New Mexico State University
PAE-19: Community Sustainability Partnerships

NMSU partners very closely with the City of Las Cruces and Dona Ana County. The university shares a two mile long major artery with the City. They were part of our Master Plan and we were a big part of their plan to make University Avenue a new lively street with shops, multi-function housing, and Town and Gown to name a few. We always have an attendee (usually our Campus Planner) at the City Planning Committee for many topics including the "2040 Planning" for the Las Cruces 2040 Master Plan. We let the City build a new convention center on our land with a future hotel next door. We were a part of the planning of the new convention center. Probably the best site to look at there would be our Master Plan. The City of Las Cruces' Sustainability Officer and the NMSU Manager of Environmental Policy and Sustainability (this reporter) met every month to get updates and share information. We also partnered on a Low Impact Development forum in 2010 to discuss water use in our desert area as well as NMSU solar researchers worked closely with the RFP for getting solar panels on the parking structure of the new Las Cruces Convention Center (mentioned above). We partner with Dona Ana County and the local school district as well on many issues.