Santa Fe Nixes, For Now, Residential Parking Permit Fees

Baseball and beer may have headlined, but last night’s Santa Fe City Council agenda had a couple other attention-worthy items. A second-day rundown:

• City Manager Robert Romero announced the Parking Division is postponing plans to start charging for residential parking permits.

Last month, the Parking Division informed 260 residents they would, starting in January, be charged $25 annually for two parking permits. Officials said they needed more money for enforcement efforts.

Traditionally, the permits have been issued at no charge to people who live in neighborhoods that tend to be overrun by visitors or commuters looking for free on-street parking. Many of those affected by the new fees were not happy.

City parking officials told the Journal the City Council approved the plan earlier this year during budget planning. But Romero said last night that councilors weren’t really clear on the situation and the parking permits will be brought back to the City Council during the 2012-2013 budget process, which starts in spring.

• The City Council agreed for the second time to give the owners of the Santa Fe Railyard’s Market Station more time to finalize financing for improvements to space planned for city offices.

The company now has until May 2012 to get things in order. That’s more than a year from the date the original contract was signed and a far cry from the two months Railyard Co. initially said it needed.

The contract, signed in April, stipulated that Railyard Co. had until Aug. 25 to find $1.4 million to bring 21,000 square feet of the Market Station commercial complex up to par for Santa Fe city offices. At the time, there were expectations the city could move into the building by December or January.

But when August rolled around, Railyard Co. said it needed more time and the City Council extended the deadline by two months. Last night, the governing body granted a six month extension.

The lease agreement was made to ward off potential legal claims by Railyard Co. The city will pay $392,000 in rent annually, a figure that will increase as time goes on.

It’s hoped the cash generated by the city’s rent will provide Railyard Co. with enough income to finish the entire project, which includes an unfinished movie theater.