El Castillo moves closer to new site
No construction plans or financing yet for Santa Fe retirement community at Ghost Ranch property
El Castillo, a retirement community in downtown Santa Fe, is moving closer to construction of a new complex of independent living units on the Ghost Ranch property off Paseo de Peralta next to the Scottish Rite Center.
Late last week, it signed a purchase agreement with the Presbyterian Church (USA), headquartered in Kentucky, for an undisclosed price. The deal marks El Castillo’s second purchase agreement for the same property. CEO and administrator Al Jahner said the new agreement is not substantially different from the first.
“This has been kind of a long process,” he said. “A lot of things had to be done on the front end that the Presbyterian board has approved.”
The city’s Historic Districts Review Board has approved demolition of the existing building, which has been vacant since 2010, and Jahner said he notified Presbyterian. The church is responsible for obtaining permits for demolition and remediation of the site, he said.
The building, which dates from the 1950s or 1960s, contains asbestos and lead paint. Jahner estimated it would take six to eight months to raze the building and complete remediation before new construction can begin.
El Castillo won’t be able to break ground on an underground parking garage at the site for at least 18 months, he said. Because there is still some uncertainty surrounding the purchase, he added, no construction plans have been drawn, and financing has not yet been arranged.
At some point before breaking ground, El Castillo will begin pre-sales of the units, Jahner said. But the only activity at the site so far has been test drilling to sample soil and water to check for contamination.
He estimates there will be between 70 and 75 one- and twobedroom independent living units on the 2.5 acres, with unit floor plans ranging between 560 and 1,200 square feet. They will be similar to those at El Castillo’s original facility at 250 E. Alameda St. The new facility will include common areas and rooms for fitness and dining.
Residents also will have access to amenities at the main location, such as the pool, library and medical resources.
Rather than buying into the property itself, residents will sign life plan agreements that guarantee their future care and needs. Prices will vary, depending on the size of the units and residents’ needs. El Castillo offers independent and assisted living, as well as nursing and memory care.
Residents of the existing facility are mostly locals, many from old Santa Fe families, and those who have relatives in the city. The target audience for the new development is similar, Jahner said: “People who want to live in downtown Santa Fe and have a great time.”
El Castillo, which often has no independent living units available on East Alameda Street for new residents, has long been looking to expand.
In addition to the Ghost Ranch property, it has considered both the state-owned Garrett’s Desert Inn on Old Santa Fe Trail and the St. Francis Cathedral School, which is across the street from El Castillo’s original facility and now is home to the New Mexico School for the Arts. But the arts school is planning to move into its own campus in the Railyard when that project is complete.
The Ghost Ranch property along Old Taos Highway abuts Plaza del Monte, originally a retirement community for Presbyterian pastors and missionaries.
The rental community was sold in 2015 by Presbyterian Medical Services to a group of investors from Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
The Presbyterian Church (USA), which is unrelated to Presbyterian Medical Services, also owns the Ghost Ranch property in Abiquiú, an education and retreat center.