Some opposition to new apartment complex at Empire Builders site begins to go up

Jun. 18—A proposed multifamily development on Cerrillos Road and 4th Street at the site of the former Empire Builders Supply Co. is drawing both ire and praise as developers and city officials work to address the housing shortage in Santa Fe.

The four-story development, for now called Empire Multi Family, still has a long way to go in the city's land use review process, with an initial neighborhood notification meeting scheduled June 25.

Still, some residents are already decrying the possibility of more multistory buildings in Santa Fe and raising concerns about increased traffic and water use.

The project, led by local developer Andy Duettra, is expected to create 151 housing units in two four-story buildings, as well as a small commercial space for a coffee shop, planning consultant Jennifer Jenkins said.

Duettra owns Santa Fe-based AdobeStar, a short-term rental company, and is involved in downtown spa and hotel projects.

Included in the Empire proposal are 115 podium, or lower-level, parking spaces, 41 surface-level parking spaces and an additional 30 new on-street parking spaces, as well as a dog park, a garden courtyard and two central courtyards.

Jenkins, a principal at JenkinsGavin Inc., said the developer hopes to break ground on the project next summer.

Following next week's meeting, when residents can provide input on the proposal, a development plan must be submitted to the city.

"I think that we would hope to be in front of the Planning Commission before the end of the year," Jenkins said.

She didn't have a preliminary cost estimate for the project but said it likely will be in the "tens of millions of dollars."

It's not yet clear whether the project will create affordable units or those offered at below-market rates.

"It'll be primarily market rate, but there's several options for complying with the city's affordable housing regulations relative to providing units on-site, paying a fee in lieu or a combination thereof," Jenkins said. "We're still working through those details prior to submitting the development plan application.

"We will present a proposal to the city for how we intend to comply," she added, "but we're still kind of crunching the numbers to see what is going to be feasible here."

The project, an infill development on property that housed the now defunct Empire Builders — which closed in 2019 after more than six decades of operation, according to previous reports — has drawn mixed reviews from some city residents on social media.

On the hyperlocal social media app Nextdoor, residents clashed over the proposed development, with some citing potential traffic and water issues.

A document attached to a notice of next week's meeting says "water rights will be purchased to offset the project's water demand, so there will be no new demand on the city's water supply."

It adds, "The project will comply with the city's regulations governing landscaping and water conservation."

One resident, Inez Walley, wrote in a post, "It's sad that whoever has the ability has allowed the multistory buildings to go up."

She added the city "will never be the same again. I'm ready to leave. It's being over-developed and has lost its charm."

But the project also has supporters online, some who say the development would help add more housing stock to the city.

"We need more apartments," said Ted Bolleter, who's lived in the nearby Casa Alegre neighborhood since the late 1960s and is a former assistant fire chief with the Santa Fe Fire Department. "The thing about these types of infill projects [is that] they actually don't create as much sprawl because they're a higher density."

Bolleter, also a former city fire marshal, said he's tired of hearing residents complain about new developments — especially those from out of state, whom he called "transplants."

"It bugs the hell out of me when they all complain when the yellow sign goes up," he said, referring to public meeting notices about development proposals. "The city's Planning and Land Use Department just started doing meetings about updating the city [land use] code; where were all these people then? Who shows up at those meetings? I can tell you it's all the city staff who have to be there and then people like Jennifer [Jenkins]."

Asked if the developer has heard some of the ire from some residents, Jenkins said she and Duettra "haven't talked about it."

"It's somewhat to be expected," she said. "This is a change. ... [Duettra] has been doing this a long time, and he's very interested in what nearby residents think."