In a part of New Mexico with some of the highest rents in the state, plans are in the works for the construction of a new affordable housing complex that could include up to 120 units.
The Santa Fe County Growth Management Department, along with the county’s Purchasing Division, has issued a Request for Proposals for both architectural and engineering work on the project.
As proposed, the complex will be built on a currently vacant 6.6-acre site near the intersection of Airport Road and Camino de Jacobo, roughly 8 miles to the southwest of downtown Santa Fe.
Apartment sizes in the complex will vary between studios, to one- and two-bedrooms. The project will also see the construction of office space, and a community room with a kitchen.
There has been for the better part of a decade a lack of affordable rental housing in Santa Fe County. According to the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority the county is currently in immediate need of at least 7,300 new units to keep pace with the population.
The third largest county in New Mexico, Santa Fe is seeing average rents in excess of $1,100 a month, while the state average is around $850, according to a Census Bureau American Community Survey.
Home prices, too, are notably different, with the Santa Fe County average now at around $536,000, compared with a statewide average of just under $230,000.
Submission deadline for the RFP is March 8.
By Garry Boulard
