Mesa del Sol Breaks Ground on Model Homes

ALBUQUERQUE – December 28, 2011 – Mesa del Sol, Albuquerque’s visionary mixed-use, master planned community in the southern part of the city, broke ground today on the model homes for Portrait Park, the community’s first neighborhood.

The homes will be available for sale in Spring 2012. Ultimately, Mesa del Sol will feature over 37,500 homes and likely be the largest master planned community in the Metro area.  People can view the progress video and learn more about Mesa del Sol by going to http://www.mesadelsolnm.com/.

“People have been waiting for the day that Mesa del Sol’s residential community would become a reality, and that day has come,” said Chris Anderson, Vice President of Development for Mesa del Sol. “We have four great builders and floor plans for a range of budgets and lifestyles.”

The three homebuilders that are starting work on their model homes are Pulte Homes, Rachel Matthew Homes and RayLee Homes.

Pulte Homes will offer two options. The first are 1,400 to 1,800-square-foot street pairs in the high $100,000s to low $200,000 price range.  The second are mid-sized single family homes in the 2,000 to 2,400-square-foot range priced in the mid to high $200,000 range. Raylee Homes is offering single-family homes with small private yards in the 1,600 to 2,000-square-foot range priced in the low to mid $200,000s. The Rachel Matthew Homes will be spacious single-family homes in the 2,400 to 2,900-square-foot range priced in the high $200,000s to mid $300,000s.

Since March, Mesa del Sol has been busy completing the infrastructure so that the builders could begin construction. Utilities, sewer and water lines have been placed as well as streets.  So far 2.7 million cubic feet of earth have been moved to make way for 10,103 tons of asphalt, 363 tons of concrete, 3.8 miles of pipe (water, sewer and storm) and 2.12 miles of curb.

“Infrastructure does not have that ‘wow’ factor, so people don’t think about it much,” Anderson said. “But it’s got to be completed before the homes can be constructed. Now that it’s done, we are finally ready to build our first homes. It’s a very exciting time at Mesa del Sol.”

Additionally, commercial progress has continued. To date, over 2,100 people work at Mesa del Sol. There are several commercial prospects being courted as Mesa del Sol prepares for its first residents.

For more information, go to www.mesadelsolnm.com or call 505-452-2600.

About Mesa del Sol

Mesa del Sol is a 12,900-acre mixed-use district located on Albuquerque’s south mesa. By combining job creation and sustainable urban community planning, Mesa del Sol will reflect a balance of environmental resources, economic objectives and social amenities in a community that is forward-looking with a highly defined sense of place.

Mesa del Sol is a true public/private partnership. In addition to Forest City Covington, NM, LLC, Mesa del Sol is being developed in conjunction with other partners, including the New Mexico State Land Office, the University of New Mexico, with the support of the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and the State of New Mexico.

About Forest City Covington

Forest City Covington NM, LLC is a joint venture between Forest City NM, LLC and Covington NM, LLC. Forest City NM, LLC is a subsidiary of Forest City Enterprises, Inc., a NYSE-listed national real estate company with $11.8 billion in total assets. Covington Capital and its affiliate companies currently own more than 9 million square feet of commercial/industrial space and are actively developing more than 17,000 acres of land in the western United States.