Public Library and Planning for Future Joint-Use Recreational and Drainage Facility
High Mesa Consulting Group has been extensively involved in the planning and design for a proposed City of Albuquerque library. The project site encompasses two city blocks of property divided by a public city street. The property was previously developed with a night club and pawn shop which have since been demolished to make way for the new construction. The library and related site work will be located on the western block and the current city street right of way, which will be vacated. The overall project is planned to ultimately include a public park and public drainage facility on the eastern block.
HMCG is providing a wide variety of planning and design phase engineering, subsurface utility, and surveying services directly for the project architect in support of the overall project. Services provided to date include the following:
- Boundary, Topographic, and Utility Surveys of the Site and Adjacent Streets
- Aerial Based UAV Orthophotography
- Building Permit Plans for Site Grading, Drainage, Paving, Domestic Water, Fire Protection, and Sanitary Sewer
- Public Improvement Plans for Perimeter Curb, Driveways, Sidewalks, and Utility Removals and New Connections
- Sketch Plat, Preliminary Plat, and Vacation Requests
- Public Water Line and Sanitary Sewer Easement Surveys and Documents
A major project requirement is the vacation of the public street that bisects the two blocks. The subdivision plat and vacation request, completed through the City of Albuquerque’s Development Review Board, vacated the public street and obsolete easements. The result of these efforts resulted in a recorded plat that combined the site into a single tract of land that incorporated the vacated street right-of-way and provided easements necessary to serve the redeveloped site.
In addition to the aforementioned tasks to support the project, HMCG has provided preliminary planning and coordination services related to the anticipated development of the eastern block as a public drainage facility and park site. This project is contingent upon funding and an agreement between the City and AMAFCA. It will include onsite improvements and also an offsite storm drain extension to provide an outfall that will alleviate existing downstream flooding conditions. HMCG has scoped and identified the process and requirements for this project and is prepared to provide full-service design and construction phase subsurface utility, surveying, and engineering services to support that effort upon authorization.
Construction began in May of 2020, with completion anticipated in September of 2021. HMCG is currently providing limited construction administration and observation services.