Green Jeans Farmery, Albuquerque’s new uniquely-styled shipping container development, was supposed to celebrate its grand opening last Tuesday, but permit complications have caused a delay.
Located off of Carlisle Boulevard and I-40, the establishment will be home to 12 tenants, all of which are locally owned businesses. However, only Santa Fe Brewing, which opened in September, has an occupancy permit from the city.
City Planning Director Suzanne Lubar said the delay has been caused by unapproved, unrevised changes to the development’s original design, called a “shell drawing”.
She said the developer, Roy Solomon, made changes to the buildings’ original electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems. Once the tenants started to bring in their improvement plans, they referenced the original shell drawing, indicating that changes were made that were not brought to the city’s attention.
“The problem is that the tenants’ applications referred back to the shell drawing, and when we looked at the tenants’ drawings versus the shell drawings, it didn’t match,” Lubar said.
Lubar said any changes made to the original shell drawing must be reviewed, revised and stamped by licensed engineers. Until that happens, Green Jeans tenants will not receive building permits, inspections or the ability to receive a “certificate of occupancy”.
“We are waiting on those revised drawings that have been reviewed and approved by engineers in regards to the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems,” Lubar said. “It’s also my understanding that there are revisions that might be needed by a licensed architect.”
Although the Green Jeans development did not open as soon as expected, some of the tenants still share an optimistic outlook.
“I have nothing but great things to say about everyone who has been putting in all of their time and hard work over there, and all of the tenants who have been patient,” said Kelly Adams, owner of the Rustic on the Green Restaurant.
Adams said the permit battle between the establishment and the city has not affected the positive attitude surrounding the development.
“There’s a lot of positive energy going around, and things are coming together,” Adams said. “It’ll open when it opens.”
Adams, who also owns the Rustic Food Truck, said Rustic on the Green has not been noticeably affected by the Green Jeans delay since his food truck business has been successful. He said he has no complaints about the entire process.
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Eric Garcia, co-owner of Epiphany Espresso, said all tenants are looking forward to working together, and that the development is a great community. However, he said the delays have caused Green Jeans to miss out on a large business opportunity.
“We were hoping to be open for the Balloon Fiesta, and we really missed out on that,” Garcia said. “We thought that construction would move a little faster.”
Garcia said he is also facing payments for business expenses, but is understanding of the situation at hand.
“We can’t rush these things; it’s a new concept to Albuquerque. We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Garcia said he and Tony Lopez, the second co-owner of Epiphany Espresso, see a lot of business potential in Albuquerque after spending time working in Denver. He also said once Green Jeans finally gets up and running, he believes it will be a popular attraction for UNM students.
“We have our Lobo pride here in Albuquerque, so we’re going to do a ‘Lobo latte’ and ‘Lobo lemonade,’ just as examples,” Garcia said. “We’re not far from campus at all, so we want to be a hub for students.”
Lubar said Solomon is currently working with his team of professionals to get the changes to the plans revised and turned in to the city.
She said once his changes are submitted, it would only take a few days for inspectors to visit the development and approve the plans. The exact opening date for Green Jeans is still uncertain, but everyone is hoping for a time within the next two weeks.
“We’re really sorry that we had this issue with not having all the permits and everything in order, but until we have properly issued permits we’re prohibited from issuing certificates of occupancy,” Lubar said. “However, the city is absolutely supportive of this project; we’re really excited about it. It’s a really special and unique environment that we’re all going to enjoy.”
Ryan Lotz is a reporter with the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at new@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Lotz_DailyLobo.
