months as its begins identifying projects the innovation team will work on. Berry expects the city will recruit a couple of additional mayor’s office staffers in the next two months to work on the team.

By: Rosalie Rayburn (Albuquerque Journal)

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Staying current on incentives and programs available to multifamily owners and developers keeps real estate pros better positioned to discuss and market such properties.

Green isn’t just for single-family home owners anymore. Environmentally friendly properties are gaining favor among both tenants and property owners in the multifamily sector.
“Green buildings are seen by many as a better asset,” says David Newcombe, designated broker of Habitat Urban Agents in Phoenix. “The green concept will continue to be a stamp of approval, not just for the environmental benefits, but for the quality of the building.”
The initial push for green buildings — those that have a minimal impact on the environment — began in the early 1990s, propelled by the introduction of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program and the creation of the U.S. Green Building Council. Soon technological advances created better ways to reduce energy consumption, and terms like “sustainable” and “high performance” became a more common element of a property’s description.
With the larger occupancy rate of multifamily buildings expending more energy per square foot than single-family homes, these structures have been the focus of recent energy conservation incentives and certification programs, giving real estate professionals and property owners new ways to compare and assess properties.
Energy Star for Multifamily
The Energy Star designation, created in 1992 by the EPA, has become synonymous with appliances and materials that are highly energy-efficient. Recognizing that multifamily property owners needed a way to understand and compare the performance of their buildings, Fannie Mae Multifamily Mortgage Business partnered with the EPA to create Energy Star for multifamily properties, introduced in September of 2014.
Newcombe says this is a huge step forward for multifamily customers, property managers, and developers.
“People are familiar with the concept of Energy Star; there’s a public understanding already in place,” he says.
To obtain a score, property owners submit data to the EPA’s Portfolio Manager, a free online tool for measuring and comparing buildings’ energy use. The resulting number, from 1 to 100, ranks a building’s performance in comparison with others; for example, a score of 70 indicates that the building performs better than 70 percent of similar properties.
Multifamily properties scoring over 75 qualify for Energy Star certification. Overall, certified buildings use approximately 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent fewer greenhouse gases than standard buildings.
LEED Certification
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, was created in 2000 by the U.S. Green Building Council. A building receives LEED points for energy- and water-saving features, as well as other factors such as innovative property management. The total number of points sets the certification level: certified, silver, gold, or platinum. Real estate professionals can then incorporate such language into their property descriptions.
“We’ve seen tremendous success in multifamilies with LEED certification,” says Asa Foss, a LEED residential technical director with the U.S. Green Building Council.
Multifamily low-rise buildings became eligible for certification under the LEED for Homes classification in 2008. With LEED v4, launched in November of 2013, multifamily mid-rises—up to 12 stories above grade—are also eligible, and upgraded standards apply to multifamily low-rise buildings.
“Certification is valuable if you’re marketing your building to a younger demographic, to whom environmental issues are important,” says Foss, adding that it can also be beneficial to property owners seeking financing. “Some larger lenders — who see certified buildings as better, safer investments — are starting to require LEED certification.”
Foss points to a recent study published by researchers at CoStar’s Property and Portfolio Research subsidiary for proof of the bottom-line benefits of certification. The study looked at a half-million data points about apartment buildings that drive investment value based on renter demand in the apartment sector. LEED certification was determined to be the second highest driver in lease rates, behind location.
Better Buildings Challenge
Another incentive igniting eco-friendly improvements to multifamily structures is the Better Buildings Challenge. Originally launched in 2011 by President Barack Obama and implemented through the U.S. Department of Energy, this program challenges commercial and industrial building owners to strive to make their properties at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020.
In 2013, the Department of Housing and Urban Development partnered with the DOE to expand the challenge to the multifamily sector. Participants in the challenge, referred to as partners, commit to reducing energy consumption by at least 20 percent over 10 years. Partners agree to publicly share their data on their energy savings and details about the efficiency strategies they employ.
Partners in the challenge are looked upon as energy-efficient role models in their community, and are recognized as part of a collaborative conservation effort. While the specifics vary by state, subsidized services and resources are available to support reduction goals.
Boston-based real estate developer WinnCompanies was a partner in the challenge in 2013.
“Joining the challenge has given us an opportunity to be a leader in both meeting — and going beyond — green building standards,” says Darien Crimmin, vice president of Energy and Sustainability at WinnCompanies. “Both renters and buyers are recognizing the trend toward more environmental building.”
Crimmin says the challenge has been beneficial, given the demographic shift in favor of environmentally sound buildings.
“It’s forced us to take a holistic look at our long-term energy efficiency strategy,” he reports. “Renters and buyers are recognizing that this is a priority.”
By: Debbie Swanson (REALTORMag)
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