2025-10873-HDRB. 219 Washington Ave

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City of Santa Fe
Historic Districts Review Board
Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law
Case # 2025-10873-HDRB
Address – 219 and 219-A Washington Ave.
Agent’s Name – Robert D. Evans, L+R Design Services
Owner/Applicant’s Name – Dennis Price
THIS MATTER came before the Historic Districts Review Board (“Board”) for hearing
on December 9, 2025.
BACKGROUND
The professional office building at 219 Washington Ave. is listed as contributing to the
Downtown and Eastside Historic District, with the west, street-facing façade designated as
primary. The structure, a low, flat-roof building that initially served as a garage, occupies the
northwest corner of the former Levi A. Hughes estate. To the north is a concrete walkway
leading to the former McKee Office Building, which has been redeveloped into a 27-suite hotel
compound. To the south is the lawn of the one-time Levi A. and Christine L. Hughes residence.
Constructed between 1930 and 1942, the garage is made of structural clay pentiles, finished with
stucco and painted in a buckskin color. The west elevation has been altered with the infill of a
door and windows. These include two sets of large, multi-light wood windows that sit on low
bulkheads faced with stretcher row brick. The public access to the building is through a ¾”-glass
door at the northwest corner. The structure is currently used for commercial business purposes.
October 22, 2019, in Case # 2019-0994-HDRB, the Board upgraded the historic status of
this building to contributing, and designated the western, street-facing façade as primary.
February 27, 2024, in Case # 2024-7814-HDRB, the Board approved various renovations and
alterations to all elevations of the structure, including the creation of openings for new windows
on the north façade; the removal of an existing door and placement of a new entrance door in the
enlarged opening on the west façade; and enlargement of the door openings, replacement of the
doors and placement of new windows on the south and east façades. The Board approved
exceptions for these alterations, with the condition that the replacement windows be true divided-
lite or simulated divided-lite.
The owner now requests approval for a 640-square-foot, two-story addition to a height of
19’8” at 219 Washington Ave.; and to construct a new 1,580-square-foot, two-story structure at
219-A Washington Ave., to a height of 23 feet east of the existing building at 219 Washington
Ave. At this hearing, the Applicant requests Board approval of the following items:
219 Washington Ave:
1) Build a 640-square-foot, two-story addition, comprised of units 4 and 5, on the
rear, east elevation of the existing building;
2) Remove a storage room from the east elevation and create a 123-square-foot
bathroom for unit 4 in that space;

Finding of Fact and Conclusions of Law – Remodel or New Construction
Case # 2025-10873-HDRB
p. 2
3) Build a 94-square-foot portal addition connecting the new addition to the
existing building;
4) Construct an 89-square-foot exterior stairway on the east elevation of the
addition; and
5) Construct a 54-square-foot roof deck on the second floor, north façade.
219-A Washington Ave:
1) Build a new two-story structure with 624 square feet on the ground floor and
718 square feet on the second floor. The style will match the hipped roof, stucco type
and color, stone foundation, stone sills and wood posts of the existing building at 215
Washington Ave.;
2) Build a 40-square-foot portal on the west elevation;
3) Build a 105-square-foot portal on the south elevation; and
4) Build a 93-square-foot exterior stairway on the east elevation.
The 640-square-foot addition to the 897-square-foot building at 219 Washington Ave.
will expand the footprint of the existing building approximately 71 percent. Also, the maximum
allowable height on this streetscape is 20’1”, and the new structure at 219-A Washington is
proposed to be 23 feet high. The Applicant requests two exceptions:
• To SFCC Section 14-5.2(D)(2)(d) for an addition that exceeds 50 percent of the
square footage of the existing footprint; and
• To SFCC Section 14-5.2(D)(9)(c)(ii)(B) for exceeding the restriction on the
height of a building with a pitched roof.
FINDINGS OF FACT
After conducting a public hearing and having heard from the Applicant and all interested
persons, the Board hereby FINDS, as follows:
1. Land Use Department Staff conducted a preliminary zoning review (“PZR”) and
determined that the application appears to meet the underlying zoning standards set forth
in the Santa Fe City Code (“SFCC”).
2. Historic Preservation Division Staff reviewed the application and related materials and
information submitted by the Applicant for conformity with applicable SFCC
requirements and provided the Board with a written report of its findings (“Staff
Report”), which evaluates the factors relevant to the application.
3. Historic Preservation Division Staff Recommendation: Staff recommended approval of
the proposed project and found that all the exception criteria have been met and that the
application complied with SFCC Section 14-5.2(D), General Design Standards for all
Historic Districts, and 14-5.2(E), Downtown and Eastside Design Standards.
4. The project is subject to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C), Regulation of Significant and
Contributing Structures.
5. The project is subject to the requirements and general design standards set forth in SFCC
Section 14-5.2(D), General Design Standards.
6. The property is located in the Downtown and Eastside Historic District and is subject to
the district design standards set forth in SFCC Section 14-5.2(E).

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Case # 2025-10873-HDRB
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7. Under SFCC Sections 14-2.6(B-C), 14-5.2(A)(1), 14-5.2(C)(2)(a-d & f), 14-5.2(C)(3)(a-
b), 14-5.2(C)(4), and 14-5.2(D), the Board has authority to review, approve, with or
without conditions, or deny, all or some of the Applicant’s proposed design to assure
overall compliance with applicable design standards.
Addition Exceeding 50 Percent:
8. The Applicant proposes to construct a 640-square-foot addition to an existing historic,
contributing structure which is 897 square feet. The addition is more than 50 percent of
the square footage of the existing structure.
9. Under SFCC Section 14-5.2(D)(2)(d), an addition shall not exceed 50 percent of the
square footage of the existing footprint. The Staff determined that an exception to SFCC
Section 14-5.2(D)(2)(d) would be required for approval of this addition, and the
Applicant requested an exception.
10. To obtain this exception, the Applicant was required to conclusively demonstrate that the
three exception criteria set forth in SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(b) have been met.
11. Based on the information set forth in the Staff Report, and the exhibits, evidence and
testimony presented at the hearing, the Board agrees with Staff’s finding that the
Applicant has conclusively demonstrated that all exception criteria have been met:
a. Pursuant to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(b)(i), the Board finds that granting the
exception would not damage the character of the district, because the proposed
new construction is located in the rear of the property and will be minimally
visible from the street or adjacent properties;
b. Pursuant to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(b)(ii), the Board finds that the exception
is required to prevent a hardship to the Applicant or an injury to the public
welfare, because the structure at 219 Washington Ave. is presently vacant, in need
of maintenance, and the addition will aid in the development of rental units and
full usage of this underutilized structure; and
c. Pursuant to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(b)(iii), the Board finds that granting the
exception would strengthen the unique heterogeneous character of the City by
providing a full range of design options to ensure that residents can continue to
reside within the Historic Districts, because the new construction proposed will
infill underutilized space in a manner that is harmonious with the existing
structures at 219 and 215 Washington Ave.
12. The Board finds that the Applicant has conclusively demonstrated that all of the
exception criteria have been met for expansion of the structure’s footprint in excess of 50
percent.
Construction in Excess of Height Restriction:
13. The Applicant proposes to construct a new two-story structure with a pitched, hipped
roof to a height 23 feet where the maximum allowable height is 20’1”.
14. Under SFCC Section 14-5.2(D)(9)(c)(ii)(B), the ridge height of a proposed building with
a pitched roof shall not be in excess of two feet of the average of the ridge height of the
other pitched roofs in the streetscape. Staff determined that an exception to SFCC
Section 14-5.2(D)(9)(c)(ii)(B) would be required for approval of the application, and the
Applicant requested this exception.

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Case # 2025-10873-HDRB
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15. To obtain an exception, the Applicant was required to conclusively demonstrate that the
six exception criteria set forth in SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(c) have been met.
16. Based on the information set forth in the Staff Report, and the exhibits, evidence and
testimony presented at the hearing, the Board agrees with Staff’s finding that the
Applicant has conclusively demonstrated that all exception criteria have been met:
a. Pursuant to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(c)(i), the Board finds that granting the
exception would not damage the character of the streetscape, because the location
of the proposed structure at 219-A Washington Ave. is set back from the street,
behind 219 Washington Ave. and is mostly concealed from public view, and the
Planning and Zoning requirements allow a height of 26’6”;
b. Pursuant to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(c)(ii), the Board finds that the exception
is required to prevent a hardship to the Applicant or an injury to the public
welfare, because the site plan is tightly configured on the lot, leaving no room for
expansion of the first floor, a second floor is required, and the additional height is
necessary to create a hipped roof harmonious with that at 215 Washington Ave.;
c. Pursuant to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(c)(iii), the Board finds that granting the
exception would strengthen the unique heterogeneous character of the City by
providing a full range of design options to ensure that residents can continue to
reside within the Historic Districts, because the tight configuration at 219
Washington Ave. makes expansion of the existing structure impossible and a two-
story accessory structure with hipped roof expands the utility of the space to
facilitate its full usage;
d. Pursuant to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(c)(iv), the Board finds that there are
special conditions or circumstances that are peculiar to the land or structure
involved that are not applicable to other lands or structures in the related
streetscape: there is no space adjacent to the existing building at 219 Washington
Ave. for expansion of that building, and the parking lot to the rear is larger than
necessary and can accommodate an accessory structure;
e. Pursuant to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(c)(v), the Board finds that the special
conditions or circumstances are not the result of the actions of the Applicant due
to special conditions and circumstances: the entire property was at one time part
of a historic estate and the two buildings were dedicated to different uses long
before the Applicant took control of them, and there was previously no incentive
to reunite them for a single purpose; and
f. Pursuant to SFCC Section 14-5.2(C)(5)(c)(vi), the Board finds that granting the
exception would provide the least negative impact with respect to the purposes set
forth in SFCC Section 14-5.2(A)(1) because the proposed building at 219-A
Washington Ave. will be sandwiched between two other two-story buildings, at a
location that has minimal public visibility, and will have a negligible impact on
the streetscape.
17. The Board finds that the Applicant has conclusively demonstrated that all of the
exception criteria have been met with respect to the exception for exceeding the height
restriction.
18. The information contained in the Staff Report and exhibits, and the testimony and
evidence submitted at the hearing, establishes that all applicable requirements for Board

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Case # 2025-10873-HDRB
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review as herein described have been met.
19. The information contained in the Staff Report and exhibits, and the testimony and
evidence submitted at the hearing, establishes that all applicable design criteria have been
met.
CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
Under the circumstances and given the evidence and testimony submitted during the
hearing, the Board acted upon the application as follows:
1. The Board has the authority to review and approve the application.
2. The Board approves Items # 1-5 for 219 Washington Ave. as set forth in the
application, as recommended by Staff.
3. The Board grants the exception requested in the application for 219 Washington Ave.
4. The Board approves Items # 1-4 for 219-A Washington Ave. as set forth in the
application, as recommended by Staff.
5. The Board grants the exception requested in the application for 219-A Washington
Ave.
IT IS SO ORDERED ON THIS 8th DAY of SEPTEMBER, 2026, BY THE
HISTORIC DISTRICTS REVIEW BOARD OF THE CITY OF SANTA FE.
_______________________ _____________
Cecilia Rios, Chair Date
FILED:
______________________ ______________
Geralyn Cardenas Date
City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________ ______________
Frank Ruybalid Date
Assistant City Attorney