Plans are advancing for the building of what is expected to be a transformative multi-purpose project some 13 miles to the southwest of downtown Santa Fe.
City officials are looking at developing a roughly 30-acre currently vacant site just to the south of South Meadows Road and New Mexico State Road 599 and turning it into a space that would include affordable housing units as well as some commercial development.
What is being called El Lucero Crossing may also include a grocery store in a part of the city lacking such facilities, as well as an office and industrial park. City documents also indicate that the space may see the development of a bioscience hub.
The residential aspect could see as many as 160 affordable housing units built on around eight acres of the site.
Companies building at the site may also be eligible for Local Economic Development Act funding.
The project, which has been in the talking stage for several years, will additionally see the creation of playing fields and a new fire station. A proposal has also been made to use the off ramps belonging to State Road 599 to create a crossing onto the site.
The site is owned by the State of New Mexico, which earlier agreed to lease it to the City of Santa Fe for development purposes.
It is expected that the project could be entirely built out over a period of five years, with the first phase of the project carrying a price tag of upwards of $48 million.
Although an official construction schedule for El Lucero Crossing has not yet been announced, an economic feasibility study looking at the pros and cons of the project is expected to be undertaken soon by the city.
By Garry Boulard
