Railyard neighbors question event’s parking plan
Residents worried about losing curbside spots if they leave homes; raise congestion concerns
Organizers of the annual International Folk Art Market, a nearly 20-year-old institution in Santa Fe and the first of the city’s three large summer art markets to be staged each year, are preparing for the event’s big move to Railyard Park.
To some, the move from Museum Hill to the budding arts district in the downtown area represents an exciting development.
A few of the market’s new neighbors, however, are uneasy about the crowd the event is sure to draw when it arrives July 5-9, which could be upward of 15,000 during the main event over the weekend, along with 1,500 volunteers.
A handful of Railyard District residents and business owners attended a community meeting at the organization’s office Thursday, inquiring predominantly about parking plans.
As in past years, the market will offer a shuttle to the site. In 2022, attendees were shuttled from the city-owned midtown campus on St. Michael’s Drive to Museum Hill. This year, the shuttle will run to the Railyard from the South Capitol Rail Runner train station, adjacent to the parking lot for the state Taxation and Revenue Department.
Market organizers also are urging attendees to ride the Rail Runner, where the route ends at the Santa Fe Depot, less than a block from the Railyard Park event.
Still, some residents in surrounding neighborhoods weren’t convinced market-goers would refrain from parking on narrow side streets, potentially blocking emergency vehicles.
“To me, the biggest issues are parking and traffic congestion,” one resident said at Thursday’s meeting. “There are a lot of people who rely on street parking for their only parking. If they need to leave to go somewhere, someone is going to take their spot immediately.”
Market organizers said they have been in talks with Santa Fe city officials, including those in the Parking Division and police, for traffic control. Paseo de Peralta will be closed from South Guadalupe Street to Camino de la Familia during the days and into the evenings while the market is open. The organization also has contracted with traffic control company Southwest Safety Services, and organizers said parking enforcement will be in effect.
Trucks will be monitoring surrounding streets “with a ready-to-tow order,” market CEO Melissa Mann said.
Event staff said they identified between 500 and 900 parking spaces around the site, drawing concerns from residents who noted parking can be difficult to find at the Railyard even during the popular Santa Fe Farmers Market on Saturdays.
The International Folk Art Market announced in December the event would be moved from its spot on Museum Hill to the Railyard for summer 2023.
The market is planning to host 168 artists from 52 countries.
Mann said the organization has not made a decision on whether the market will take place at the Railyard permanently, but she is hoping organizers pull it off this year and prove it can work.
“There’s a lot of cool stuff happening in the Railyard,” she said, noting the farmers market, events at SITE Santa Fe and a growing art gallery scene. “Suddenly, there’s a lot of energy going on, and our thought was, ‘What is our role in that? Is that something we observe from a couple of blocks away, or do we find a way to be part of it?’ ”
The market will take up about one-third of the 10-acre Railyard Park, Mann said, while leaving the playground and trails open to the public.
Mann said the market brought $11 million in outside spending to Santa Fe in 2022, based on polling from an independent firm.
“I’m not against the market; I’m just not sure this is the right space,” a resident said, comforted somewhat after seeing the group’s plan for traffic control. “I hope you prove me wrong. We’ll see.”
The organization will host a second community meeting at its office at 5:30 p.m. June 15.
Organizers are urging attendees to ride the Rail Runner, where the route ends at the Santa Fe Depot, less than a block from the Railyard Park event.