Developers unveil major mixed-use project near Kirtland Air Force Base
Industry News
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Dec. 4, 2018 - By Ron Davis, Albuquerque Business First
In front of a near-capacity crowd of real estate brokers at the Dekker/Perich/Sabatini office, developers unveiled a master plan that would create over 900,000 square feet of mixed-use business space near Kirtland Air Force Base.
Thunderbird Kirtland Development LLC announced Wednesday that Max Q at Kirtland is on the way. Max Q is set to take up more than 70 acres of land on Gibson Boulevard and will include office, laboratory, retail and hospitality space.
The name Max Q was chosen as a reference to a "critical launch milestone" as well as a reference to the city of Albuquerque.
Yearout Companies, WBY LLC, local investors and Texas-based Infinity Development Partners make up Thunderbird Kirtland Development, which is represented by NAI Maestas & Ward for office space and Retail Solutions for retail services.
Members of Thunderbird Kirtland Development called the retail corridor on Gibson "underserved" as more than 20,000 people work on base.
Jim Wible, director for NAI Maestas & Ward, said conversations with possible tenants have already begun.
The U.S. Air Force awarded the group a development agreement last year from a Department of Defense program, allowing the project to develop. The negotiations for finalizing the deal are ongoing as of Wednesday.
"Our hope is that Max Q will become a hub of innovation where new technology and ideas take flight," Kevin Yearout, managing partner for Thunderbird Kirtland Development, said in a statement.
Max Q will be designed by Dekker/Perich/Sabatini.
"It's the best of both words — both proximity and convenience. While our tenants will technically be located on base, they won't be behind the military fence. It will be an open campus with a dedicated base entrance," Dale Dekker of Dekker/Perich/Sabatini said in a statement.
Yearout said once the group completes its environmental assessment, the project could break ground in the second quarter, making it possible for tenants to move in by the beginning of 2020. Yearout said the vision for Max Q is a blend of the Sandia Science and Technology Park and Albuquerque Uptown.
Kirtland Air Force Base has a nearly $7.8 billion economic impact on New Mexico.
