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City staff: planned cell tower at St. John's College will not proceed as designed; contract ended
Summary
City attorney and staff reported that Saint John's College has ended its contract with Gravity Pad Partners and does not intend to proceed with a previously approved 65‑foot monopole cell tower; the neighborhood's legal appeal process concluded with the state courts denying review.
City staff briefed the Santa Fe Historic Districts Review Board on May 13 about the long‑running Gravity Pad cell tower matter at St. John’s College, reporting that the college does not intend to proceed with the previously approved 65‑foot cell tower and that it no longer holds a contract with the design/build firm.
Background and legal history: Attorney Frank Rubelli summarized the procedural history: the board approved a Gravity Pad monopole application in February 2021; the Upper Camino de Cruz Blanca neighborhood appealed but missed an administrative deadline, and the governing body declined to hear the late appeal. The neighborhood pursued the case in district court, which ruled in the neighborhood’s favor. The city attempted to appeal but the court of appeals dismissed the petition as nonconforming; the New Mexico Supreme Court declined further review, returning the matter to the governing body for a hearing.
Current status: Rubelli told the board that Saint John’s College leadership indicated they no longer wish to pursue construction of the tower as originally designed and have ended a contract with Gravity Pad Partners LLC. Staff said the college may undertake a redesign after completing a capital campaign later in the year; any new proposal would require a fresh application and HDRB hearing.
Why it matters: The item has been a multi‑year land‑use and procedural dispute involving neighborhood concerns and federal/state jurisdictional considerations for communications facilities. The board was informed that, as of the staff update, the particular tower approved in 2021 will not be built under the previously‑approved plan.
