Diocese Offers up Gallup Land in Bankruptcy

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Gallup Independent
July 7, 2015

http://gallupindependent.com/

With the U.S. Bankruptcy Court’s approval of the Diocese of Gallup’s plan to auction some of its real property, the question arises: Just how much money might the diocese get from the sale of its six properties it is willing to sell in Gallup?

That’s anybody’s guess at this point, but if the “actual values” of the six properties — as listed by the McKinley County Assessor’s Office — offer any clues, it won’t be a large amount. In fact, those assessor’s actual values for the properties only added up to about $183,000, or about the price of one middle class home in Gallup.

The diocese is auctioning off real property in Arizona and New Mexico to help fund its plan of reorganization. Although it owns more property in and around Gallup, the diocese is currently only listing six of those properties for sale. In addition, the diocese is selling about 19 parcels of real property in Arizona and about 95 other parcels in various New Mexico counties.

Of the six Gallup parcels, three are on Gallup’s south side and three are on the city’s north side. One is zoned for commercial use, but the remaining five, although they are located in residential districts, are poorly suited for residential use. Four are on rocky hillsides, and three are landlocked, with no road access. The following is a closer look at each property.

¦ Parcel No. 2-106-088-088-110 (McKinley County Assessor’s Account No. R050261): This downtown parking lot is located on the northwest corner of Aztec Avenue and Fourth Street. It is directly across the street from the Lowe’s Downtown Plaza, another Diocese of Gallup property that is not included on the auction list. The former site of a gas station, the parking lot is currently being leased by the city of Gallup for city vehicles. It is located in a heavy commercial district zone of C-3A. The assessor’s office lists the property as having an actual value of $119,280, but the lot’s real market value is unknown.

¦ Parcel No. 2-105-087-522-352 (McKinley County Assessor’s Account No. R050547): This small vacant lot sits directly east of the Sacred Heart School gym and is located on the southeast corner of Park Avenue and Fourth Street. The parcel’s actual boundary lines do not follow the boundaries of the gravel lot. The parcel is zoned as RS-2, or a single family residential district, although there are no nearby homes. Currently, the lot is sometimes used for overflow parking for sporting events. The assessor’s office lists the actual value of the parcel as $16,090.

¦ Parcel No. 2-105-088-052-047 (McKinley County Assessor’s Account No. R005169): This is a landlocked parcel of land on a steep hill. The parcel is directly west of a house sitting on the corner of Burke Drive and Idaho Circle, and the parcel runs down the hillside from Burke. Another hillside parcel just to the north is currently listed for sale by another owner. The zoning is RM-4 for a multiple family residential district. The assessor’s office lists the property as having an actual value of $2,840.

¦ Parcel No. 2-105-088-519-402 (McKinley County Assessor’s Account No. R179523): This is another landlocked parcel of land on a steep hill. Located north of East Wilson Avenue, the parcel is the rocky hillside behind the Missionary of Charities property, beginning at 201 E. Wilson, and ending behind the Casa Reina Prayer Chapel at 217 E. Wilson. It is zoned as RS-OD, or a single family residential overlay district. The assessor’s office lists the parcel as having an actual value of $10,590.

¦ Parcel No. 2-105-088-428-444 (McKinley County Assessor’s Account No. R051012): This is a large rocky hillside and canyon parcel located north of Pershing Avenue and south of Wilson Avenue. It has a steep roadway access by way of Pershing and Grandview Drive. It also has an RS-OD zoning as a single family residential overlay district. Much of the hilltop is strewn with broken glass. The assessor’s office lists the parcel as having an actual value of $30,940.

¦ Parcel No. 2-105-088-476-479 (McKinley County Assessor’s Account No. R205842): This is another landlocked rocky hillside on Gallup’s north side. The parcel, which features a steep cliff, is located southeast of Gallup’s Sky City Park. It also has an RS-OD zoning as a single family residential overlay district. The assessor’s office lists the parcel as having an actual value of $3,570.

McKinley County Assessor Kathleen Arviso did not return a call requesting information about how the county determines actual values of property compared to market values.