Alamosa School District seeks 700 Main for offices and alternative campus; council weighs zoning and downtown impact

The Alamosa School District asked city council on Tuesday evening to allow a one-time, limited educational use at 700 Main so the district can move its central administration and an alternative education campus into the downtown building.

Diana Jones, superintendent, apologized that the district's attorney-prepared statutory notice "did not come across" as intended and said the district welcomed dialogue. She told council the district is still in due diligence but that "700 Main is the only available building in town to meet all of our needs." The district negotiated a purchase and parking-lot deal for $2,300,000 and estimates roughly $1,000,000 more would be needed to make the building school-ready, Jones said.

Why it matters: District officials said their alternative and online programs have outgrown the current space at 209 Victoria and that larger, better-configured classrooms would support students who need flexible schedules and intensive supports. Students and staff told council the current rooms are cramped and said expanded space would allow hygiene stations, showers and laundry facilities the district uses to support students in housing instability.

The district presented program and capacity details used in planning: the alternative campus has a design capacity of about 60 students, but staggered session times mean the district expects far fewer students on-site at the same time (district staff gave an example average of about 20 alternative students and about 10 online students who might access in-person support). The official school day was described as 7:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., subject to modest changes for transportation routes.

Planning and code issues: Planning staff explained the central business district currently disallows educational uses, and the Planning Commission voted 3-1 to recommend an ordinance enabling a conditional-use pathway. As staff described it, that ordinance would not automatically approve the project but would create a two-step discretionary process, allowing planning and council to attach conditions such as requiring retail frontage. Councilor questions focused on whether the educational occupancy should be on the first floor, whether the district could reconfigure the building to place retail at the front, and how any change would affect building-code separation between business and educational uses.

Downtown concerns and potential compromises: Business and Main Street representatives urged the council to protect downtown retail vibrancy. Several councilors suggested the district consider placing retail in the building's front or otherwise assuring that the first floor provides active retail uses; district staff said the "Moose" merchandise store is planned for the front and that converting additional front space to multiple retail units would add significant reconfiguration costs. Planning staff noted a conditional-use approval could include conditions addressing retail frontage or other mitigation.

Student and community testimony: Multiple current students and school staff spoke in favor of the move, describing overcrowding in existing facilities and saying the alternative campus provides supports that help students graduate. "This school accepted me no matter what," one student told council, urging approval so more students can access the program.

Costs and funding: The district said it has capital reserves built from earlier one-time federal ESSER/COVID allocations and other savings it has set aside; Jones said RTA Architects estimated $2,340,000 to renovate existing space and $6,550,000 to add new construction in the district's master-plan scenarios, and that State BEST grant funding would be unlikely to pay for a district office or a new AltEd facility.

What happens next: Council did not take formal action. Staff and council described the ordinance enabling conditional use as the next procedural step; if council adopts enabling language, the conditional-use application would return for a public hearing and potential conditions. Councilors signaled they were open to further negotiation between the district, planning staff and downtown advisory groups.

Representative quotes from the meeting included superintendent Diana Jones apologizing that the city felt "blindsided" and saying the district hoped to be a "valuable addition" to downtown; student speakers and staff described overcrowded classrooms and the need for hygiene facilities; and planning staff outlined that a conditional use would allow council to attach specific conditions on approval.

The council closed the work session with no vote and an agreement to continue the conversation at future meetings.