Residents speak out against zoning change for parcel on Old Pecos Trail
Jul. 22—Residents who oppose a 25-home housing development on Old Pecos Trail showed a series of videos and images at a Santa Fe Planning Commission meeting Thursday meant to deter the panel from recommending approval of the project.
Albuquerque-based developer Pierre Amestoy is asking the city to rezone a parcel on the corner of West Zia Road and Old Pecos Trail so it can construct 25 single-family homes.
The project would require a zoning change for the property from R-1 (one home per acre) to R-3 (three homes per acre). He is also seeking preliminary plat approval.
The development, in the South Central Highway Corridor, would include 75-foot setbacks from Old Pecos Trail.
Thursday's meeting, which stretched late into the night, was heavily attended, with more than 15 people standing in line to speak about the proposal. A number of attendees gave up their two-minute speaking time to other speakers to allow more time for their presentations.
Former state historian Hilario Romero showed a short video meant to highlight the need to preserve both the nature and the historical significance of the parcel, which he said was part of an ancient trail used by local Native Americans to get to Pecos Pueblo.
His video showed a number of deer using the space and included a plea to preserve the area's scenic nature.
"Do you remember Santa Fe in the old days?" a narrator asks. "Here we are on the Old Pecos Trail. They want to build high-ceiling homes here."
Randall Bell, board president of the Old Santa Fe Association, spoke for about 10 minutes on what he considered to be an "overly dense" subdivision.
"Our organization is strongly supporting their objection," Bell said.
"This corridor affects all the citizens of Santa Fe who travel it, as well as the untold number of visitors who pass through it and have their first impressions of the City Different," he added.
Monica Montoya of Montoya Land Use Consulting is representing the applicant and reiterated a point she made a day earlier: The applicant has worked with neighbors to address their concerns, including ditching a proposal to build two-story homes and a promise to build with "innovative" street design.
Planning Commission OKs cancer center
Prior to the discussion on Old Pecos Trail, the Planning Commission gave the green light to a new cancer center proposed at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center but stopped short of approving a slope variance needed for the proposed center's parking lot.
Christus St. Vincent was seeking approval for a plan to build the nearly $80 million, 7.4-acre addition to its 47-acre campus off St. Michael's Drive. The center is expected to serve an additional 64,000 residents a year.
The commission first heard the item at its July 7 meeting but voted to table the discussion after some members requested additional information regarding both a slope and height variance request.
Planning commissioners approved a height variance of
7 feet — the property lies within the South Central Highway Corridor, which sets 25-foot height limits on all developments — but voted 5-4 to shoot down a request to disturb a 30 percent slope at a nearby arroyo that would run through a proposed parking lot at the center.
By losing the slope variance, the amount of parking lots in
the proposal will shrink by about 25 percent, or about 63 spaces.
Some had suggested the hospital build a parking structure in lieu of the lot, but according to Jennifer Jenkins of the land use firm JenkinsGavin, a parking structure would require an additional $3 million and would result in an additional 40 spaces, 35 fewer than needed.
It would also create more noise, fumes and headlight glare near adjacent residences, she said.
The proposal now heads to the Santa Fe City Council for approval.
