SANTA FE — Less than one year after the Site Readiness Act was signed into law, the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) has rapidly advanced a statewide framework designed to prepare communities for business expansion and job creation. To date, EDD has evaluated 47 development sites, launched a public-facing site readiness map, and established a new certification board to formally designate strategic economic development sites.
The Site Readiness program was authorized through Senate Bill 169 (Site Readiness) and Senate Bill 170 (Utility Pre-deployment) during the 2025 legislative session. Together, the measures created a proactive approach to identifying infrastructure needs, utility access, permitting considerations and site conditions—reducing development timelines and improving predictability for expanding companies.
“New Mexico is ready to compete for economic development projects that create opportunity for our families,” said EDD Cabinet Secretary Rob Black. “Our Site Readiness program is laying the groundwork so it’s easier for companies to choose New Mexico—and easier for our state to win.”
Preparing Communities for Investment
Site readiness has become a critical factor in economic competitiveness as companies increasingly seek locations that are prepared, permitted and development-ready. By investing early in site planning and coordination, New Mexico is enabling communities across the state to better compete for high-quality industrial and commercial projects.
EDD partnered with Global Location Strategies (GLS) to evaluate—or “characterize”—industrial sites statewide. Working closely with local governments and tribal communities, the department assessed infrastructure capacity, utility availability and development readiness, producing site-specific recommendations to improve competitiveness.
Several evaluated sites have already been identified as immediately or near-term competitive for industrial investment. In addition to the 47 completed evaluations, 12 new site submissions have already been received for the next round of assessments.
Public Site Readiness Map
To support transparency and streamline business recruitment, EDD also partnered with GIS WebTech to develop a new public site readiness map. The interactive tool allows companies, site selectors and community partners to explore evaluated properties and compare development opportunities across New Mexico. The map is available at EDD.NewMexico.gov/sites.
New Advisory Committee Established
As part of the program’s implementation, EDD has formed the Strategic Economic Development Site Advisory Committee, which will oversee the grading and certification of sites as “strategic economic development sites.” Certified sites will be eligible for pre-development funding and technical assistance to further accelerate project readiness. The committee held its inaugural meeting earlier this month.
Committee members include:
- Rob Black, Secretary, Economic Development Department
- Ricky Serna, Secretary, Department of Transportation
- Jim Kenney, Secretary, Environment Department
- Erin Taylor, Acting Secretary, Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department
- Marquita Russell, CEO, New Mexico Finance Authority
- Gabriella Dasheno, Deputy Utility Division Director, Public Regulation Commission
- Sara Gutierrez, Deputy Division Director, Economic Development Division
- Alex Nellos, Public Member, Registered Architect
- Hilma Chynoweth, Public Member, Director of Strategic Development
- Lucinda Vargas, Public Member, Professor of Economics, Applied Statistics, and International Business, New Mexico State University
- Mario Juarez-Infante, Public Member, City Manager, Sunland Park
- Priscilla Lucero, Public Member, Executive Director, Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments
Next Evaluation Round
The next round of site evaluations is scheduled to begin in February 2026. Communities interested in submitting sites for consideration may apply online at edd.newmexico.gov/site-submit.
