June 26 – New Mexico’s state government changed course Wednesday afternoon with a plan to push through a proposal to demolish four casitas on Don Gaspar Avenue to make room for a new state government office building.
Alexis Johnson, acting general counsel for the state Department of General Services, announced Wednesday to members of the state’s first-ever State-Local Government Historic Review Board that his department is withdrawing from the process.
The surprise announcement effectively ended the meeting and sent the controversial proposal — which had raised concerns among some members of Santa Fe’s historic preservation community — back to the draft stage. That is expected to involve a more collaborative process than has been done so far, said Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, who chaired the short-lived board.
The General Services Department had already submitted its proposal to Santa Fe’s Historic District Review Board, asking for permission to demolish a total of six buildings to make way for the new building.
That city council approved the demolition of two of the buildings, but said no to demolishing the four casitas. Some community members did not want to see the casitas demolished and expressed concerns about increased traffic. Heather Lamboy, Santa Fe’s assistant planning and land use director, said another major problem was the lack of a detailed design concept from the state.
Lack of consensus on the proposal led to the meeting of the State-Local Government Historic Review Board, which could have potentially overruled the city review board’s decision.
The provisions for the review board were established in the Historic District and Landmark Act of 2009, but had never been put into practice before.
Wirth told The New Mexican after the meeting that the statute intended the process to include deep collaboration from the front end. He said the state’s withdrawal gives them a chance to try again to come up with a plan that the state, the city and historic preservation advocates all support.
“That cooperation was not achieved, which created great division, which was not the intent of the statute at all,” Wirth said, adding that he appreciated the state’s decision.
Lamboy said Wednesday she was disappointed she was not made aware of the state’s plan to withdraw until shortly before the meeting, but said she believed it was the right move.
“We are pleased that the state is willing to step back and engage in a collaborative process,” Lamboy said.
After coming up with a concept and design, the state is expected to return to the city’s review board to seek approval.
“It’s really a reset,” Wirth said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
