Members of the state's Capitol Buildings Planning Commission on Wednesday made no decision about where to locate a new government supercomplex after a new site proposal was floated and the owner of another site said he was never contacted about his property.

During the meeting, a representative for Sonny Otero, a Gov. Bill Richardson donor and Santa Fe landlord, offered to donate 25 acres on Caja del Rio Road, near the New Mexico Game and Fish Office off N.M. 599.

A written proposal from Otero called the site a "prime development site, as the city/county/state are spreading their growth to the West."

"By building this project at my proposed site, the donation of 25 acres to the state will save the New Mexico taxpayers millions of dollars in initial land costs," the proposal states. It also said the area is by a golf course, running and biking paths and playing fields.

General Services Department Secretary Art Jaramillo said he had considered that site, and one major obstacle would be getting the funding for an intersection at Caja del Rio. Another would be getting support services such as restaurants nearby, Jaramillo said.

Members of the committee took no action, and the only question came from House Speaker Ben Luján, D-Nambé, who asked whether the property was a donation. Martin Suazo, who was representing Otero, confirmed it was.

The supercomplex, which likely would be built in two phases, would house at least four agencies, including the Human Services Department, which right now has offices spread in six locations in Santa Fe. Other agencies that would move to a new site include the departments of Health; Children, Youth and Families; and Aging and Long-Term Services. State officials for 10 years have worked on the idea.

At the meeting, Marc Bertram, owner of a site that General Services Department officials have said they considered, said he was never contacted or consulted about the possibility of locating the supercomplex on his site. His location is the 20-acre former site of the pumice plant on St. Francis Drive, now known as Zia Station because of the Rail Runner Express stop there.

"We were never even approached about it, so I don't know how it would have been adequately evaluated," he told the committee.

General Services Department Secretary Art Jaramillo said he personally looked at the site three times, once before the pumice plant came down and twice after.

Jaramillo said he once sat at a traffic light on Zia Road at 5 p.m. and waited 12 minutes so he could turn onto St. Francis, which helped him decide that was not the best site for 2,200 state employees to enter and exit from every day.

Bertram asked the commission to start anew with requesting proposals for the project, but no members of the committee suggested that action.

Jaramillo has said he agrees with the Architectural Research Consultants, who in 2007 recommended the site known as Las Soleras for the project. The group at the time noted its potential for mixed-use development, its sufficient roadway capacity, its pedestrian walkability and its ability to "promote a compact urban form."

The entire site is south of the Nava Adé housing development off Governor Miles Road and is generally bounded by Interstate 25 to the south, Cerrillos Road to the west and Richards Avenue to the east. The developers are John Mahoney and Skip Skarsgard.

Jaramillo gave an update on the tentative contract between Las Soleras and the state.

As it has in the past, the contract now calls for the state to pay $6 million to the developers for at least 20 acres on the site. It will pay no more than $20 per square foot. The developers now also will match that with $6 million in land at the site. The state also will trade up to 4.45 acres of land it owns on Galisteo Street and up to 8.11 acres of land it owns in the Valdes Business Park, depending on the appraised value of land at Las Soleras and the other two sites.

Jaramillo reiterated that he's researched all the sites and feels Las Soleras is best.

"Las Soleras presents the best possible site, and I believe I have driven the best possible deal," he said.

While Jaramillo is anxious for the committee to make a decision, House Minority Leader Tom Taylor, R-Farmington, said he wants to be absolutely sure the state is getting the best deal and shouldn't hurry to make such a major decision.

"I'm not opposed to slowing down just a little bit to make sure we are getting our ducks in a row, but a lot of that can happen while we wait for appraisals," Taylor said.

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog at www.greenchilechatter.com.