Back to the Path

The Santa Fe City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a land purchase agreement with the State of New Mexico, putting back on track its long-standing goal of connecting Richards Avenue across the Arroyo de los Chamisos and making way for a future affordable housing project.

Santa Fe will pay the state Department of Game and Fish $2.1 million for the 23-acre tract north of the arroyo. The money for the deal comes from gross receipts taxes the City Council earmarked for the proposed project in October 2022, according to Finance Director Emily Oster.

The city has been negotiating with the state agency to buy the land for more than a year. After some back and forth over its appraised value in 2022, the City Council voted in January to buy the land, but the state Game Commission rejected the deal—only to come back this summer with the same offer.

Right now, Richards Avenue dead-ends in the Bellamah neighborhood, north of the arroyo and also south of the arroyo at Fire Station 7. Backers of the planned extension between Siringo Road and Rodeo Road say it will help alleviate traffic snarls and increase connectivity. But it won’t be the land’s only purpose, according to City Manager John Blair.

“Having affordable housing on the property is absolutely an expectation,” Blair said during the Aug. 9 meeting.

The road extension requires 2 to 5 acres of the land, and the city could also use the balance for open space, a senior center, a child care center or recreation, according to a memo from Public Works Director Regina Wheeler.

However, any future plans will likely face the same long-standing opposition from surrounding neighborhood residents who complain of potential increased traffic and noise, among other concerns.

“I’m all in favor of us utilizing city land to be a leader in developing affordable housing units,” District 2 Councilor Michael Garcia said before the vote.