In an effort to increase its affordable housing stock, the City of Santa Fe is offering to give away a vacant residential site in order to spur construction of at least five new homes.
The city has issued a Request for Qualifications to build the houses at 635 Alto Street. The site was earlier the subject of a design competition emphasizing green building standards and the construction of houses built to blend in with neighborhood historic design standards.
The lot, located in the upscale Westside-Guadalupe Historic District, is surrounded by several two-story residential structures.
Santa Fe has tried repeatedly to spur an affordable housing project at the quarter-acre site, which it has owned for some 40 years, but only recently decided to give the land away as a development incentive.
According to city documents, if all goes well with the Alto Street project, other underused properties owned by the city may be made available in the future for similar housing initiatives.
The submission deadline for the RFQ is October 13.
By Garry Boulard
