Santa Fe planning panel denies general-plan amendment and recommends mixed-use rezoning for Boylan property

The Santa Fe Planning Commission voted during its meeting to deny a general plan amendment that would have been the pathway to commercial C2 zoning for a Boylan family property on the Agua Fria / Siler corridor and to recommend that the governing body rezone the property to mixed use instead.

The commission’s action followed a staff presentation that said the application did not meet approval criteria for a general plan amendment and recommended a less-intensive designation (C1 or mixed use) consistent with the West Santa Fe River Corridor Plan (2017) and the city’s overlay rules. Huel Cruz Haber, a planning staff member, told the commission, “Staff finds the agent has not satisfied the approval criteria for a general plan amendment.”

Victoria Dalton, the applicant’s agent, argued the property’s long history of commercial and industrial uses and the Boylan family’s decades of activity on the site justify C2 zoning. “The Boylan family's 4 decades of commercial and industrial use, including historic riverbank mining … supports the need for C2 zoning designation,” Dalton said, adding that the family has coordinated with Santa Fe County on a 7‑acre dedication for river restoration and that substantial infrastructure upgrades (including connecting to city water and sewer) would be required for redevelopment.

Commissioners probed whether C2 should be allowed without a development plan or preliminary PUD that would let the city limit certain incompatible uses. A city staff member warned that C2 can be broad in allowable uses and said the commission should be cautious about applying C2 “without any controls” to a corridor the city intends to preserve as a mixed-use transition. The staff presentation also noted that the Santa Fe River Corridor overlay limits building height to 28 feet, which affects density and design regardless of base zoning.

After extended discussion about prior outreach (staff said certified notices, on-site posters and a legal notice were sent and an ENN meeting on 09/26/2024 had low attendance), a commissioner moved to deny the general plan amendment (the applicant’s route to C2). The motion passed on a roll-call vote. The commission then voted to recommend rezoning the property to mixed use (a less intensive option than the requested C2), subject to specified Santa Fe code provisions, and forwarded that recommendation to the governing body.

Commissioners also asked about residents currently living in the mobile home park on the property. The applicant said the development materials envision demolition of the existing mobile homes at redevelopment and told the commission there would be a plan for residents; the agent described those arrangements as pending and tied to any eventual redevelopment schedule.

What’s next: the Planning Commission’s mixed-use recommendation is advisory; the governing body will make the final determination on the rezoning and any related conditions. The commission’s record cites staff findings, the West Santa Fe River Corridor Plan (2017) and the city overlay district as the principal policy guides for the recommendation.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to deny the general plan amendment (denying the pathway to C2): PASSED (roll-call; majority yes). - Motion to recommend rezoning to mixed use (downzone from requested C2): PASSED (roll-call; commission recommended mixed-use rezoning to the governing body).

Key context and clarifications

- Applicant/agent: Victoria Dalton, Dalton Land Insights LLC (self-identified). - Staff presenter: Huel Cruz Haber (planning staff; self-identified). - New assistant city attorney introduced at the meeting: Natalie Cawley (assistant city attorney; self-identified). - Public outreach noted: certified mailers, on-site posters, legal notice in the New Mexican (May 20) and an ENN meeting on 09/26/2024 with minimal attendance. - Overlay constraint: Santa Fe River Corridor overlay caps structure height at 28 feet, limiting building height regardless of base zoning. - Mobile homes: commissioners asked about approximately 15 mobile homes on site (as raised in the discussion); the applicant said the park would be removed at redevelopment and a resident transition plan would be developed but provided no detailed timeline in the hearing record.

Sources: staff presentation, applicant presentation, commissioner questioning and roll-call votes as recorded in the meeting transcript.