A group of business professionals engaging in conversation during a networking event in a high-rise building with large windows overlooking downtown Albuquerque.
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Advantage Albuquerque

Downtown ABQ Business Improvement District (BID) — investing in success: growth, people, business, a vibrant, welcoming energy, and a competitive edge.

Why BID?

  • Low-angle view of modern multi-story building in Downtown Albuquerque with colorful facades against a blue sky with clouds.

    Beautify

    Improve the appearance and safety of Downtown ABQ

  • Two women smiling and chatting outdoors at the Downtown Albuquerque Growers Market, one with gray hair in a bun, wearing a blue shirt, and the other with a dark bun, sunglasses, and colorful attire.

    Energize

    Attract business and services, and increase building occupancy

  • Close-up of a small green seedling growing in soil on top of stacked coins, with a blurred person tending to the plants in the background.

    Catalyze

    Encourage new business development 

  • Albuquerque city skyline at dusk with tall buildings, illuminated streets, and trees in the foreground.

    Prosper

    Enhance property values and additional investment

  • Group of diverse people with different skin colors stacking their hands together in a gesture of teamwork and unity, smiling and standing outdoors.

    Connect

    Bring events and organize reinvigorated offerings to bring more people downtown

  • Smiling man with curly dark hair, wearing a white t-shirt and brown jacket with a furry collar, standing on a city sidewalk.

    Engage

    Invest in marketing and community

A smiling woman with long gray hair and blue highlights, wearing a sleeveless floral top and headphones, standing outside next to a brick building with a sign that reads 'Curious Toast.'

A Business Improvement District (BID) is a private sector initiative managed by property owners to improve a business district (like Downtown Albuquerque) with new services such as enhanced safety, maintenance, and marketing.

We need 51 percent of the total real property owners in the proposed district, exclusive of residential property having three or fewer units, property owned by nonprofits and any real property owned by government entities. The meaning of “real property owner” is a person or entity, such as a corporation, partnership, trust, or LLC. Some individuals own various LLC’s which own property downtown. Each of those LLC’s gets one vote.

Sign the Petition

More than 1,500 BIDs exist in North America.

Albuquerque is one of the largest U.S. cities without a business improvement district. This is a competitive disadvantage that can easily be remedied.

People lined up outside the Kimo theater with bright neon lights, during the evening, with a tree, Central Ave and Downtown Albuquerque in the background.
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Support Today. Benefit for Years to Come.

If we all pitch in now, we can realize a Downtown that benefits everyone! The City and County have each agreed to contribute their proportional share. Commercial property owners within the Downtown District will be assessed according to the methodology outlined on this website. Apartment buildings with four or more units will be assessed at the same rate as commercial properties, and residential property owners will not be subject to assessment.

  • Commercial property owners within the Downtown District will be assessed a fee, based on accepted methodology outlined on this website. The City and County have each agreed to contribute their proportional share, so they’ll also be sharing in the costs. Apartment buildings with four or more units will be assessed at the same rate as commercial properties. Residential property owners will not be subject to assessment.

  • City services and funding will continue to support Downtown. The BID builds on that support. Additionally, the City has committed to maintain, and even increase, the base services being provided downtown.

  • BID fees are not a tax. The BID is run by the property owners — not government — who are putting in their own money. Unlike property tax money, the BID money stays in the district and is managed by the property owners in the district.

  • The budget will not suddenly increase, so the answer is “no,” the budget cannot jump suddenly. Increases are capped and carefully managed.

Map of Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico - the area included in the Downtown Albuquerque BID, color-coded sections labeled 'Standard' and 'Premium', showing streets, avenues, and landmarks.

What area will be covered by the BID?

There are two “zones” in the BID: Standard and Premium.

And Downtown Albuquerque is zoned for mixed use (MX-FB-ID), which means it can be used for business, retail or mixed commercial uses, and governmental uses. The more diverse the makeup of Downtown Albuquerque, the more vital and vibrant it will be!

A person with sunglasses and tattoos, smiling and gesturing with their hands in Downtown Albuquerque with buildings and cars in the background.

What Will I Get for My Investment?

The BID proposes to provide these enhanced services:

  • Safe & Clean Services (two to three times the existing services, seven days a week)

  • Marketing & Special Projects (brand new!)

  • Management & Advocacy (creating the collective clout)

The City is continuing to contribute $405,000 each year to the clean and safe program, and your contribution will expand the existing services.

That means even more value for every dollar property owners put in.

Also, both the City and the County will contribute their “fair share” of the cost by paying on the same basis and rate on their property as the other Downtown property owners.

Downtown Albuquerque cityscape with Bernalillo County building and colorful surrounding structures under a blue sky.
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How Are Properties Assessed?

Assessments are based on your location, and the size of your property. Your location – which zone you’re in – determines the level of services your property will receive, and the rate of assessment. Properties within the Premium zone often need, and will therefore receive, almost double the safe and clean services than those in the Standard zone. All properties will benefit from the same level of marketing and special projects programming annually.

  • Premium $0.1321 per sq. ft.

  • Standard $0.0819 per sq. ft.

So if you have a property that has a lot of 1,000 sq. ft., plus a building of 2,000 sq. ft. and is in the Standard Zone, your investment will be 3000 x 0.0819 = $264/annually!

The BID will use records from Bernalillo County Assessor’s Office

Click here to look up the dimensions of your property as shown by the Assessor’s Office. https://assessor.bernco.gov/public.access/search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=realprop

Your Questions, Answered

VIsit faqs

Learn More About BID

  • "Every other Major City in the United States has a Downtown Business Improvement district. These cities have population growth, high paying jobs, convention business, and are becoming more safe every year thanks for these types of improvement districts. The BID in downtown in an investment in our future. Let’s bet on our future selves today."

    Adam Silverman

  • "I’m proud to support the downtown Business Improvement District (BID) because I believe in a downtown that reflects the best of Albuquerque — vibrant, welcoming, and full of opportunity for residents and visitors alike. This BID is more than a program; it’s a commitment to making downtown the beating heart of Albuquerque, where businesses prosper and the community comes together."

    Del Esparza, Esparza Digital & Advertising

  • "The BID is an opportunity for Downtown to organize our voices, and amplify the sound through our community and a serious budget. The BID is us coming together to build a new and better Downtown for everybody."

    Echoes Albuquerque

  • "Downtown is our home. As architects, we know that great design goes beyond buildings. Supporting the BID helps create public spaces that energize our city and inspire people to want to live, work, and gather there.”

    Art Tatum, FBT Architects

  • “Downtown Albuquerque is the heart of our city, and it deserves to be treated as such. The BID will allow us to work together to enhance safety, improve cleanliness, and foster a sense of pride in our community. I’m proud to support this initiative and believe it will benefit everyone who lives, works, and visits here.”

    Scott Throckmorton

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