Aztec seeks input on downtown's future

FARMINGTON — The city of Aztec is soliciting comments from both business owners and individuals about the downtown area as part of its process of developing a Metropolitan Redevelopment Area plan. 

The MRA plan is intended to help revitalize the downtown area. People interested in providing input can fill out a survey. 

The survey can be accessed on the city's website, aztecnm.gov, or through its Facebook page, City of Aztec Municipal Government Offices. People can also contact Community Development Director Steven Saavedra at 505-334-7605 or ssaavedra@aztecnm.gov for more information.

"When you look at the downtown area, it all has a lot of history and culture behind it," Saavedra said today.

He explained that there are a lot of historic buildings in the downtown. The city of Aztec's tourism department provides a list of the historic buildings and their past uses at aztecnm.com. The Aztec Museum Association has also prepared a self-guided walking tour of the historic portion of the city.

While the downtown has a lot of history, it also has vacant buildings. Saavedra said across the country, including in neighboring Farmington, "there seems to be downtowns that have declined or dwindled."

Saavedra said the MRA is a response to the trend of declining or dwindling downtowns. The plan will identify ways that the city could revitalize the downtown, such as infrastructure improvements.

The survey asks people how often they visit different types of businesses downtown and which businesses or activities they would like to see more of downtown. It also asks people to rate parking, lighting, sidewalks, crosswalks, visual attractiveness, benches and trash receptacles and building condition.

Saavedra said the survey is not just for Aztec residents.

"We want to get a better idea of what individuals think and how we can improve," he said.

Hannah Grover covers government for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4652 or via email at hgrover@daily-times.com.