Santa Fe County Commissioners Approve Formation of First Ever Public Improvement District (PID) in Santa Fe County

SANTA FE, NM – Santa Fe Land Development Partners (SFLDP) is pleased to announce that the Board of County Commissioners of Santa Fe County voted unanimously (with one abstention) to approve the formation of the Esencia Public Improvement District (Esencia PID) at a Feb. 10 board meeting. The Esencia PID is the first Public Improvement District to be established in Santa Fe County.

The Esencia PID project will allow SFLDP to invest in key infrastructure improvements beyond the immediate community – including over $2 million toward the expansion of Avenida del Sur, a major east-west connector that will support long-term regional access, along with a 2-mile sewer outfall to the Quill Waste-Water Treatment Plant, which was upsized to allow for future expansion of County facilities.

“Esencia de Santa Fe is our most exciting and ambitious acquisition and development to date,” said Garret Price, Managing Member of the Santa Fe Land Development Partners. “It’s a 277-acre master-planned community in the heart of Santa Fe’s Community College District. We’re excited to bring our pedestrian-friendly neighborhood to life – one that emphasizes community connectivity, walkability, and environmental stewardship.”

“This Public Improvement District is a wonderful opportunity to allow this new development community to responsibly finance this essential infrastructure,” Price said. “We have worked diligently thus far to develop this project in close coordination with Santa Fe County and local stakeholders. We’re proud that Esencia de Santa Fe represents a model for public-private collaboration and sustainable growth in one of New Mexico’s most dynamic regions.”

The Esencia de Santa Fe project is approved for 710 new residences, including market-rate, affordable, and multifamily options – with 15% reserved for Santa Fe County’s Affordable Housing Program. Designed with sustainability and livability in mind, the community will reserve about half of its total land, 140 acres, for preserved open space, featuring 4.5 miles of trails, parks, ponds, trailheads, and stunning mountain views.

“With this favorable decision by the Board of County Commissioners, we are closing in on the final steps of this project that will benefit residents, the County, and the surrounding region,” Price continued. “We’d like to thank Santa Fe County’s Board of County Commissioners, Manager Greg Shaffer and the Community Development Department, for their leadership and support on this matter, as well as the Public Improvement District Committee.”

The PID Committee brought together county staff from the Community Development, Growth Management, and Public Works departments, along with the Finance Division, and the County Attorney’s and Manager’s offices, and determined that the application satisfied all statutory and policy requirements for a PID.  The Committee noted that the project is consistent with the County’s growth policies, land use and development policies, zoning, and other regulations. And importantly, because the PID is being formed prior to the sale of lots, anyone who buys into the PID will have full knowledge of the special levies.

“The approval of the first Public Improvement District in Santa Fe County is a win-win for advancing much needed housing and infrastructure development. Public Improvement Districts allow communities to fund essential infrastructure and accelerate development without raising county taxes or taking on debt. By aligning costs with benefits and leveraging private investment, PIDs help grow the local economy and expand the tax base efficiently and fairly,” said Santa Fe County Economic Development Manager Juan E. Torres.

“Public-private partnerships of this magnitude are extremely important, and Public Improvement Districts are effective tools to build healthy, vibrant, diverse, and sustainable communities. We are excited to be a part of such a transformational project for Santa Fe County, and grateful for the support of the Board of County Commissioners and for the leadership of Santa Fe Development Partners,” noted Santa Fe County Community Development Director Jonathan Butler.

Half of the project’s land is dedicated to recreational and natural spaces, including four neighborhood parks and a centrally located seven-acre community park. Construction of Phase 1 lots began in early 2025, with first home move-ins anticipated mid-2026.

To date, Price successfully sold three of the five parcels – representing over fifty percent of Esencia’s planned homesites – to national homebuilders DR Horton and Pulte Homes, marking a major milestone in bringing this thoughtfully planned community to fruition.

About Public Improvement Districts

A Public Improvement District creates a defined area where the property owners who benefit from new infrastructure – like roads, utilities, drainage, parks, or other public improvements – help reimburse a portion of these costs over time. This helps ensure that the development pays for the infrastructure it needs, rather than relying on general county taxes or existing residents to foot the bill. If created, the Esencia PID would be used to reimburse the developer of portion of the costs of the public infrastructure costs building and maintaining public roadways in the Esencia area that serve the development.

About Esencia de Santa Fe

Esencia de Santa Fe is a new housing development planned on 277 acres near Santa Fe Community College. It will include up to 710 homes, with a mix of market-rate, affordable, and multifamily housing, including 15% set aside for Santa Fe County’s affordable housing program. About half the land will remain open space, with parks, trails, and natural areas. The project is designed to be walkable and environmentally conscious, with construction already underway and first residents expected in summer 2026, along with major road and sewer infrastructure improvements to support the area. Learn more here.

About Price Land Development Group

Price Land Development Group (Price) is a consultancy and development company specializing in acquisition, entitlement and development of residential communities and residential / mixed-use master plans in New Mexico. Led by President Garret Price, the firm has significantly contributed to the state’s healthy economic growth through the thoughtful development of 834 acres of New Mexico land across projects such as Colibri, Aspire, Trails, Los Diamantes, Seasons at Monarch, Jemez Vista, High Range and more. These communities feature more than 70 acres of parks, open space and miles of trails. Since the inception of the company, Price has entitled and developed 1,645 lots throughout the Albuquerque and Santa Fe MSAs, with more than 1,700 in the planning stages.

About Santa Fe County

Santa Fe County is New Mexico’s third-most populous county, serving a population of 155,201over 1,911 square miles. The County is home to the state capital, Santa Fe, and numerous cities, towns, census-designated places, unincorporated areas, and Pueblos. The County’s mission is to provide a safe, sustainable, healthy community through a highly skilled, transparent, and accessible government. More information is available online at https://www.SantaFeCountyNM.gov.

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