City and county present two action paths to resolve Area 1B "limbo" at community forum

Santa Fe city and county officials laid out two concrete policy alternatives and invited community feedback Tuesday night as part of a joint working-group forum aimed at resolving long-standing jurisdictional uncertainty for Area 1B.

"We're here tonight not to rehash the past," Santa Fe County Commissioner Lisa Kakati Stone said at the start of the meeting, adding that the goal was to move the community "one step at a time" toward clarity and restored trust. She said residents have endured "15 plus years" of conversations and that the working group hopes to compile input for a joint proposal to the city council and the county commission no later than the end of May.

Why it matters: Area 1B has been in prolonged ambiguity over whether it lies inside Santa Fe city limits for land-use purposes but without equivalent city voting rights or reliably delivered city services. Officials told attendees the uncertainty affects daily life — land use regulation, business licensing and access to municipal services — and that the forum was designed to prioritize residents' preferences and to preserve community character.

What officials proposed: staff outlined three choices and then focused community discussion on two action alternatives. The first action alternative would "drop presumptive annexation," returning land-use and licensing authority to the county while allowing property owners a specified window to petition the city for annexation. The second is a targeted "carveout" that would divide Area 1B into city and county portions, with some parcels protected from future annexation and the county adopting an ordinance recognizing a traditional historic community (referred to in materials as Agafria). Officials said the carveout option is intended to preserve local identity while allowing infrastructure investment where residents choose city services.

Officials also described a third option — taking no action and waiting until the presumptive annexation expires in May 2028 — but said they did not favor it as a primary path. Commissioner Stone reported that a 2023 county carveout effort was challenged in court and that "Judge Beel determined that the county was not able to do that," which paused the county's prior effort.

Public engagement and next steps: after the presentation, organizers reviewed community agreements (speak respectfully; step up, step back), then broke attendees into facilitated groups with note-takers to record pros, cons and any alternatives the working group may have missed. Olivia Padilla, the county's constituent services liaison, said facilitators and notetakers would gather written worksheets and that online participants would be assigned to online breakout groups.

What officials said about timing: meeting materials and several speakers said the working group began meeting in January, conducted on-the-ground tours in February, and aims to return a joint recommendation to both the City of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe County Commission "no later than the end of May," with a possible extension beyond June if necessary.

Context and constraints: presenters cited a 2008 settlement agreement affecting Area 1B and reiterated that the jurisdictional question has generated many meetings and petitions over more than a decade. Staff noted that, under the drop-presumptive-annexation approach, property owners could petition the city within a specified period; under the carveout approach, parcels that do not petition could be off-limits to future annexation. The presumptive-annexation timeline in materials was listed as expiring in May 2028.

The meeting closed with facilitators and note-takers preparing to start breakout discussions and a commitment from officials to debrief and compile the collected input for consideration in the working group's analysis before any formal votes by either elected body.