The Santa Fe County Planning Commission on Aug. 21 approved a conditional-use permit allowing a small outdoor event “retreat” at 7687 Old Santa Fe Trail, authorizing limited memorials, wedding ceremonies and transitional gatherings on the property owned by Thomas and Christina Maestas Simic.

The commission approved the permit after a lengthy public hearing that drew more than two dozen speakers both for and against the proposal. The permit was approved subject to conditions recorded with the county clerk, a required lighting plan, a county business license, limits on parking and events, and provisions to coordinate inspections with the Fire Department.

Why it matters: The application highlighted tensions that commonly arise in rural residential areas where owners request limited commercial uses: neighbors raised concerns about traffic, emergency evacuation and noise, while supporters and the applicants emphasized cultural and bereavement services held outdoors and small-scale, deeply personal ceremonies. The commission’s decision balances those community-safety concerns with the applicants’ stated intent to offer culturally specific, low-impact ceremonies.

Staff summary and findings

David Rees, county planning staff, told the commission the parcel is zoned Traditional Community and that a retreat is listed in the Sustainable Land Development Code (SLDC) appendix B as a conditional use in that zone. Rees said staff and the hearing officer found the application met the conditional-use criteria in the SLDC and recommended approval with conditions. He summarized standard conditions including recordation of the CUP, a detailed lighting plan, a Santa Fe County business license, and compliance with review-agency comments; he also noted conditions addressing access standards and parking.

Proposal and applicant statements

The applicants, Christina Maestas Simic and Thomas Simic, said the 3.45–3.5 acre parcel at 7687 Old Santa Fe Trail would be used for small outdoor gatherings: memorial celebrations of life, wedding ceremonies and transitional ceremonies "celebrating the well-being following chronic illnesses," Christina Maestas Simic told the commission. She described her work as a trained death doula and celebrant and said events are intended to be intimate, respectful and mostly outdoors. “I am requesting to do the work I was born to do on a land that I was born to do it upon,” she said.

Limits and infrastructure

Applicants and staff described specific limits and infrastructure measures: the applicants agreed gatherings would not exceed 20 attendees as a maximum; parking for 20 vehicles (including one accessible space) is shown on the site plan; no off‑site street parking will be allowed and overflow parking must be on the owner’s adjacent lot; potable water metering was installed and water use calculations were presented to keep annual use at or below 0.25 acre‑feet; the on‑site septic system was identified by the applicant as having a 525 gallons‑per‑day design flow, which the applicant said is sufficient for the proposed scale; and applicants said porta‑potties would be supplied in the event attendance or sanitary needs exceeded the site’s wastewater capacity.

Public comment and the commission’s concerns

About 30 members of the public spoke. Opponents, many neighbors who live in the Canada de los Alamos area, urged denial or a traffic study and cited three recurring concerns: (1) Old Santa Fe Trail functions as a narrow, shoulderless evacuation route for the neighborhood, and additional event traffic could impede evacuation in a wildfire; (2) noise and privacy impacts on immediate neighbors and residents with health vulnerabilities; and (3) road and drainage problems on Old Santa Fe Trail and the potential for additional wear from even modest increases in traffic.

Supporters, including family members and community advocates, described the applicant’s work as culturally rooted, quiet, therapeutic and not commercial in the typical sense; several neighbors and users of Christina Maestas Simic’s services attested to the low volume and respectful character of prior family gatherings and ceremonies on the site.

Enforcement and inspections

Rees told the commission the permit would be recorded and the applicants would be legally bound by the permit conditions; code enforcement would investigate and issue violations if conditions were breached. He explained that the Santa Fe County Fire Department requested the ability to inspect temporary structures (canopies/tents) and suggested requiring a special-use permit or notification so Fire Prevention could plan inspections. Rees described how the county would route event notifications to Fire Prevention.

Commission action

After public comment and deliberation — which included discussion about whether a traffic impact analysis was required and how to balance fire-safety needs with applicant burdens — the planning commission voted to approve the conditional-use permit with the staff-recommended conditions as amended by the commission. The commission’s approval included: recording of the CUP, a required detailed lighting plan meeting SLDC standards, a Santa Fe County business license, compliance with all review-agency comments, access improvements per SLDC chapter 7.11 where required, a maximum capacity of 20 attendees per event, no off‑site street parking, and a requirement that the applicant obtain a one‑time special‑use permit and provide a schedule of events to Santa Fe County Fire Prevention (as amended by the commission so Fire Prevention can inspect temporary structures and plan safety reviews).

The commission’s approval was conditioned to keep the use within the scale analyzed by staff (the 20‑person cap informed water and septic assessments and staff findings). Rees said code enforcement will respond to verified violations of conditions.

What the approval does not do

The commission did not adopt a requirement for a recurring special‑use permit to be filed for every event; the final motion required a single special‑use permit with event scheduling for fire inspections (the commission removed staff’s original recommendation that each event require a separate special‑use permit). The commission also accepted staff’s discretion in determining that a traffic impact analysis was not required for the scale of this proposal.

Next steps and appeals

The conditions will be recorded with the county clerk; the applicants must complete the conditions (lighting plan, business license, site recording, coordination with Fire Prevention) before full implementation. The decision may be subject to appeal under county procedures (not detailed in the meeting record). The planning commission noted the area’s wildfire risk and the need for continued coordination between applicants, neighboring residents and county safety agencies.

Ending

Commissioners split at points on the balance between neighbor concerns and the applicant’s cultural-services claim, but the permit passed with the requirement that the applicants operate within the 20‑person limit and comply with the recorded conditions and Fire Prevention’s inspection schedule.