Santa Fe elected officials are preparing for a battle over affordable housing, pledging to fiercely defend a federal lawsuit.

Mayor David Coss, three city councilors and other advocates of the city's inclusionary zoning met in a south-side home Thursday to celebrate two national awards for local efforts to encourage homeownership.

The event came on the heels of an announcement by the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association that the group would join a court case filed against the city and Santa Fe County in February by several developers.

Coss did his best to sound like a general preparing his troops, nodding to guests as cameras rolled in the living room of Jeff and Mercie Lebow, a couple who purchased their house in Tierra Contenta through the city program.

"This national recognition could not have come at a better time," Coss said. "Area home builders have essentially declared war on affordable housing, and so the city needs to do everything that we can to preserve our efforts."

Coss pointed to the city's court success on another hotly disputed ordinance that established the highest minimum wage in the nation.

"I'm here today to tell you that we proved the naysayers wrong on the living wage, and we are going to prove them wrong on our affordable-housing program," he said. "It's time once again to stand up for Santa Fe's working people."

The city first implemented its affordable-housing mandates with the Housing Opportunity Program in 1998, then adopted the more-aggressive Santa Fe Homes program in 2005, which required most developments to build and sell 30 percent of homes at certain prices to income-qualified buyers.

Santa Fe affordable-home owner Patsy Camp, said she doesn't think those opposed to the rules realize how much it is needed. "They see it as a bite out of their pie, and so they are squawking about it," said Camp, who has appeared in public-relations campaigns on behalf of a nonprofit that helps administer the program.

Attorney Ron Van Amberg first argued to the U.S. District Court that the 30 percent requirements made by both city and county rules are too onerous and represent an unconstitutional taking of property. Karl Sommer, the lawyer who represents the home builders group, said Judge Martha Vázquez will next make a determination about whether to grant his motion this week to add the 750-member association to the action.

City Councilors Carmichael Dominguez, Rosemary Romero and Rebecca Wurzburger also attended Thursday's event and pledged to hold their ground regarding the lawsuit.

The councilors applauded the program's national attention. It was named by the Harvard Innovations in American Government Awards as one of its 2008 Top 50 and was recognized with a $25,000 grant from the United States Conference of Mayors' Dollar Wi$e grant program for financial-literacy efforts.

Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.

HOUSING HELP

For more information about qualifying for an affordable house under the Santa Fe Homes program, contact Homewise at 983-6214 or the Santa Fe Community Housing Trust at 989-3960.