A project that could see the construction of 65 apartment units geared especially for artists and low-income residents has secured a renewed vote of confidence from the Santa Fe City Council.
What is being called Siler Yard Arts + Creativity Center would go up on a site owned by the City of Santa Fe that was once the home to the Siler Road Treatment Plant.
That facility, built in 1963, has been decommissioned for years, with the site itself, some 4 miles to the southwest of downtown Santa Fe, categorized as a blighted brownfield.
As proposed by the New Mexico Inter-Faith Housing Corporation, a group concerned with the development and management of affordable housing projects, the center would have apartment space on a sliding scale ranging from just under $400 to around $1,100 a month for lower income residents.
But it would also house classrooms and work space for artists, many of whom are in need of affordable housing.
Renderings of the site show a project with a series of two and-three-story buildings laid out in a neighborhood setting on tree-lined blocks.
The project will also include a net-zero solar array and stormwater harvesting system.
Altogether, the city has voted to approve more than $2 million in the cost of the land needed for the project, as well as waivers of affordable housing and development impact fees.
But in order to qualify for a crucial $9 million in federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, the project still needs the approval of the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority.
By Garry Boulard
