East To West, Las Cruces Is Still On The Grow
Southern New Mexico’s largest city has seen a lot of growth in the past decade. Where there used to be open desert, now hotels, restaurants, plazas and houses have sprung up in a variety of locales.
For years, residents on both the east and west sides of town have expressed interest in seeing more stores and restaurants build in their area. Now, more projects are in the works.
Las Cruces developer Donnie Brainard, founder and president of Alameda Property Group, announced last year that his company had completed the sale of 25 acres to Wal-Mart Stores at the southwest corner of Rinconada Boulevard and Northrise Drive, just off U.S. 70, on the east side of Las Cruces.
As for other businesses, already a new fitness center — called Fitness One — has opened at 4655 Sonoma Ranch Blvd. Right beside it, a new Pic Quik store is expected to open this summer. Owner Oscar Andrade said the new store will have two automatic car washes and will also have four self-serve car wash bays and will offer E85 ethanol that can be used in flexible-fuel vehicles. It will also have a Santa Fe Grill, Subway and a Caliche’s inside.
The east side of town has also attracted attention from banks. Bank of the Rio Grande’s new facility at 3500 Northrise Drive is under construction and Citizens Bank plans to build a branch north of U.S. 70, near Sonoma Ranch Boulevard, maybe as soon as next year.
Circle K opened a new store at the corner of Motel Boulevard and Picacho Avenue earlier this spring and Walgreens plans to build a new store across Motel from Circle K. Auto Zone also has a store planned for the area.
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