My View: Tierra Contenta — 1,000 affordable homes so far

Tim Vigil | For The New Mexican

11/17/2007 -

Affordable housing continues to be one of the biggest economic development challenges facing Santa Fe.

In the last decade, home prices have nearly doubled. If history is any indication, the cost of housing will continue to rise. Those increases have a ripple effect throughout our community as families are separated by who can and who cannot afford to live in Santa Fe.

Providing residents the opportunity to have affordable housing is the only way to ensure Santa Fe doesn't go the way of other travel destinations, economically forcing its residents out of their home town.

The City of Santa Fe has long been in the forefront of the affordable-housing crisis. In 1993, through a public/private partnership, Tierra Contenta was born. Tierra Contenta is a master-planned community that was designed with affordable housing opportunities as its foundation. We recently celebrated the 1,000th affordable homeowner: Jessica, a young Santa Fe medical worker.

Jessica grew up in Northern New Mexico and grunted through an hourlong commute to her job at St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. She would have liked to live close to her job, but the high cost of living prevented that until she came across Tierra Contenta's affordable housing program. The tiered approach, developed by Tierra Contenta Corporation in association with the Enterprise Community Partners and other entities, provided Jessica an opportunity to live in Santa Fe and to be closer to her work.

Jessica is not alone. Teachers, firefighters, laborers and social workers have taken advantage of Tierra Contenta's affordable housing program. In order to qualify, a family must be certified by either Santa Fe Community Housing Trust or Homewise to have income that doesn't exceed the certain income limits, they must attend homebuyer training courses and they must able to qualify for a home mortgage. These nonprofit agencies also help the potential homebuyer reduce credit issues and assist with family financial and credit training.

Tierra Contenta's affordable-housing program establishes fixed prices for homes based upon the family's income and the size of the house. These fixed home-sale prices are lower than appraisals on each home. Homebuyers are able to buy a new home for their families that they would not be able to afford without assistance from the Tierra Contenta Corporation. The majority of affordable housing in Tierra Contenta is sold to families who make less than 80 percent of Santa Fe's median income, or $52,800 per year.

Tierra Contenta's master plan is an award-winning model on how to address many of the issues that come with urban development. The layout of Tierra Contenta reduces the noise and pollution from automobile traffic. Wide sidewalks and narrow streets are pedestrian friendly and require that cars move along at a slow pace. Additionally, each neighborhood is served by one of three village centers containing schools, apartments, retail stores, parks and public plazas. These centers are all within walking distance, which further reduces the need for an automobile. In addition, the entire development is designed to conserve water, a major concern to those living in the Desert Southwest which could be the biggest concern of all.

The Tierra Contenta community was started by visionaries in Santa Fe to help workforce families here in Santa Fe to stay in Santa Fe. Twelve years of development and home building in Tierra Contenta have demonstrated that original goal is being achieved. The Tierra Contenta solution helps young workers, families and our community by ensuring that all aspects of Santa Fe's financial spectrum have a place to call home. Thank you for helping us to celebrate our 1,000th affordable home.

Santa Fean Tim Vigil is a member of the Tierra Contenta board of directors.