Five minutes southeast of downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, sits a large, undeveloped parcel of state trust land. The 12,900-acre Mesa del Sol parcel recently came under intense development pressure as Albuquerque’s population exploded. The New Mexico State Land Office (SLO) first tried to auction Mesa del Sol in 1987, but the beneficiary, the University of New Mexico (UNM), sued because it had not been adequately involved in crafting the details of the sale. In response, over the next 20-plus years the SLO focused on developing a strong relationship with UNM and other interested parties through a series of informal collaborative strategies focused on relationship-building and open communication.

Throughout this long process, the SLO faced several challenges, including participant turnover, disagreements about development plans, and political roadblocks. Politically connected development interests overwhelmed supporters of the Mesa del Sol project, forcing it to take a back seat to other development projects. Several participants noted that success largely depended on the “political stars” aligning, meaning the Mayor, City Council, UNM and other influential parties.

Despite these challenges, the SLO was able to attract a well-respected developer for the project and to maintain valuable collaborative relationships with all interested parties. Factors that helped facilitate this success were the SLO’s active outreach, the Commissioner’s compelling vision and the relatively informal structure of this collaborative process. The less structured approach enabled the agency to address the unspoken needs and interests of neighbors, particularly the Isleta Pueblo and Kirtland Air Force Base. For some parties, this format may have been the only acceptable vehicle for collaboration.

Today, after a complex land exchange and development agreement in 2002, a public-private partnership will develop Mesa del Sol under a lease structure that provides greater revenue to the trust beneficiary than a traditional auction. The development will comply with the City of Albuquerque’s comprehensive Planned Communities Criteria that combines principles of mixed use, high-density development and open space.