Santa Fe County developments will add to housing stock
Apr. 18—The Santa Fe area's housing crisis got a little relief last week when the Santa Fe County Commission voted to approve changes to two proposed residential and mixed-use developments that together would add nearly 150 homes just outside the city limits to the housing stock.
The Commission unanimously approved changes to the Vegas Verde development at the intersection of St. Francis Drive and Interstate 25, and the Oshara Village development east of Richards Avenue and south of Rabbit Road.
Being built in phases starting in 2004, the Oshara Village project is located on 471 acres south of I-25 near Santa Fe Community College. The approved changes allow for 120 more homes than initially planned, coming at the expense of commercial space. A county memo notes that the demand for commercial space has steadily declined in Santa Fe County.
The Oshara Village conceptual plan amendment reduces commercial space for the project from 1,321,000 square feet to 303,330 square feet. That change will allow residential dwellings to increase from 735 to 855.
Some people already living in the area where the development is being built weren't thrilled with the change. About 15 people spoke during the public comment portion of Tuesday's County Commission meeting, most in opposition to the proposal.
Some said the original 200-foot no-build buffer between the Arroyo Hondo West subdivision and Oshara Village wasn't big enough. County commissioners and the developer, G.E. Richards Property, reduced the buffer zone to 100 feet to allow for more housing. A 200-foot buffer would have meant 28 fewer homes.
Karen Hall, a resident living near Oshara Village, said she would like to see a wall separating the new development from their neighborhood.
"We are worried about the buffer zone ... and heard we were gong to have 200 feet, and now maybe we're not," Karen Hall said. "We, and 20 others, would like more than 200 feet in the buffer zone, and we're worried about traffic and noise from another area."
She also said she was concerned about the impact more light emitting from the homes would have on the dark skies enjoyed there.
However, project manager Jennifer Jenkins and commissioners did not support a wall, preferring to put drought-resistant native vegetation in the buffer zone.
Roger Carson, a realtor and president of the Santa Fe Association of Realtors, spoke in favor of the development. He said the demand for housing is extremely high, and in every section of the market. People are being pushed out of their homes by out-of-state buyers, he said, and it's a tragic time in the housing market because there's simply not enough.
Commissioner Hank Hughes agreed.
"We all know we need a lot more housing in Santa Fe," he said. "We have so many people who commute here from Española and Rio Rancho who would probably much rather live here. It would be much better for the environment if people lived here."
A recent study by the Santa Fe Association of Realtors indicated that nearly 40% of the people who work in Santa Fe County commute to work from another county.
The Vegas Verde development is planning for only about 22 homes mixed in with commercial buildings.
No one spoke during the public hearing on the project.
The main vote on the development was a deadline adjustment and clarifying some amendments to the project, such as making the barriers between dwellings or other buildings consistent.
"It's really interesting; we need both things in Santa Fe County," Commissioner Anna Hamilton said. "We need more economic development that's appropriate, beneficial economic development consistent with our communities, (and) we need more housing."
