Project Could Bring More Than 3,500 Jobs To Las Cruces Area

An international technology firm has its sights on Las Cruces for a $1 billion project that could create thousands of jobs for the area.

Las Cruces is up against Hobbs, N.M. as a finalist for a proposed first-of-its-kind testing center that would resemble a fully functional American city.

The Center for Innovation, Testing and Evaluation (CITE) is sponsored by Pegasus Global Holdings. Officials said when it’s complete, the facility will be an innovator’s playground. The proposed project is a 15,000-acre life-size model city just outside of Las Cruces in Corralitos Ranch.

Mayor Ken Miyagishima is excited at the possibility of such a groundbreaking project coming to the area.

“It’s really just a fantastic opportunity,” Miyagishima told ABC-7. “I envision it similar to White Sands Missile Range, but for the non-governmental sector.”

The laboratory city would be complete with houses, an interstate highway, and even a church and mall. While no one will live at the facility, Pegasus Managing Director Robert Brumley said everything will be fully operational.

“Turn the lights on, turn the water on, flushing the toilets, running the washers and dryers, putting out communications footprint, that sort of thing, as if people were actually in there and doing it,” Brumley said.

The facility will be used to test out innovations ranging from unmanned vehicles to advances in energy and communication technology. Officials project CITE will need thousands of people to run it.

“It’s a fairly interesting but somewhat complex thing to run a city with no people in it, so it’s going to require people to manage the water, the power and all that,” Brumley said.

Brumley said the project will create jobs in a variety of industries including power, engineering and telecommunications.

Las Crucens told ABC-7 they would welcome the idea of a project that could bring thousands of jobs to the area.

“Anything that brings jobs for people, whether they’re educated or not educated is always a plus,” Las Cruces resident Ross said.

“We would be on the cutting edge of all this new stuff, so yes, I think it would be good,” Las Crucen Susan Ansara said.

Mayor Miyagishima thinks a project like this would be huge for the Las Cruces area.

“I feel that we’re already on the map, but it will be even more prominent than in the past,” Miyagishima said.

Pegasus officials plan to announce the location for the project in early May. They hope break ground by the end of June and have the project completed by 2014.