SF County unveils ranch use plans
La Bajada acreage will be leased for farm, homes
SANTA FE — Santa Fe County has settled on ways to use 470 acres of land it bought for $7 million nearly eight years ago, leasing about half of it to a film producer wanted to start a community farm and using part of the remaining acres for home sites under a new county program.
The county came under criticism for purchasing part of the former Santa Fe Canyon Ranch in 2009 because it had no plans for its use.
A request for proposals for use of the property, renamed La Bajada Ranch, rendered just one response. It came from Frank Mancuso Jr. — known as the producer of the “Friday the 13th” sequels and co-creater of “Friday the 13th: The Series” — who previously has said he wants to turn property in that area west of Interstate 25 and south of La Cienega into a community farm.
Mancuso, who bought about 850 acres of adjacent property in 2014 and had it rezoned for single-family homes, signed a lease with the county last week. Under the terms, his company, Alamo Creek Conservation LLC, would pay $1,800 per year for five years with the option to extend the lease in five-year increments ending after 25 years. He also was required to put down a $5,000 deposit.
Efforts to reach Mancuso on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, the County Commission in October approved a development plan that opens up a portion of the La Bajada Ranch property as a designated area for home sites under a program that allows landowners to sell their development rights.
Under the program, the property owners could sell the rights they have to build on land they own.
By selling the rights, their land would be preserved as a conservation easement. While they would not be allowed to build homes on the land, the property could still be used for farming or grazing.
The development rights would then be transferred to designated parts of the county where residential homes could be built at a higher density than current zoning allows.