A project that has been in the planning stage for a remarkably long time may finally become reality in downtown Santa Fe with the construction of a new boutique hotel.
Set to go up at the corner of Water Street and Old Santa Fe Trail, the project, in a somewhat different form, was first proposed more than 25 years ago.
Now the City of Santa Fe is in the process of reviewing plans for the building of a 31,000 square foot hotel that will include some retail space.
Plans to build at the site, adjacent to the historic Loretto Chapel, have repeatedly been rejected. Developer Jim Kirkpatrick spearheaded the building of the Inn & Spa at Loretto in 1975, adding two stories in the next decade to what was originally a four-story structure.
That hotel, located at 211 Old Santa Fe Trail, is a half a block away from the site for the boutique project.
Kirkpatrick had originally acquired the entire block, which includes the Loretto Chapel at 207 Old Santa Fe Trail. That chapel, built in 1878 and known the world over for its 20-foot high spiral staircase, was deconsecrated in 1971.
Earlier plans for the Water Street and Old Santa Fe site, which is vacant and often serves as an open-air marketplace, were roundly criticized by city officials due to size and height concerns, let alone the impact any new development might have on a part of Santa Fe dominated by narrow streets and historic buildings.
The new proposal will be the subject of a public input meeting this week, with a hoped-for final city approval coming later this year or early next year. If all goes well, work on the new hotel could launch by spring.
By Garry Boulard