4th Street & Montaño Area Improvement Coalition

Community Visioning Report

Read the full text of the Community Visioning Report.

Community Goals

The 4th Street & Montaño Area Improvement Coalition includes concerned citizens, neighborhood associations and businesses devoted to making the 4th Street and Montaño area a better place to live, work and do business. The Coalition has organized subcommittees to carry out projects to implement the following four community goals, and the Coalition Executive Committee will encourage, assist and support successful, timely completion of both near-term and longer-term goals.

Traffic: Safe Vehicular Flow and Improved Transit

• A comprehensive study of the Montaño and 4th Street corridors and intersection yields creative solutions benefiting commuter and 4th Street businesses and residents
• 4th and Montaño is a continuous flow intersection
• Improved public transit enhances east-west traffic flow
• 2nd Street becomes a major arterial
• 4th Street is redesigned for improved parking, transit and pedestrian safety
• The 4th Street & Montaño area becomes part of a comprehensive regional transit plan

Identity: Rural/Urban Character Preserved

• The area has a unifying design concept that reinforces its identity
• Improvements are business-friendly
• A community meeting place is identified or built, and regular community events are held
• Streetscape improvements enhance 4th Street's character
• Signage and gateways link neighborhoods and businesses

Pathways: Improved Trails with Pedestrian, Bicycle and Equestrian Amenities

• Trail network and signage improvements are made in cooperation with government agencies
• Trails and 4th Street improvements increase business vitality as well as pedestrian safety and quality of life
• Maintenance and public safety issues are addressed in cooperation with government agencies

Revitalization: Commercial and Community Design & Development

• A mixed-use overlay zone encourages new neighborhood-scale businesses and infill development opportunities.
• Design guidelines consistent with the area's identity support development options friendly to businesses and neighborhoods
• Strong, positive relations between property owners and neighborhood associations promote innovative approaches to development
• Residential and business property values increase substantially over time

Strategies and Objectives

To move toward the four goals that comprise the community vision, the Coalition has established the following near term strategies and objectives.

Increase community Identity. Our objectives are to:

• Select a name to define our area
• Complete one successful subcommittee project under each of the four community goals.
  • Traffic-advocate for rapid bus and light rail projects
  • Identity-hold community festival or other event
  • Pathways-evaluate one trail head project
  • Revitalization-host design charrette
• Complete a 5-year plan for all four goals

Galvanize political and financial support. Our objectives are to:

• Assure that the City of Albuquerque's General Obligation Bond program supports substantial 4th Street and Montaño area improvements
• Build on positive relationships to secure additional Federal, State and City appropriations for area improvements
• Actively tell our story to government officials, neighbors, property owners, developers and the media so that they are each prompted to take actions that support our efforts

Complete key technical design studies, These include:

• Work with the appropriate government agencies to undertake a comprehensive traffic study of the Montaño and 4th Street corridors and intersection
• Complete a 4th Street and Montaño Area design charrette
• Complete an accurate assessment of existing pathways and their ownership