Planning panel OKs Lensic project

Historic Design Review Board will hear proposal next; City Council has final say

Bob Quick | The New Mexican

1/17/2008 - 1/18/08

The Villas at the Lensic condo/retail proposal for downtown Santa Fe received a generally positive response at a Planning Commission meeting Thursday evening.

The panel approved the development although several members criticized various parts of the project.

In addition, the commission's approval included acceptance of a series of conditions for the development made by the Business Capitol District/Design Review Committee several weeks ago.

Alexis Girard, president of Greer Enterprises, which is developing the Villas at the Lensic, said after the vote that she appreciated the fact "a good dialogue was going on" that ultimately would benefit the proposal.

Estevan Gonzales, chairman of the commission, called the proposal "a good project" that would bring "valuable business to the downtown area," while commission member Boni Armijo said, "Everything works for me. And if there can't be any affordable housing there, there should be a donation to an affordable housing program."

(Since the Villas at the Lensic consists only of fractional units and retail space, no affordable housing is required by the city.)

Commission member Matthew O'Reilly said he was "heartened" by the process of discussion and compromise that the commission used to consider the proposal.

On the other hand, commission member Gloria Lopez said the project should be "downscaled a little bit" and should include shrubbery and trees.

Commission member Signe Lindell was concerned about health and safety issues, including loading docks where passersby could be injured, lack of parking and ice buildup in winter.

Eight members of the public weighed in with opinions on the project. Simon Brackley, president of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, said the proposal means more jobs and more visitors to downtown Santa Fe, while Ann Lacy said she preferred the building not have a fourth story.

Developer Joe Schepps complained the Villas at the Lensic had been "micromanaged," and he called for its approval. "There are already a lot of four-story buildings in downtown Santa Fe," he said.

The Villas at the Lensic was previously approved by the Business Capitol District/Development Review Committee. But committee members faulted the project for its height, its mass, its Territorial style, a tight loading bay and difficult access to its underground parking garage.

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The project would be built on a parking lot at Sandoval and West San Francisco streets. It is significant because it will define the streetscape along both streets and further a trend toward creating residential condos in Santa Fe's historic core.

The Historic Design Review Board will next hear the Greer project. The City Council has the final say on it.

In addition to retail space and a restaurant, the first floor of the Villas at the Lensic would include a lobby and concierge area. The top three floors would be condos. Plans call for five dwellings on the second floor, four on the third and three on the fourth. They would range in size from 1,300 to 2,700 square feet.

To facilitate Greer Enterprises' plan to develop the parking lot next to the Lensic Commercial Building, the City Council created the Lensic Block Redevelopment Subdistrict of the Business Capitol District. Joining the two subdivisions gave the property owner greater leeway in the building's design.

In other activity, the Planning Commission approved two land-use proposals that now will move on to the City Council. Both involved amendments to ordinances the council approved in 2001.

One changed the method for calculating maximum density of homes by allowing rounding up of other than whole numbers to the nearest whole number. A major reason for the change in density calculation was to facilitate lot splits.

Since then, however, residents of many neighborhoods have criticized the ordinance because they say it has allowed lot splits that doubled the density of their neighborhoods.

The proposed amendment sponsored by Councilors Chris Calvert and Patti Bushee deletes the rounding up provision for calculating maximum density and returns to the pre-2001 method.

The other ordinance that received a vote to reverse it had been intended to encourage infill development and assist affordable housing by changing the maximum lot coverage from 40 to 70 percent under certain conditions. Since then, neighbors have complained of inappropriate infill development, increased traffic and changes to neighborhood character.

The proposed amendment sponsored by Calvert, Councilor Karen Heldmeyer and Mayor David Coss would reduce the 70 percent maximum lot coverage to 50 percent with the same open space requirements.

Contact Bob Quick at 986-3011 or bobquick@sfnewmexican.com.