Families turn out for The Block ribbon cutting

The Block RC

Sep 16, 2024

After The Block officially opened its doors to the public Sept. 14, it held its ribbon cutting Sept. 15.

The event was a jovial one with families filling in the outdoor seats and kids getting their faces painted.

"This has been a dream come true," TDA Investments Inc senior vice president of development Amy Goldfarb said.

She and Anthony Johnson, from Pegasus Realty, were two of the people in charge of getting The Block ready to open.

"...As the years went on and as retail changed, we realized we didn't want to just put (up) another building. We didn't want to just build and get some other big box retail. We wanted to create an experience for the community," Goldfarb said.

She remembered in 2016, when they first showed interest in the property, they held a tree lighting ceremony in the parking lot.

"We asked people, 'what do you want here in Rio Rancho?'. The overwhelming answer was 'we want a place to go with our families', 'we want somewhere to go for food and entertainment and hang out'," she said.

The Block ribbon cutting demonstrated that they succeeded in creating a place that offered all of those things as kids ran around playing, adults enjoyed good food and families really got to hang out in the collective space.

Mayor Gregg Hull and city councilors were in attendance to oversee the ribbon cutting with Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce President Jerry Schalow as well.

"This is the place to be," Schalow said.

For more information visit theblocknm.com.