UNM to begin demolition of Motel 6 following acquisition

The Motel 6 that the University of New Mexico acquired in February is expected to be demolished within the next two weeks.

The University purchased the property for $5 million, according to a memo from Thomas Neale, the UNM director of real estate. The motel sits on an approximately 1.57-acre plot of land just west of Lobo Village.

The UNM Board of Regents also approved an offer for the 1-acre plot of land next to the motel priced at $1.25 million, according to a statement to the Daily Lobo by UNM Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Cinnamon Blair.

After the motel’s demolition, the University plans to use the land it sat on for “mixed-use commercial development,” though no exact uses have been determined, according to Blair.

There is not yet a timeline for redevelopment, Blair wrote. Any timeline will be based on market demand for the area and identifying appropriate uses, which is determined by the University Asset Management Committee and the Board of Regents, she wrote.

The motel has a reputation for crime. On Feb. 11, a Lobo Advisory alerted the campus community to avoid the Motel 6 area because shots had been fired at a car nearby, according to Albuquerque Police Department Director of Communications Gilbert Gallegos. The neighboring Lobo Village was the site of a shooting on Jan. 31, where two people were injured.

Neale told the Albuquerque Journal last month that the University discovered vandalized rooms and evidence of the recent manufacturing of methamphetamine in the motel. UNM administration and South Campus stakeholders hope that the removal and redevelopment of the property will lead to a decrease in crime, but they also plan to enhance security in the area through collaboration with University and city agencies, Blair wrote.

“The demolition of Motel 6 will have an immediate impact on the reduction of crime in the area,” Blair wrote.

Jaden McKelvey-Francis is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey