The City of Santa Fe is working on a major update to its long-term plan for growth and development.
Known as Santa Fe Forward, the project will shape city policies through the year 2050.
The current General Plan was adopted more than 25 years ago.
City officials say now is the time to update that plan to better reflect Santa Fe’s current needs, values, and challenges.
When Santa Fe City Council approved a resolution to execute the $1.6 million plan, they stipulated a number of priorities.
In a recent interview with KSFR’s Jim Falk and me, the city’s director of planning and land use, Heather Lamboy, said making the city more people-centric was on the list of marching orders.
"Cars can park anytime, anywhere, but people matter most. I mean, that's one of the messages that we've heard is that parking for automobiles consumes a lot of land that precludes the building of houses or, or commercial developments or what have you. So how can we make it more people friendly?"
The six-part Santa Fe Forward project is currently in its first phase – focused mainly on engaging with the public and hearing its ideas.
A theme that comes up often when area residents are asked to weigh is the affordability of housing.
One particular challenge within the housing crunch, according to deputy director Maggie Moore, is enticing younger people take jobs here and put down roots in the City Different.
"People want to move to Santa Fe, that's not the problem."
"Can they find an affordable place to live? Can we pay them enough? Because we are competing nationally now. It's not a local job market. It's a national job market. And so that is a big factor. I think the affordable housing piece is massive.”
The central goal is to get a framework for the future approved by city leadership by the end of 2026, one covering housing, land use, transportation, sustainability, and public services.
It will include a long-term vision, specific goals, and detailed strategies.
Throughout the process, the city’s planning officials will go before council and other committees to ensure they’re on track with guidance from the city and input from the community.
A revised land use map will guide where and how new development happens across the city.
Lamboy said public input will be key to preventing components such as the new map from being distorted by politics.
"The only way anything can get amended on the map is through a public process. And so that will keep us on task when it comes to making public improvements instead of being persuaded by politics or anything else that gets us off track."
You can hear the full interview about Santa Fe Forward on the KSFR website homepage for the program, The Forum.
