Proposed development on South Meadows is getting a bad rap

At the risk of fanning a flame, the fears of south-side residents opposed to Homewise developing 22 acres along South Meadows Road are misplaced. They should be grateful it’s Homewise taking their arrows.

Unlike callous, corporate developers plowing forward under rules entitling them to build, Homewise can listen. And it has.

The first shot over the neighborhood’s bow was 96 dwelling units on one end, a charter school on the other, and a 2-acre park in the middle. For the few residents with access to the 22 acres, it was an affront.

The parcel has been characterized as “open space.” It’s space, but it’s not open. It’s undeveloped and gone back to some kind of natural state, but it is surrounded by tall, sturdy chain-link fencing. It is inaccessible to South Meadows Road and hundreds of homes in the Colores del Sol subdivision.

There’s a couple questionably legal gates on the far side backing on 19 existing homes. A Google map shows trails leading from those access points, but only 38 homes easily access them. A Homewise two-day, all-day property surveillance showed 11 people using the trails one day and 14 on another, almost all dog walkers out for daily duties.

Mike Loftin, founder and longtime executive director of Homewise, is sensitive to neighborhood issues like no other developer in town. As the head of a nonprofit whose mission is affordable housing of the highest quality in well-designed neighborhoods of homeowners, not renters, he can turn Homewise on a dime when needed. And he is.

Gone is the exclusivity of the Thrive charter school on the property. Loftin still believes the south side needs such a school, but not necessarily on that property. In fact, nothing is now reserved for any type of school. Planned now are more homes for purchase, 50 percent dedicated affordable, and a public park bigger than 2 acres. A park accessible to all south-side neighbors.

Loftin and his planners are studying parks that work. One conclusion: When homes face a park, they are safer and better used. Parks with walking and biking trails down the center stimulate usage. Off-street parking is needed for parents with toddlers. Green open space for games and running with spots to sit and watch are good, as is equipment to climb and swing and sink a basket.

Homewise would design and build such a park, with neighborhood input, but expects the city to take on maintenance and upkeep and not saddle a homeowners association. Especially one comprised of affordable housing families.

One phrase annoying my Realtor friends is some proposed housing units being “condos,” as if that describes a physical building one can picture in their mind. A condominium is not a physical thing; it’s a means of ownership and can be any groups of buildings or spaces.

Loftin has proposed 27 percent of homes being single-family detached and 31 percent attached townhome row houses. They will all be sold “fee simple,” meaning home and land are in the deed. The remaining 42 percent will be

sold as condominiums, meaning no individual ownership of land.

The condos will be similar to the popular style introduced in El Camino Crossing, the Homewise neighborhood still under construction on Agua Fría Street. Those forsale units are as small as 750 square feet for one-bedroom flats, some with garages. They are perfect for young singles and couples ready to start climbing the homeownership ladder, hoping for rising equity instead of rising rents.

Santa Fe needs affordable homeownership. Homewise provides the best and most. Neighbors should be cheering.