Santa Fe Midtown project moves ahead
Council, mayor OK 1-year contract with master developer
Santa Fe’s mayor and City Council voted Monday to enter a one-year contract with a master developer for the city-owned Midtown site, the former home of the Santa Fe University of Art and Design.
Under the terms of the exclusive negotiating agreement, KDC Real Estate Development and Investments/Cienda Partners’ plans and local partnerships will be made public. As the city has sought to find a master developer for the 64-acre property off St. Michael’s Drive, it has been criticized for keeping private the responses to its request for expressions of interest in the site.
The only two opposing votes to the one-year “get to know you” deal came from City Councilors Renee Villareal and JoAnne Vigil
Coppler. Both expressed concern that public input had not been sufficient during the search for a master developer.
“I want the public to know we don’t know hardly more than they do,” Vigil Coppler said during the special meeting, which took place through the Zoom digital platform because of restrictions against public gatherings during the coronavirus crisis. “Everything has been so confidential. This whole thing bothers me to no end, but here we are.”
The Midtown site is in District 4, which Vigil Coppler represents.
Under the mixed-use development envisioned, Christus St. Vincent, Homewise, Santa Fe Community College, the University of New Mexico and Pacifica Ventures, the former owner of Albuquerque Studios, will be tenants or possibly buyers of parcels on the site.
Under the ambitious plan, the Midtown campus would have health care facilities from Christus that would be used to train surgical technicians through a program at SFCC. Homewise would work to build housing for both rental and lease at a variety of price points. SFCC would partner with UNM to create degree programs to train students for digital and film careers.
The big question mark is coronavirus, which could prevent surveys and inspections from taking place and even limit the ability of local residents to comment on the proposal. The fallout from the virus could lead to a long economic downturn that could hurt prospects for the students being trained at the Midtown campus.
The contract calls for a fourmonth extension and could be
extended further if shutdowns prevent work from occurring, said City Attorney Erin McSherry.
The presence of SFCC and UNM at the Midtown site would continue the tradition of education on the campus that dates back to 1859, when St. Michael’s College, later known as the College of Santa Fe, was founded.
After the school ran into financial trouble, the city of Santa Fe bought the campus in 2009 in conjunction with the state of New Mexico and Laureate Education.
The school reopened as the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, but closed in May 2018, also because of financial problems.
Councilor Signe Lindell told colleagues who were advocating a go-slow approach that the empty facility is a burden on city finances, which have been hit hard by the loss of tourism.
“In the last six weeks, we have witnessed a worldwide economic meltdown,” she said before the vote. “This property costs between $6,000 and $8,000 a day. That’s a lot of money, folks.”
The city will hold a virtual meeting on Tuesday, May 12, to solicit questions and comments from the public.