Preparing for long transition at soon-to-be-empty campus
Looking at possibilities for Santa Fe University of Art and Design site
The makeover of the soon-to-be-vacant Santa Fe University of Art and Design campus will not be quick, and city leaders are planning for the potential of what could be a protracted — and possibly expensive — transition, said one city councilor.
It’s possible the 64-acre campus would grow into a hub of business and creative activity with room for affordable housing, District 4 councilor Michael Harris told an assembly of some 60 people at a Journey Santa Fe event held at Collected Works Bookstore and Coffeehouse on Sunday.
But if it doesn’t, he said, “In a worst-case scenario we have a derelict property and we continue to pay $2.3 million checks [to pay off debt] every year.”
In the meantime, Harris said it’s likely the city will have to prepare for at least a year of paying off that debt while any new use for the campus is developed. He said the city plans to set up a police substation on the site by the end of June.
“We know we have an asset and we know that we have to protect it,” he said.
Mayor Javier Gonzales said in a phone interview
that the city needs to ensure the safety of the campus and anyone who might still be working on it and that a police substation “is one idea that makes a lot of sense.” But, he said, the future leaders of City Hall will have to work that into the annual budget, a process that will begin in March, after a new mayor is elected.
The Santa Fe University of Art and Design will close by the end of June. The city purchased the campus land in 2009 from what had been the College of Santa Fe after it announced its financial insolvency. The city then signed a 26-year lease with the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, an affiliate of the for-profit Laureate Education Co., which has since been responsible for annual bond payments of about $2.3 million.
The payments cover the original purchase price of $19.5 million, plus another $10 million borrowed for water, sewer, building and other property improvements. But at least $23 million is left on that debt and once the Laureate lease expires on June 30, city taxpayers will be responsible for the debt payments until new tenants are found for the property.
In the interim, Harris said, interested outside parties, including some colleges, remain interested in using some — but not all — of the campus.
The likelihood of any educational entity taking over the entire site, like the Santa Fe University of Art and Design did, is unlikely, he added.
“It’s become clear in this day and age that most universities are not looking for a full-fledged campus,” he said.
But City Councilor Signe Lindell said Sunday she is “optimistic” that an educational entity might be able to start running classes on “some part of the campus” as soon as the autumn, albeit on a limited scale.
“I think the entire [repurposing] project will be a multi-year deal but … we will have something going on on part of that campus in less than a year.”
In terms of some of the purpose-built facilities on the campus, Harris said if no one comes forward to take over management and operation of the Greer Garson Theatre Center — with its 500-seat-plus performing arts theater — and the art-house cinema The Screen, it is likely they will soon go dark.
“Someone has to bring their management skills and the financing to move these properties forward,” Harris said. “No one has.”
As for the Fogelson Library, Harris reiterated previous suggestions that the city could take it over and run it as the main branch of its public library. But, he said, the 40,000 square foot, three-floor college library is “probably more than what we need,” for that purpose.
Harris said the film community will probably ensure that the Garson Studios soundstages — where the television series Longmire and other projects were filmed — remain in operation. Gonzales echoed that.
“Given the state of film in Santa Fe that could be a strong revenue source for the city and help to promote the film industry,” he said. “I can’t imagine the future City Council wanting to sell the highest-performing asset on the campus.”
Meanwhile, the city is asking for community input on the campus through its Midtown Campus Project, as it is now called. Then, five design teams will take that community input and come up with visual and written ideas of what the property could become.
City planners will then put together a final report to be presented to the City Council and the public, Harris said, and the city will host at least three public forums on the project.
To learn more or participate in the survey, visit the city of Santa Fe website at www.santafenm.gov and click on the Midtown Campus Project on the bottom left side of the home page. The city is taking input on the site through Feb. 20.