Developer ready to float Winrock makeover plan

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Developers have a new plan for Winrock Mall, a one-time Albuquerque showcase that lately has looked more like a ghost town.

Competition from nearby ABQ Uptown just about killed Winrock.  Now the developer is inviting nearby residents to offer feedback on a plan which reportedly will open up part of Winrock to open-air cafes and shopping.

In September a local developer purchased the state's oldest shopping mall from Prudential Insurance for an undisclosed amount.  The mall is located on Louisiana Boulevard and Interstate 40.

The developer plans to preview his plans on Thursday for area residents some of whom are skeptical.

"We are getting too much traffic, and its just getting too congested," one woman said. 

"Of the things the neighborhood would like would be a store, not a superstore like a Wal-mart, but a smaller store the neighborhood could utilize," a man added.

According to the Albuquerque Business Journal the developer plans to keep about half of Winrock indoors and intact with the other half outdoors.  However that depends on winning over the neighborhood.

If area residents back the idea, the owner reportedly wants to relaunch Winrock in 2011.

KRQE | Reporter:  Michael Herzenberg | Web Producer:  Bill Diven