Check Out the New Developments in Roswell, NM

Industrial, commercial and residential projects keep this New Mexico city on the move.

By Lindsey Hyde on December 9, 2022

When you combine Roswell-Chaves County’s enviable quality of life with its diverse cluster of thriving industries, it’s easy to see why it has become a prime asset for developers.

Home to more than 65,000 residents, this region is attracting investment on all fronts – industrial, commercial and residential. Here’s a look at the new developments in Roswell.

Industrial

Roughly 5 miles south of the city’s central business district is Roswell Air Center, the core of southeastern New Mexico’s industrial activity.

“We have a lot of older airplanes, and there are still airplanes of those types flying in the system that need parts that are no longer supported by their original equipment manufacturer companies,” says Scott Stark, director of Roswell Air Center.

Stark explains that many maintenance companies find this attractive because they can remove parts from the stored airplanes and ship them out to be used in aircraft all over the world.

Arizona-based Ascent Aviation Services is constructing an aircraft repair and maintenance facility at the center. The company, which provides heavy maintenance, repair and overhaul services to aircraft owners, operators and lessors, expects to create approximately 360 jobs and open by March 2023.

“The Air Center itself has a long history of aircraft retirement and transition, and it’s very similar to our facility currently in Arizona in regard to size and the number of aircraft that are there,” says Scott Butler, the company’s chief commercial officer.

“What it doesn’t have is a large hangar to do full, heavy maintenance, so a lot of the work that could be captured in the Roswell facility is leaving the area, leaving the state. We wanted to keep as much of that business on the field as possible so the aircraft gets transitioned to its next operator cleanly.”

Commercial

Thanks to its quality-of-life amenities and the roughly 300,000 people who live within a 100-mile radius of the region, Roswell-Chaves County is also attractive to commercial developers.

North Main Street has multiple developments underway. A Texas Roadhouse opened in August 2022, while the second half of the project, which will include a series of restaurant pads, is in the pre-design and development stage, says Kevin Maevers, the city’s community development director. Also being designed right now is an 18,000-square-foot commercial office complex as well as an iced tea shop called HTeaO.

Additionally, the Wilshire Center at North Main Street and East Mescalero Road is getting a facelift. A local partnership purchased the property a year ago and is adding a Popeyes restaurant. Maevers says they are also working to attract two other restaurants to the center as well as upgrade the main building.

“That’s going to be more of a longer-term development, but it’s good to see local people taking an interest in reinvesting in the community and doing upgrades,” Maevers says.

Residential

Over the years, Roswell-Chaves County has seen an influx of new residents, largely due to business investment and job creation. In turn, this has triggered several developers to add to the region’s housing options.

In 2021, MAC Real Estate Inc. of Albuquerque and DWD Consulting of Piñon shared their plans to build up to 800 single-family homes in northwest Roswell. While it will take a few years to complete, Maevers says he expects to see the first few homes “go vertical” before the end of 2022.

“We are working every single angle to improve quality of life for every resident in town, and that comes from jobs all the way up to where you are going to buy shoes going back to school and everything in between,” Maevers says. “One of the things we’re hoping to do with all the activity – we want to use that as a catalyst to revitalize downtown and revitalize the Main Street area.”