Centerless village seeks developer of heart
A new urban community has been built in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but it is still searching for its village center. Aldea de Santa Fe was created beginning in 2002. The 345-acre master-planned community took years in the planning and local government approval process, led by 14 property owners in the city’s new residential growth area on the northwest side of town. Santa Fe is a unique place, known as City Different, and Aldea is 8 miles from the famous Santa Fe Plaza. Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in the US and a popular tourism destination, known for its desert beauty, high altitude, outdoor activities, Native American heritage, dining scene, and artist culture.
The designers of the village, DPZ CoDesign, centered the 479 residences around the Village Center, a commercial plaza designed to include a community center, live-work spaces, a bodega, restaurants, a boutique hotel, and other small businesses—all to be supported by the residents of the northwest side of Santa Fe. The mixed-use center still needs to be built. Nestled down a hillside with sunset views, the walkable community includes over 200 acres of open space, walking trails, parks, recreational courts, and a playground. The historic southwest design style of Aldea (meaning “small village”) is the same as historic Santa Fe, with flat-roof southwest adobe or the Territorial style construction. Many Aldea façade renderings have been designed by Stefanos Polyzoides, author of The Plazas of New Mexico and co-founder of CNU.
With the homes completed, the village needs the commercial space to be completed, and the residents hope that a master plan developer will be secured soon to complete the plan. For the first time in 20 years, three areas of this commercial land are listed for sale simultaneously, with the water rights and entitlements secured. A retreat wellness center is planned for part of the land, including a reception and yoga center, offices and a classroom, outdoor gathering space, guest casitas, and fractional ownership homes. The available commercial plaza lots are approximately 3.5 acres, with space for twelve live/work units, restaurants, a hotel, grocery, and additional small businesses.
I am unaware of other New Urbanism communities similar to Aldea in New Mexico. I hope we can find the right developer for the project. Our residents are primed and ready. I could envision the anchors in the Village Center being a boutique hotel, bodega, and wellness center. Some additional compliments could include a restaurant, post office, artist galleries and lofts, a community theater, and maybe an amphitheater-type venue, extending the arts of Santa Fe to the northwest side. Aldea’s plaza could host a farmer’s market on weekends. The entitlements are established, and the opportunities are significant to complete Aldea’s vision.
The village has a strong sense of community. Living spaces include single-family detached houses, townhomes, and live-works, and 10 percent of the community was built through an affordable homes program. The village has both a homeowners' association and a village center association. Several residential communities are located adjacent to Aldea, and very little commercial space has been developed in this area of town. This is a good opportunity for a new urbanist developer.
