Planning Commission approves Country Club Apartments redevelopment to add 22 affordable units

The Santa Fe Planning Commission on April 3 approved a development plan for the Country Club Apartments at 599 Airport Road that will renovate most existing buildings and increase the complex’s unit count from 62 to 84.

City planning staff recommended approval, subject to technical corrections. "The recommendation from staff is approval of this development plan subject to conditions of technical corrections," said Daniel Alvarado, city planning staff, during the commission hearing.

The project is owned by the Santa Fe Civic Housing Authority and the applicant team includes Jenkins Gavin (applicant), architect Tom Gifford, ADQ Engineering and The Plan Collaborative. Jennifer Jenkins, representing Jenkins Gavin, told the commission the central new building will add 26 units and that the redevelopment is financed in part with low income housing tax credits. "This new building will comprise 26 new units," Jenkins said during her presentation.

Why it matters: the project increases the supply of affordable housing on a site that the presenters said has served Santa Fe since the 1960s. City staff and the applicant told commissioners the renovation is designed so tenants will not be displaced: renovations will be phased and an existing building on site will be used to temporarily house residents during work.

Key details - Location and zoning: 599 Airport Road; zoned R‑29; located in the Airport Road Overlay District. - Ownership and team: Santa Fe Civic Housing Authority (owner); Jenkins Gavin (applicant); Tom Gifford (architecture); ADQ Engineering (engineering); The Plan Collaborative (landscape architecture). - Units and buildings: existing 62 units; plan increases to 84 units (net gain of 22). One small building in the center of the site will be demolished and replaced by a larger central building that the applicant said will contain 26 new units. Nine of 11 existing buildings will be renovated; one southeast building will remain in place and is not part of the LIHTC-funded renovation. - Square footage: presenters listed Building 1 (new) at roughly 29,000 sq ft, Buildings 2–10 at about 3,400 sq ft each, and Building 11 at about 15,000 sq ft (as provided by staff/applicant). - Site size and amenities: site is just under six acres; proposed plaza, children’s play area (applicant confirmed it is fenced), new resident lounge, office and laundry on the ground floor of the new building, and a proposed monument sign. - Parking and EV charging: applicant said the development will provide 112 parking spaces including ADA spaces; the applicant also said six EV spaces are included. Staff and applicant noted an inconsistency in the draft materials about required vs. proposed counts and said staff will submit a clarifying amendment to the report so the numbers align. - Affordability: the applicant said the project meets the Santa Fe homes program requirements and will serve a range of incomes including units at below 30% AMI, 50% AMI, 60% AMI and some at higher workforce levels (applicant-provided breakdown in the submittal). - Overlay applicability: staff advised that many overlay requirements do not apply to existing buildings being renovated; the Airport Road Overlay’s architectural requirements apply to the new building and the project meets applicable setback and design requirements, staff said.

Discussion and concerns Commissioners asked for clarification on parking counts, the condition and role of the building being retained (the applicant said it is not part of the LIHTC funding and will be used to house residents during renovations), the location of access to nearby Los Prados Park (applicant said residents would walk via South Meadows), and whether the playground would be fenced (applicant: yes). Staff and the applicant said a traffic study was not warranted based on the unit increase and that public works had reviewed access.

Vote and next steps A motion to approve the development plan "subject to any conditions imposed by staff" passed on a roll call vote. Recorded yes votes were Commissioner Smith, Commissioner McGee, Commissioner Miranda and Commissioner Capen; the motion passed. Staff said it will issue a corrected staff report aligning technical tables and conditions, and the development will proceed through required permitting and construction review.

The commission received no public comments on the project at the April 3 hearing.

Ending: The commission’s approval allows the Santa Fe Civic Housing Authority to proceed with the development plan and related permit processes; staff will circulate the corrected report and conditions of approval before permit issuance.