Kirtland AFB EUL
Development Opportunity

The Air Force has identified a 92 acre underutilized asset on Kirtland AFB for long-term ground lease.  Kirtland AFB has served as the Air Force’s leading location in supporting research, development, and training of Government personnel in air rescue operations.  The installation is home to the 377th Air Base Wing, Kirtland AFB's host organization. The mission of the wing is to provide world-class munitions maintenance, readiness and training, and base operating support to approximately 76 Federal government and 384 private sector tenants and associate units.  The Air Force does not have a specific required use for the designated parcel and is looking to the development community to determine the highest and best use of the asset.  Kirtland AFB prefers uses that maximize the in-kind consideration received and that are compatible with the mission of the installation. Developers are encouraged to consider all opportunities that are not explicitly excluded/restricted in the RFQ or in Appendix L of the EUL Handbook.  Based on a preliminary assessment of the available parcel, potential uses include office, industrial (including R&D/flex space), hotel, senior citizen living, or retail space.

The Albuquerque metropolitan area has strong population growth, a healthy job market and a variety of employers all of which create economic stability in the area. Albuquerque was ranked first in Forbes Magazine’s 2006 list of “Best Places for Business and Careers” and was also ranked the lowest cost city for doing business by Forbes.  The metropolitan area is located within an extensive technology corridor along Interstate 25.  The region, stretching from Los Alamos National Lab outside of Santa Fe in the north to New Mexico State University in the South, contains many high tech companies and research institutions such as the Sandia National Lab, University of New Mexico, and Air Force Research Laboratory among others.  The development community has a unique opportunity to take advantage of these attributes at Kirtland AFB.

Albuquerque’s low cost of living and doing business has attracted a number of manufacturing firms to the area in recent years, spurring positive absorption in the industrial market.  The overall Albuquerque industrial market has 32.96 million square feet of industrial space.

The strong performance of the Albuquerque office market in recent years and expectation that additional firms will relocate to the city indicate that the office market will continue to grow. The EUL site could capitalize on its location inside the fence to offer secure space to defense contractors.