City Council paves the way for new NM United stadium 

The Albuquerque City Council at its Monday meeting again voted in favor of moving forward with building a New Mexico United stadium at Balloon Fiesta Park — however, it is taking steps to address traffic concerns in the area. 

The project had been on pause after nearby neighborhoods appealed the plan twice. 

Mayor Tim Keller initially asked the council to approve an agreement between the city and United for the soccer team to pay for a $30 million multi-use outdoor sports stadium on 7 acres of the city-owned Balloon Fiesta Park. 

The proposal has bounced back and forth between the council, the Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) and a land use hearing officer for several months. 

Part of the process included United paying for a traffic study, which the appellants argued was ignored by the EPC and should have been considered. 

A land use hearing officer recommended that councilors deny the appeal and uphold the EPC’s approval, but noted that the commission ignored recommendations from the independent traffic study. 

The hearing officer in his final report suggested opening a second traffic lane during games and said “officer control” would probably be required at nearby intersections. 

Councilors approved the application to build the stadium in November 2023. It was appealed by residents in the surrounding neighborhood but the EPC approved the plan again. 

However, that decision was appealed for a second time in July by neighbors. According to the hearing officer’s findings, the appeal was partially based on procedural errors, misapplications of the Integrated Development Ordinance and concerns about the increased noise and traffic the stadium would bring to the area. 

David Wiese-Carl, a spokesperson for New Mexico United, said the team will not move forward with construction on the stadium until the legal “appeals process is exhausted,” and the city finishes the initial construction that was funded by capital outlay.