The Historic Design Review Board on Tuesday rejected the two options for altering the big green electrical box at the northeast corner of the Plaza and told Public Works officials they need to find a way to make the box invisible.

The 7-foot-tall, 7-foot-wide and 2-foot-thick box that houses electrical equipment for the lighting and irrigation systems on the Plaza has drawn complaints since it was installed last year.

In April, the H-board voted unanimously to hide the box from view.

On Tuesday, Public Works officials recommended reducing the size of the box and removing the concrete base or moving it to the northeast corner of Washington and Palace avenues.

The estimated cost for the smaller box was about $80,000, while relocating the box across the street was estimated at up to $800,000 — with $500,000 going to Public Service Company of New Mexico to extend service to the new location.

Neither option drew much support.

Robert Spitz, whose family owns the corner lot now leased for the Frank Howell Gallery, objected to moving the box in front of his property.

Spitz said when the old gasoline station at the corner was remodeled in the 1970s, he chose not to build to the property line, but to step back the building from the corner to preserve the view of the Plaza from Sena Plaza's portal.

"I'm a little discouraged that this is the first time we even have known that this was happening," he said. "I thought when things go through the historic styles, you notify the neighbors."

The owners of the Tees & Skis shop near the corner also wrote the board to object to moving the box there.

John Dressman of the Santa Fe Downtown Merchants Association proposed relocating the box under the Plaza Bandstand. He said he had first proposed this last year, but Public Works' recent recommendations did not address this option.

Board member Deborah Shapiro suggested Public Works look into putting the box on a hydraulic lift so it could be lowered below the surface of the ground and raised when needed.

Marilyn Bane, president of the Old Santa Fe Association, said nothing less than making the box invisible will meet the needs of the historic Plaza. But given the city's financial straits, she said, the project can wait until the city's gross-receipts-tax revenues begin to recover.

Board member Karen Walker said that because the Public Works Department was in error to install the box, "I wonder if there's some way to rebalance, shall we say, the existing funds that Public Works has, perhaps do fewer bulb-outs and other things for the near future, and pick up some money that way."

Walker then moved to send the issue back to the Public Works Department to develop new options that meet the board's original intention of making the box invisible. Her motion was approved unanimously.

Contact Tom Sharpe at 986-3080 or tsharpe@sfnewmexican.com.