Suggestions aplenty for campus, but ‘pressure’s on’

Council approves broad resolution on future of site after Santa Fe University of Art and Design closes

What to do with 64 acres in the middle of town?

Santa Feans have no shortage of suggestions.

An artist takeover. A new public library. A contemporary music institute. A stand-alone film school. Walkable green spaces, like those in the Railyard. More movie production. Another higher education annex. Some sort of engine for economic development. Housing relief — for a city that needs it. A renewable-energy powerhouse.

Visions of a vibrant new city anchor, at least at this early stage, dance in every direction.

None of the items on the wish list can be said to be entirely out of the question, and indeed some align closely with the concept for the city-owned college campus that is laid out in a broad resolution approved unanimously Wednesday by the City Council.

But, as some councilors warned, loan payments will soon come due for the parcel, and a framework for the land at 1600 St. Michael’s Drive must be in place in relatively short order.

“This isn’t a project for us to sit around and drum our fingers about,” Councilor Signe Lindell said. “We need to move on this very, very quickly.”

“The timing is right to look at and think about what the future might hold,” Councilor Mike Harris said. “But there’s still a tremendous amount of work to be done.”

The campus, with 33 buildings comprising about 500,000 square feet of space, will be transformed one way or another after the Santa Fe University of Art and Design closes in the spring.

Councilors have said the initial thought — that a higher-education institution would slide into the space and maintain the existing infrastructure — has proven untenable in early discussions and negotiations.

But the clock is ticking: The for-profit private school, shuttering under the weight of declining enrollment and a failed sale to a Singapore company, provided official notice earlier this month that it will vacate the premises next summer. Its lease with the city will terminate June 30.

About $25 million remains on the debt the city incurred to purchase and refurbish the erstwhile College of Santa Fe campus; until the city finds new tenants for the property, taxpayers will be responsible for the $2.2 million annual payments that the university’s parent company had been making.

Community members are determined to have a say in who those tenants might be, attending a series of public hearings and meetings in recent weeks and months. Many have called for a master plan and insisted the public have greater input.

“It is the new center of town,” said Frederick Simpson, who teaches African drumming at the university. “That’s the center of Santa Fe now. Not this,” he said, nodding his head toward city administrative offices. “Down there, that’s the center: And it should be a place where everyone can come — to learn, to have a community experience.”

Others who testified before the council Wednesday said they were relieved and impressed by the resolution’s scope. It outlines numerous possibilities and pursuits to explore and consider, among them workforce housing, film-facility expansion and educational components.

“This is a nice resolution: It feels

really good to read it,” said former College of Santa Fe professor Cheryl Odom.

“But the devil’s in the details, guys. Let’s move forward. … Let’s get more people involved in this process.”

Some said they wanted to see the campus’ purpose-built structures — a theater, a musicschool building, film studios — remain intact or expanded even after the school departs.

Liam Lockhart, who chairs the university’s film program, said private investors have approached him and expressed a willingness to launch an independent film school in the space.

“I think if we were to lose this institution, it would be a tremendous loss for the city of Santa Fe and everything we stand for and believe in,” Lockhart said, rattling off some of his young students’ achievements. “We need to separate the corporate mismanagement from our academic success.”

The mood in the council chambers was enthusiastic; the resolution’s passage was greeted with applause by the few dozen audience members. But councilors sounded a cautionary note about the city’s financial obligations on the campus.

“There are lots of things we can do with that property, but in the end, the taxpayers are paying the mortgage that is due on this,” Councilor Carmichael Dominguez said. “We can’t just give it all away for free.”

Emails obtained by The New Mexican through a public records request revealed that a “very exploratory” possible partnership with The University of New Mexico, a summerlong Shakespeare series at the Green Garson Theater, climate-controlled museum storage and a primary care clinic were among ideas that had been proposed or discussed for the property.

A recent appraisal of the property conducted by an Albuquerque real estate firm determined the land was worth $7.5 million, though improvements and potential rental income lift the estimated value to $36 million.

The resolution stipulates a timeline be developed for the next 90 days in which a working group will address possible uses.

“It can be the vibrant, new, transformational center of Santa Fe,” Councilor Joseph Maestas said.

But, he added, “The pressure’s on.”