Developer seeks changes to former Alvord Elementary site plan

Jan. 28—The developers of the dormant Alvord Elementary School site have augmented their plans to build housing there, to the consternation of some neighborhood members.

The developers are requesting amendments to the site master plan, which if approved by the city's Planning Commission, will divide the two lots bordering Paseo de Peralta and Alarid Street into a 10-lot subdivision. The developers also are seeking an increase to building height limits up to four stories on one portion of the site.

Some neighborhood residents have raised concerns about the project, arguing the new plans do not mesh with the long-standing neighborhood.

"It makes no sense actually," longtime neighborhood resident Rey Montez said Tuesday. "I am just disappointed that David [Barker] has taken this approach."

But Barker, of Barker Realty, the property's owner, said the project is still a work in progress and he is keeping lines of communication open with concerned residents to make the proposal work.

He noted concerns over building height, traffic and parking raised at an early neighborhood notification meeting last week are being taken under consideration.

"Our conversation and discussions are ongoing," he said. "We have gone back to the drawing board and are trying to come up with different ideas in response to the concerns and issues we heard.

"I have nothing to hide," he added. "I want to work with the neighborhood. I hope to come up with a plan that better addresses their concerns, but I can't do everything."

Barker purchased the 2.85-acre property in 2017 from Santa Fe Public Schools for $2.55 million after Alvord Elementary closed in 2010 due to low enrollment.

Barker said he's never had a specific proposal for the site but had previously voiced an interest in converting the campus into a live-work space for artists with a commercial component.

However, in April 2021, Barker said the team was returning to the drawing board to work on new designs.

"I started to lose confidence in the project," he said. "It didn't feel comfortable, and I didn't feel like it was the right thing to do."

Now the developers are evaluating a plan to sell the homes built on the 10 lots. The subdivision would be on the western part of the property and the homes would be a mix of single- and two-story homes, according to plans in the early neighborhood notification application.

According to the application, the project will be less dense than what could have been developed at the site, hopefully alleviating any traffic or congestion concerns.

Barker said to make up the density lost in the new proposal, he is requesting a height limit change to allow buildings up to 48 feet high on the site's playground area. The site is currently zoned for buildings up to 36 feet, with the majority zoned at 28 feet.

The playground is on the eastern portion of the site, abutting the Railyard buildings, and is zoned for buildings up to three stories, or 36 feet. Railyard Flats, adjacent to the Alvord Elementary site, is three stories.

Still, Montez said he believes the proposal "goes beyond what is reasonable."

Barker said based on the concerns voiced in the notification meeting, he's also evaluating the height limit request.

"I need to rethink that," he said. "I am rethinking that."

The city's Planning Commission is expected to hear the item in April before going to the City Council.

Paul Reed, who lives in a unit directly across the street from Alvord, said, while he has not followed the development very closely, anything that adds additional car traffic to the street is a concern.

"I'm not sure if this street can handle that," he said.

In their early neighborhood notification questionnaire, developers noted the site addresses the lack of new residential construction in the downtown area.

The development also will help "stem the tide of the negative impact of homeless and vagrants that have burdened the Railyard" and surrounding neighborhoods, according to the application.

Victor R. Hernandez, also a nearby resident, said he's in favor of the development, or anything that brings the city additional housing.

"My daughter has been looking for a place, and it has been tough," he said. "So if this helps, yeah, I'm for it."

Ann Allen, a neighborhood resident, was walking near the school Tuesday and said any momentum is better than nothing for the dormant site.

"I'm glad to know they will do something with the property rather than it sitting empty," she said.