Housing development would fulfill density goals
On Wednesday, the Santa Fe City Council will decide whether to implement its longstanding general plan policy that properties along Old Pecos Trail near Zia Road be zoned residential at a density of three to seven dwellings per acre. My application proposes a density of 2.6 dwellings per acre, which will help the city meet its recognized housing needs and provide five affordable homes on the east side.
“Home prices rise, but wages can’t keep up; Prices for single-family house in Santa Fe rose 30 percent in year ending in June” read The New Mexican‘s front-page Feb. 20, 2022, headline. The city has long recognized and proactively planned to meet local housing demands. The 1999 general plan includes policies that are more relevant today than the day they were adopted: “In both ‘infill’ and ‘future growth’ areas, the city must encourage higher densities of residential and commercial development than existing zoning often allows. Smaller subdivided lots and smaller homes help create efficient use of already existing roads and utilities, help ensure cost-efficient public transit, and provide the type of housing that will be in demand as the general population ages during upcoming decades.”
The City Council also adopted a future land-use designation along both sides of Old Pecos Trail near Zia Road of three to seven dwellings per acre as well as scenic highway corridor regulations requiring a 75-foot setback from Old Pecos Trail and 50 percent open space for each residential lot.
It’s no secret that building housing in Santa Fe is challenging, given strict development standards, increasing costs and public resistance to change. My application to develop the 9.6 acres on the west side of Old Pecos Trail at West Zia Road has generated substantial opposition from local neighbors, primarily based on housing density. This opposition is based on a fundamental misperception
of the city’s general plan, the city’s policy guide for land-use decision-making and the zoning ordinance, which contains regulations designed to implement the general plan’s policies.
The misperception is based on a zoning ordinance regulation requiring that lands annexed to Santa Fe be zoned R-1 until otherwise classified. Since annexing the property along with Sol y Lomas in 1961, it has remained in the R-1 holding zone. Is the City Council’s policy that the property be developed at one dwelling per acre? No. The council’s policy is clear and simple — the appropriate residential density is three to seven dwellings per acre.
The city’s land-use staff and the Planning Commission both recommended approval of my rezoning application because it is consistent with the council’s adopted density policy. My application does not request changing the existing policy, but rather implementing that longstanding policy.
Another general plan policy states “the target density for new infill development, in order to address affordable housing goals, is a minimum of five units per acre (net) with seven units per acre (net) preferred.” Implementation of this policy would result in up to 67 dwellings on the property. Given the required 75-foot setback and an arroyo crossing the property, my team has designed a 25-lot project with a density of 2.6 dwellings per acre.
The project will enable five families to own affordable homes on the east side and will contribute to the ongoing efforts to satisfy the demand for housing while implementing land-use policies the City Council adopted over 20 years ago to protect the scenic qualities of Old Pecos Trail. May the simple fact be recognized that my application asks the City Council to implement rather than change its residential density policy for this property.
Pierre Amestoy is a developer seeking to build homes along Old Pecos Trail.