YMCA opens at Cottonwood Commons, expands west-side access

A new YMCA behind Cottonwood Mall has put a major community hub within easier reach of Rio Rancho, Corrales and Albuquerque’s West Side, giving families another place for fitness, child care and youth programming close to home.

The Westside Family YMCA opened at 10131 Coors Blvd. NW, at Coors and Seven Bar Loop, in Cottonwood Commons, filling a space that was once a Burkes Outlet. YMCA of Central New Mexico said the site spans more than 20,000 square feet and marked the opening with a ribbon cutting on May 28 before the grand opening on May 30.

For west-side households, the opening changes more than the map. YMCA of Central New Mexico said families in the area had long expressed a need for a YMCA close to home, and president and CEO Roberto Aguirre said the new branch strengthens the organization’s mission of building a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. The location puts a nonprofit fitness and family-services option just over the hill from Rio Rancho and Corrales, where distance and traffic can determine whether a parent can make a class, pick up a child or keep up with a morning workout.

The new branch is not just a gym. YMCA of Central New Mexico lists unlimited facility access, group exercise classes, free Kids Zone childcare during workouts, New Mexico PreK, youth sports and Parents’ Night Out among the offerings at the Westside Family YMCA. The organization also listed weekday hours beginning at 5:30 a.m., a schedule aimed at working parents and early risers who need to fit exercise or drop-off into a busy day.

KRQE reported that the opening highlighted youth programs, child care and free New Mexico Pre-K, underscoring how the Y is positioning itself as a family hub as much as a wellness center. The site’s location at Cottonwood Commons also adds another service to a growing west-side commercial corridor that already draws shoppers from Sandoval County and northwest Albuquerque.

The new YMCA gives the west side a closer place to spend time, money and weekday routines, while turning a long-vacant retail box into a space built around recreation, child care and community use.