Santa Fe County is asking for offers to purchase or lease the 470-acre property near La Cienega formerly known as Santa Fe Canyon Ranch.
The county purchased the property for $7 million in taxpayer money in 2009, ending a dispute about what the former landowners could do with it. The county has since renamed it La Bajada Ranch.
But it's been sitting idle since then, with members of the La Bajada Steering Committee tossing around ideas about what do do with the ranch.
Last year the county opened the ranch for public tours [
for photos]. And recently Beverly Hills film producer
purchased 850 acres neighboring the property, staving off concerns that a developer would snap up that land and build a subdivision.
The county has issued a request for proposals about its portion ranch, calling for offers that will increase revenue for the county while supporting a function for "the greater community" as well as supporting "conservation of the natural environment." This fall, the steering committee held a meeting soliciting informal ideas.
Anyone interested in submitting an offer to the county by Dec. 3 is strongly encouraged to attend a 9 am pre-proposal conference at the county's Projects, Facilities and Open Space conference room at 901 W. Alameda on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
RFP_for_La_Bajada_Ranch_Development.pdf by justinhorwath
Santa Fe Reporter