Stop Proposed Development: Protect Santa Fe's Open Lands, Our Evacuation Route, and Our Safety
Samara Real Property, a Chicago-based real estate investment firm, is seeking to buy 304 acres of open land along Camino la Tierra in Santa Fe County and sell it to developers under a proposed plan to build 158 houses.
Samara Real Property's website markets this project to investors as an opportunity for "above average investment returns." This is not providing needed affordable housing. This is real estate speculation at the expense of our community and our safety.
Who We Are
We represent a coalition of registered organizations and homeowners associations serving more than 1,500 households in the Camino La Tierra area of Santa Fe County. Many of you are among those households directly affected, and others of you may regularly use the trails in this area.
Our community includes long-time Santa Fe residents and retirees who purchased their homes with the expectation that the existing zoning—long in place—would continue to protect the land and preserve the character of this community.
The organizer of this page is withdrawing funds from the GoFundMe account to their local account to go toward a certified lawyer. The organizer of this account will deliver all funds to their legal representative outside of GoFundMe. The organizer of this GoFundMe account is a private community member who is in a neighboring HOA and is the contact for an affiliated a Santa Fe County Registered Organization.
Why We Need Your Help before to Stop this Development
This section of Camino la Tierra is the only road that 1,500+ families depend on for emergency evacuation, such as wildfire. Adding 158 houses at the access point to NM Hwy 599 will create a dangerous bottleneck.
This land is used by people from all over Santa Fe County and the City of Santa Fe to hike, bike, walk dogs, and ride horses and to access La Tierra Trails, the adjoining city-owned recreational open space.
The land is currently zoned for 121, 2.5-acre residential lots. The development plan includes 158 lots, with over 30 lots as small as 0.25 acres, dramatically changing the character of this rural area. To enable the higher density, the development plan is requesting variances that could significantly increase runoff and erosion.
The Legal Fight
Samara has had professional legal and planning consultants (JenkinsGavin) working this process for some time. On our own we have been able to force them to hold additional required community meetings because of their failure to give affected homeowners legally required notice.
Now, however, to stop this development, we need to retain a qualified attorney who can:
• File formal legal objections to the three code variances Samara is requesting
• Demand a formal wildfire evacuation route capacity analysis
• Represent the community at the May 21 Planning Commission meeting, the (tentative) June Board of County Commissioners meeting, and throughout the appeal process.
• Create a legal record that supports an appeal if the county approves the application anyway.
How Your Money Will Be Used
• 100% of funds (less GoFundMe transfer fees) will go directly to legal fees for a qualified New Mexico attorney via a local bank account.
• Any surplus funds will be held in reserve for appeals if necessary
• Full accounting will be provided to all donors upon conclusion of the proceedings
Our Goal
We are seeking to raise $250,000 to retain legal counsel for the May 21, 2026 Hearing Officer date and subsequent appeal process. Every dollar counts. Even small contributions from a large number of neighbors add up to a serious legal defense fund.
What Happens If We Do Nothing
- Samara's application moves through the County process unopposed
- Open land, trails, and the character of our community are gone permanently
- Our evacuation route becomes more dangerous with each new household added
- We have to live with increased daily traffic
The Wildfire Emergency
Camino la Tierra is a two-lane road. It is the primary evacuation corridor for more than 1,500 homes in this area. In a wildfire — and PNM just warned us on March 13, 2026, that severe wildfire conditions are forecast for March 15, 2026 — every family that lives off this road must use it to reach Highway 599 and safety. Major insurance companies have been cancelling policies in this zip code because they consider it a high risk wildfire area.
Adding 158 more homes to this corridor is not just a development issue. It is a foreseeable public safety hazard. In the 2018 Camp Fire in California, inadequate evacuation routes contributed to 85 deaths. We cannot allow Santa Fe County to approve a development that makes our evacuation route more dangerous.
Time is of the Essence
The proposal could go before a Hearing Officer as early as April 9, 2026. Please contribute NOW!
Share This Page
Even if you cannot contribute financially, please share this page with every neighbor, friend, and Santa Fe community member who cares about responsible land use, wildfire safety, and believes that open space preservation is enormously important.
Thank you.