Santa Fe Development News

ABQ.com

SF developers envision multi-use Luna District

By Kathaleen Roberts / Journal Staff Writeron Mon, May 21, 2012

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/business/In-the-downtown-orbit

SANTA FE — Locals may remember the circa-’90s Club Luna as the site of such top-flight concert acts as John Hiatt and Smashing Pumpkins. Developers Ken and Deena Joseph want to transform that slice of Santa Fe into a district of its own, complete with work-in condos, an international market, restaurants, a coffee shop and a book store. The owners are branding it “the Luna District.”

The onetime home of a 1930s Art Deco movie house and Dodge dealership is located at 505 Cerrillos Road. More recent incarnations saw it as the temporary home of Theater Grottesco. The Josephs bought the property from developer Don Wiviott in August 2010, with plans to transform it into 60,000 square feet of space where residents can work from home, shop for groceries and dine within walking distance of the Plaza, the Roundhouse, the new county courthouse and the Railyard. The point is to create a 24-hour life, Ken Joseph said. Construction started about a month ago. “This is different,” he said. “This isn’t Santa Fe style. This is unique and authentic. People don’t want to be in a single purpose (building), because they want to take their laptop down to the coffee shop.”

A ground-breaking celebration including merchant exhibits, the music of Boris & the Saltlicks and restaurant tastings, is slated for 4:30-7:30 p.m. May 25. Visitors can drink from a beer garden provided by Santa Fe Brewing and sip sparkling wine by Gruet. “People can live there. People can have their office there,” Joseph continued. “For whatever reason, this project has created a buzz.” About 70 percent of the space already has tenants, he said.

The shops will include a gourmet market, Ohori’s Coffee, a women’s boutique, a first-edition bookstore and an olive-oil and vinegar specialty store. The 800-square-foot lofts will sell for about $250,000, Joseph said. The curved front side of the building facing Cerrillos Road screams Art Deco. “It’s sort of Johnny Rockets 1930s architecture,” Joseph said. “Our whole aim is to restore it.”

The old car showroom features original “pen tile” made by inmates at the Santa Fe Penitentiary. The wood pine ceiling has been preserved, complete with beams darkened by a fire. In the former movie house, rectangular second-floor windows date from its use as a projection room. There’s even a “crying room” with a window so that parents were able to remove noisy children and watch the movie. The lobby –– once a clothing store –– features both vigas and a fireplace that echo both Art Deco and Santa Fe style. The curved brick facade will be restored with brick salvaged from poet Carl Sandburg’s Illinois home, Joseph said.

“I’ve bought enough of it for the whole project,” he added.

[...]

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The New Mexican

City to buy office space in Railyard building

Deal could restart movie-theater project; Bushee sits out vote

http://www.pentagram.com/en/new/new-york/

The city of Santa Fe plans to borrow up to $5 million to buy and equip office space in a private building in the Railyard. The decision came in a vote Wednesday night to settle threatened litigation and pave the way for potential development of a stalled movie-theater project at the site.

[...]

City councilors agreed last spring to lease the space in the Market Station building in the Railyard that they've now agreed to buy for $3.6 million. The city will also borrow $1.4 million to finish the interior. The decision means the city will stop renting office space in the Joseph Montoya Federal Building.

According to Finance Department Director Mel Morgan, the deal will save the city money. He said that if city offices remain where they are today under current rental rate agreements, it will cost taxpayers $9.1 million over a 20-year time period. But debt repayment on a $5 million loan from the New Mexico Finance Authority over the same period will cost the city about $6.8 million. In addition, he said the city can expect the property will appreciate to a value of about $7.3 million in 2032.

Under the settlement, the city will buy a 21,464-square-foot condominium at the Market Station building from Railyard Co. LLC, and will waive $188,297 in impact fees the partnership owes the city; Railyard Co. LLC will terminate its sublease on parcels identified in the Railyard Master Plan as designated for a movie theater; and all the parties will avoid future litigation on the matter.

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http://www.jettingaround.com/2010/09/photo-of-the-week-santa-fe-new-mexico-2/

Santa Fe District Courthouse progress:




new mexican


new mexican


http://www.santafenewmexican.com/sfnmhome/homes/features/home-Commercial-market-110611

Why they come:


http://www.nationalcapitals.net/

La Fonda Plans Renovation

By Journal Staff on Thu, Aug 2, 2012

SANTA FE – Santa Fe’s oldest hotel is planning its biggest renovation in decades.

But before La Fonda can enclose some windows and upgrade the exterior, it must get permission from the city’s Historic Districts Review Board. The hotel’s request for exceptions to historic preservation rules will be taken up Aug. 14. The interior work isn’t subject to the board’s approval.

La Fonda was built around 1920 on the site of an earlier hotel. Managers of the landmark hotel want to renovate 162 of the 176 rooms and their corridors, reopen an exit, build a new staircase and do other improvements.

The work is planned to begin in January and be complete by this time next year.

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La Fonda Hotel, Santa Fe, NM by David Stall, on Flickr

Eagle Empire said:

What else is going on in Santa Fe?

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Not much right now. The city got caught with its pants down in 2008: condo developments stalled out, a major national mortgage brokerage (Thornburg) based in SF went bankrupt, The Railyards poject was not yet finished when everything stopped and home prices and sales went off a cliff. The city is slowly creaking forward but a lot of things are still in foreclosure and the courts. Things should pick up by next year.

SF Union-Only Rule to Take Effect

SANTA FE — Despite criticism from members of the construction industry, a “community workforce agreement” ordinance requiring union wages, membership and working conditions on city of Santa Fe building projects will go into effect next week.



A city economic development staffer has estimated the ordinance will cost the city an additional $5 million over the next three to five years. The reason in part is because of “the small … number of local trades’ contractors willing to become union signatories to be able to bid.” Mayor David Coss said he disagreed with that estimate.

Groups such as the Associated Builders and Contractors of New Mexico argue that community workforce agreements can raise the cost of public projects by 20 percent, impose burdens on contractors and constitute a “special interest scheme” for unions. They say laws are already in place to ensure workers are paid good wages and have safe working conditions.

ABC president Roxanne Rivera-Wiest estimated that between 92 and 96 percent of contractors in New Mexico aren’t union and questioned how narrowing the candidate pool benefits Santa Fe.

“We are not anti-union, but we believe in open competition, and we believe that any contractor in the state of New Mexico should be allowed to bid on any project that is being funded by taxpayer dollars,” she said.

Advocates for the law say union involvement streamlines the process for managing wages, ensures productivity and quality and should result in more Santa Feans working on public works projects.

Under the new law, the city must pay union wages and follow unionmandated rules for working conditions on all public works projects over $500,000. Unions agree not to strike, to complete projects in a timely manner and follow certain procedures for resolving problems.

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While most construction projects in Santa Fe recently have been public and institutional buildings, the private sector has been gearing up for new projects next year. Now those plans could be derailed by the new rules and the higher costs. Looks like SF may need another bubble to smooth out the cost-ROE curve...

desertpunk said:

Not much right now. The city got caught with its pants down in 2008: condo developments stalled out, a major national mortgage brokerage (Thornburg) based in SF went bankrupt, The Railyards poject was not yet finished when everything stopped and home prices and sales went off a cliff. The city is slowly creaking forward but a lot of things are still in foreclosure and the courts. Things should pick up by next year.

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Are there any government buildings planned for construction or expansion?

Eagle Empire said:

Are there any government buildings planned for construction or expansion?

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There's a district courthouse that's being built right now as well as several state office projects awaiting a recovery of revenues. A very ambitious redevelopment of the old Highway Department building next to a commuter rail line was scotched in 2008. If that gets revisited, there's a Whole Foods across the street that might be combined with it.

New District Courthouse:


http://www.santafenewmexican.com/localnews/121212courthouse

Construction Underway on New Drury Plaza Hotel in Santa Fe

The plan to redevelop former hospital property into a downtown Santa Fe

https://www.druryhotels.com/DruryNewsItem.aspx?id=6004116

(ST. LOUIS, MO) – July 12, 2012 – Work has begun on a new 182-room Drury Plaza Hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Located 2 blocks from Downtown Santa Fe Plaza, adjacent to St. Francis Cathedral Basilica, the Drury Plaza Hotel build out is an “adaptive reuse” of the 1954 vintage territorial-style St. Vincent Hospital building designed by renowned architect John Gaw Meem. The project includes a remodel of the old boiler building into a meeting center, an on-site restaurant and a 204 space parking garage with retail shops fronting on Paseo de Peralta. The hotel is expected to open the summer of 2014.


http://www.santafenewmexican.com/local news/h-board-oks-drury-hotel-plans
The plan to redevelop former hospital property into a downtown Santa Fe hotel stayed alive Tuesday when the Historic Design Review Board agreed to let three new buildings exceed maximum heights and to consider moving the main entrance.

Drury Hotels of San Antonio aims to remodel the former St. Vincent Hospital building built in 1954 into a family-style, 200-room Drury Plaza Inn and put about 75 additional rooms in the adjoining Marian Hall, built in 1910, as well as construct three new buildings.

In November, the Historic Design Review Board asked the developers to scale back proposed additions to the south side of the old hospital building.

On Tuesday, the developers returned with new plans that reduced those additions, but asked that the board designate only two of the hospital's exterior walls nearest Palace Avenue as primary facades.

Under Santa Fe's historic-design regulations, primary facades are the sides of buildings that are most apparent to the general public and which include architectural elements worthy of preservation.

Historic Preservation Division Director David Rasch initially proposed that five of 12 exterior walls of the hospital be designated as primary facades — all facing either Palace Avenue or Paseo de Peralta.

Board member Cecilia Rios moved, however, that seven exterior walls of the hospital be so designated — including a central south-facing wall. Her motion was approved with only John Kantner, the board's newest member, dissenting.

Steve Flance, a planner representing Drury Hotels, then asked board members if they would consider giving the developers an exception so they could build the primary entrance to the hotel on the central south side. The original entrance of the hospital building was on the northeast side. Even though no formal vote was taken, all members said they would consider such an exception.

The next crucial vote on Tuesday involved the plan to build three new buildings for suites or casitas to the south of the hospital building in an area now used as a parking lot. Regulations limit heights in this area to 18 feet, 8 inches. But Drury proposes two three-story buildings rising 36 feet and one two-story building that would be 27 feet tall. Part of the third story on one of the buildings already has been reduced at the request of the Business Capital District Development Review Board.

Rasch had recommended approval of the height exceptions, and the board agreed to go along with his recommendation, with only Rios dissenting.

During the public comment period, preservationists Marilyn Bane and John Pen La Farge spoke against granting height exceptions. Bane said this might lead to "a town of skyscrapers."

Seven speakers, including lawyer Karl Sommer and land-use specialist Jennifer Jenkins, favored the exceptions. Jenkins said such an "adaptive reuse" is the best possible plan for the old hospital building.

Flance said after the meeting that the project remains viable, but that he will need to return to the board in the near future to get another height exception for a proposed parking garage off Paseo de Peralta.

Some renders for the Drury Plaza Site:


http://www.santafenewmexican.com/sfnmhome/homes/home-Excavation-110611


http://thesurroundings.com/projects/landscape/drury-plaza-hotel


http://thesurroundings.com/projects/landscape/drury-plaza-hotel

A new 5,000 sq. ft. outpost of Talin Market, an international foods shrine, will open soon at 505 Cerillos Rd to serve Santa Fe's VERY BUSY lunch crowd:


http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/12/29/north/talin-on-way.html

Adding to the fun will be a new bowling lounge at Market Station in the Railyard:


http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/07/biz/railyard-lounge-to-strike-new-bowling-tone.html

New District Courthouse finishes up:


http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/06/news/so-close.html


http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/06/news/so-close.html


http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/06/news/so-close.html

Eagle Empire said:

The district courthouse looks nice. But is the pinkish color too much different from the brown used to mimic adobe?

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Maybe. They chose a neutral tone in compliance with the Historical styles Commission which pushes Pueblo Revival architecture in Santa Fe...even though the courthouse is Territorial Style.

desertpunk said:

A new 5,000 sq. ft. outpost of Talin Market, an international foods shrine, will open soon at 505 Cerillos Rd to serve Santa Fe's VERY BUSY lunch crowd:

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/12/29/north/talin-on-way.html

Adding to the fun will be a new bowling lounge at Market Station in the Railyard:

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/01/07/biz/railyard-lounge-to-strike-new-bowling-tone.html

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My god the second render is so basic !

SF welcomes Talin Market with open arms

By Kiera Hay / Journal North Reporteron Mon, Feb 18, 2013

SANTA FE — Talin Market World Food Fare ushered in the Chinese New Year with the opening of its new downtown Santa Fe store on Feb. 9.

“Santa Fe is a very international city and I think a lot of people can understand what we’re selling, understand a lot of the ingredients we’re selling. I think it’s just a natural fit for us,” Director of Operations Victor Limray said.

Harry Anderson buys green bananas at Talin Market’s grand opening.

The store is located in the Luna complex at 505 Cerrillos Rd., next to the new location of Ohori’s Coffee. At 5,000 square feet, it’s about one-sixth the size of the Talin Market in Albuquerque, which has been open since 1978.

By the afternoon, the store was filled with Santa Feans perusing exotic items such as cherimoya and Japanese daikon. Limray also boasted that “we probably have one of the best seafood selections in the whole state.”

“Today is a very auspicious day for us to open. Even though we’re not at 100 percent, it was very important for us to open today,” Limray said.

[...]

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This is a double score for Santa Feans because Ohori's Coffee is probably the best in town right now.