redevelopment of big santa fe midtown campus progressing

The next step in the redevelopment of the massive 64-acre site of the former Santa Fe University of Art and Design has been taken.

Members of the Santa Fe City Council have approved entering into a negotiating agreement with a Dallas-based developer to provide a blueprint for what the valuable Midtown property may one day look like.

As envisioned in a presentation made to the council by both KDC Real Estate Development and Investments/Cienda Partners, the site could see new housing, as well as space for Santa Fe Community College and the University of New Mexico.

The mixed-use property will also boast health care facilities and some commercial and retail space.

Formerly the home to the College of Santa Fe, the tree-lined site, populated by more than two dozen buildings, some of which are regarded as historic, subsequently was taken over by the Santa Fe University of Art and Design, which subsequently closed its doors in 2009 due to financial issues.

After the City of Santa Fe purchased the site, a process was opened up involving the input of thousands of residents expressing their desires for what they wanted to see happen to the property.

That input has reinforced ideas that the site should include a mix of office, retail, and commercial space, but also, most importantly, both regular housing and affordable housing.
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Public input with the new master developer has been scheduled by the Council for May 12. 

By Garry Boulard

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