From Rancher to Real Estate Developer

In this episode, we sit down with John Black, which is a synonymous name with Commercial Real Estate in Albuquerque, NM. We discuss John's history with taking his 1,000 plus acre ranch and developing it into one of the largest retail trade areas in the State of New Mexico. We discuss what he learned and experienced throughout the years and also how he feels about today's market.

John F. Black has been in the real estate business for over 40 years. John specializes in vacant land entitlements, sales, and project development in the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho Metropolitan area.
John originally developed a 1,150 acre planned community known as the Seven Bar Ranch and Cottonwood Mall 3.8 million square foot commercial trade area within the Seven Bar Ranch development and planned and zoned and annexed the 6,700 acres NW Bernalillo County Black Ranch property now referred to as the Quail Ranch in the City of Rio Rancho.
As the former Managing Partner in the Seven Bar Land and Cattle Company which owned 1,150 acres in NW Albuquerque John planned, re-zoned, and developed and/or sold over 400 acres of commercial land in the Seven Bar Ranch project (Cottonwood Mall retail subarea of Albuquerque). This retail development area is the largest retail trade area in New Mexico containing over 3.8 million square foot commercial development today. The feature retail project in the Seven Bar Ranch Cottonwood subarea is the 95 acre 1.2 million square foot Cottonwood Regional Mall owned by the world's largest retail mall owner, the Simon Group. Other featured retail developments that are in this 3.8 million square foot retail trade area are the 41 acre Cottonwood Plaza and 60 acre Cottonwood Corners power center located within the Seven Bar Ranch on Albuquerque's Northwest metro area.
John is also involved with many build-to-suit leases and ground leases in the Cottonwood Mall area. As the Managing Partner owner and developer, John was the principal partner responsible for developing and leasing the Corrales Shopping Center, Alameda West Shopping Center, and Las Tiendas Shopping Center in the Seven Bar Ranch project.
John has been a partner and developer in several other major developments outside of the Seven Bar ranch. He developed the Promenade Shopping Center in Northeast Albuquerque, Montano Plaza, and Coors Central Shopping Center in Northwest Albuquerque. John is currently working on several new retail projects in the City of Rio Rancho and his remaining properties in the Cottonwood Mall subarea.
John is a partner in two planning and development lease projects with the State Land Office of New Mexico. These properties are in the northern area of the City of Rio Rancho. City Centre project is a new urban downtown development in Downtown Rio Rancho.
The 530 ace mixed-use Paseo Gateway project fronts on the new Paseo del Volcan west side freeway (the only new Metro freeway in Central New Mexico since the 1960s). Paseo Gateway features the new LEEDS certified Sue Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho and the new Cleveland Heights residential subdivision now under development and several key commercial land tracts in the City of Rio Rancho.
John Black has served over 13 years on the Board Member of the Laguna Development Corporation which is a multi-million dollar company operating a hotel and casino, a supermarket, travel centers, restaurants, and over 1,100 employees in the west Metro area.