Route 66 remnant reduced to dirt lot
Site’s future unclear after fire ruined Desert Sands
More than a month after bulldozers demolished the Desert Sands Motor Hotel on Central Avenue, workmen and earth-moving equipment were at work on the site Thursday, but plans for the property remain unclear.
Shut down by the city last summer after three separate fires, the Desert Sands at 5000 Central SE was torn down in early December, clearing 1.25 acres along a stretch of Central known for drug and property crimes, but nevertheless a classic Route 66 icon back in its heyday. More recently, it was the setting for a scene in the movie “No Country for Old Men.”
The city’s Safe City Strike Force stepped in following the third fire to push for a plan of action, according to Melissa Perez, spokeswoman with the city of Albuquerque.
“At this time, the property is in compliance and the Planning Department does not have any pending actions against it,” Perez wrote in an email. “The owner did demolish the structure on their own at no cost to the city.”
Perez said the owner of record, according to the Bernalillo County Assessor’s office, is SRS Corp., but the city was in contact with Tushar Patel to get the property into compliance. Perez did not know what Patel’s affiliation with the owner is.
Patel is the CEO of Albuquerquebased TNJ Group of Companies, which is known for building and operating hotels in and out of state as well as developing retail centers.
Neither Patel nor the registered agent for SRS, Nayana Sharma of Ruidoso Downs, could be reached for comment about plans for the site.
Built in 1957 during the golden age of Route 66, the Desert Sands had been converted into long-term housing.
A local developer and preservationist said he would like to have seen part of the former structure remain.
John Bloomfield, executive director or NewLife Homes, said retaining portions of the old Desert Sands might have helped secure historic preservation tax credits for renovation. Bloomfield said his company may be interested in acquiring the site to build a mixed-used project if the price and terms are right.
Bloomfield’s company converted the nearby dilapidated Sundowner Motel into 71 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments serving a mix of low-income residents as well as market rate apartments. Funding for the $9.2 million renovation included assistance from the state’s Mortgage Finance Authority, the city’s workforce housing trust fund and a Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas affordable housing grant.