ADVERTISEMENTSkip

................................................................

“The support of the community has been overwhelming,” said Hinkes, as motorists drove by honking horns and giving thumbs-up signs at the building taking shape at Central and Carlisle. “We are thrilled literally to rise again,” said Hinkes of a construction project that previously had been valued at $8.2 million.

After the site was cleared of debris and the insurance claim was settled, Hinkes and his partners, Adam and Jason Harrington, said they were too heavily invested to walk away. The Harringtons’ company, HB Construction, is the general contractor on The Carlisle.

“This represented nearly 3½ years of securing funding, planning and design and construction,” said Hinkes. “It took three hours to destroy it.”

Investigators said the fire started early of Nov. 23 at multiple locations on-site. Various agencies have been involved in the investigation, including the Albuquerque Fire Department, Albuquerque Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has taken over the investigation, a spokeswoman for the city said.

Mayor Richard Berry on Tuesday praised the development team behind The Carlisle.

“Few people would build such a high-end property in Nob Hill,” Berry said. “But to build it twice shows his (Hinkes’) dedication to raising the bar” for revitalization efforts along the Central corridor.

As construction continues, Hinkes and his sales team from ReMax Elite will take to the road to sell the remaining condos, most of which will “sell in the $375,000 range” and come with parking in an underground garage, which sustained no damage from the blaze.

With no space at the site for a sales office, Hinkes said the purchase of the customized 45-foot motorcoach, which is 21 years old and has logged 58,000 miles, was a good move. It was originally owned by Blake Chanslor of the Lotaburger chain.

Hinkes will take the wheel of the motorcoach as it fans out to places like the Balloon Fiesta, wine festivals and other venues where there might be buyers.

In the meantime, he has hired a security firm on the site 24/7 to keep a close eye on The Carlisle 2.0.