Railyard neighbors to petition against live/work plan.
"Master plan" has a commanding ring. No chaos will be entering the picture, it says, this situation is under control. But, plan or no, chaotic skirmishes remain the hallmark of the City's Railyard property. The non-profit Santa Fe Railyard Community
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Corporation, tasked with fulfilling the Railyard plan, and developer Don Wiviott have come under fire from neighbors for proposed live/work units on Paseo de
Peralta between the Railyard park and the Alarid Street neighborhood.
"We've had a number of meetings with the Railyard Community Corporation," says Alarid resident Mindy Paul, "but we've never really had any of our concerns addressed." Paul and several of her neighbors claim the master plan allows 16 such units, but that Wiviott proposes 48. Further concerns include parking, blocked views and increased traffic. Wiviott, however, says the plan doesn't call for a specific number of units but for the best strategy for housing artists and craftspeople on the Railyard.
"We've done 27 redesigns on the project at this point," Wiviott says, "we're working hard to accommodate everyone's concerns." Rey Montez, another neighbor, suggests Wiviott is using buzzwords like "infill" and "affordable housing" to make millions in Santa Fe. "The master plan is full of good ideas," Montez says, "but in practice, every plan needs some revision in the real world." Wiviott doesn't disagree that some developers have taken advantage of Santa Feans but says that isn't the case in this situation. "We could drop this project at any moment and go do all sorts of profitable things," he says, "but we're fighting for it because we believe in the value to the city. This is barely a break-even project." Still, Montez and other homeowners hope more than 500 signatures collected by the Alarid Ferrocarrillo Association will convince the City Council to nix the development. Councilor Karen Heldmeyer, who describes herself as "very sympathetic to the fact the neighborhood doesn't feel they're being listened to," says while the Council has no formal mechanism to address a petition, Wiviott's development strategy will require an amendment to the master plan at which time councilors will weigh all the information (Wiviott successfully
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sued the City in order to proceed with another development in 2002).
Railyard Corporation Executive Director Lleta Scoggins says it will be the Railyard Corporation, not Wiviott, requesting th amendment.
"The only change we're requesting with the amendment is in the orientation of the buildings, which will benefit the neighborhood," Scoggins says, adding that many people are excited about the development. Eric Gent, who lives in the Alarid neighborhood and also maintains a business on the Railyard property, supports the project. "I think the concept is good and they're trying to meet the middle as much as possible," Gent says. "And if this thing is scuttled out of apprehension, I think we may just end up with something worse in the long run." Before any long-runs come around Montez feels there's a chance to talk it all out.
"I don't view this as a conflict with no resolution," he says, "I think there's room for a meeting of the minds." But according to Chevela Esparsa, another Alarid resident, that will only work if Wiviott's mind isn't at the meeting. Esparsa doesn't like Wiviott's previous live/work developments on Cerrillos Road and Marquez Place. "Whatever project they put in is fine," Esparza says, "as long as it's not Don Wiviott."
