OUR MISSION

The Railyard Park Conservancy provides community stewardship and advocacy for the horticultural care, educational programming and public art in the Railyard Park + Plaza.

Read our annual Report to the City here, and learn more about the scope of our work in the park in 2024-2025.

OUR STORY

Through a successful public/private partnership with the City of Santa Fe, the Railyard Park Conservancy (RPC) offers a wide variety of community educational programming, plans and manages public art installations, and provides all horticultural care for the cultivated gardens and landscapes in the 11-acre Railyard Park.

Founded in September 2010 as the Railyard Stewards, an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit, the organization was renamed the Railyard Park Conservancy in early 2016 to bring operations in line with best practices of successful urban park models, enhancing the overall experience for community members and visitors alike.

The RPC’s work is deeply informed by the original vision of the park – developed after hundreds of hours of public input – as an environmentally sustainable greenspace offering community engagement and cultural enrichment. To that end, we mobilize community volunteers to maintain the park’s gardens and social spaces; offer free cultural and educational programming to the city’s communities; and support the biological resilience of the park’s complex urban environment.  The RPC is guided by a commitment to sustainability, equitable access to public greenspaces, and creating free opportunities for local families to enjoy the healing benefits of nature.  We are especially proud of our ability to weave these principles into each of our three focus areas, ensuring that the park remains dynamic, progressive and inclusive.

OUR HISTORY

In 1995, the Trust for Public Land (TPL) New Mexico negotiated and acquired the 50-acre Railyard property and conveyed it to the City of Santa Fe. As part of the conveyance, TPL and community members created a conservation easement encumbering the 13-acres of the Railyard Park + Plaza. Its purpose was to “assure that the Easement Area will be retained forever as a park, open space, and community gathering place, Rail Line corridor, trail corridor, and plaza area and to prevent any use of the Easement Area that will significantly impair or interfere with the conservation values of the Easement area.”

Fogyard by Charles Streeper

In 2001, TPL entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the city to oversee the design, construction and fundraising for the Railyard Park + Plaza, which was completed in the fall of 2008. TPL held the Conservation Easement with the city until March 25, 2015, when it was transferred to the Santa Fe Conservation Trust (SFCT). SFCT is now responsible for assuring that the city and fellow Railyard stakeholders follow the restrictions encumbering the Easement Area.

Starting in 1999, TPL organized and managed a team of volunteers called the Railyard Advisory Council, who donated thousands of hours towards design decisions, fundraising, and advocacy for the Railyard Park + Plaza. In late 2008, this group transitioned to the Railyard Stewards, later renamed the Railyard Park Conservancy. TPL served as the umbrella organization until September 21, 2010, when the Railyard Stewards were awarded federal nonprofit status.

AN AWARD WINNING PARK

The Railyard Park Conservancy has received numerous awards and gained national recognition for its efforts to improve, restore, and maintain Santa Fe’s Railyard Park. With the ongoing support of our generous donors, the Conservancy will continue to offer our community award-winning programs and projects that improve the quality of life for all Santa Feans, and act as an exemplary model for parks and public green spaces. Most recently, the Railyard Park Conservancy was recognized as 2025’s best park by the Santa Fe Reporter.

Rudy Bruner Silver Award for Urban Excellence (2011)

This prestigious biennial award honors urban places that, through their design and development, have lasting transformative impacts on their urban neighborhoods and communities. The Santa Fe Railyard Redevelopment project unified the Santa Fe community around a vision for mixed use cultural and commercial district, which occupies 52 acres beginning at Montezuma St. and extending to Baca St.

Winning projects reflect two important themes: the desire for communities to shape the future of their important public spaces, and the need for local governments, institutions and citizens to join together to take on the pressing social issues confronting our collective future.

Urban Land Institute – Urban Open Space Finalist (2014)

One of five finalists for the distinguished ULI Open Space Award, the 13-acre Railyard Park + Plaza was the culmination of two decades of community activism that enabled citizens to retain control over the largest downtown development to conserve the open space in perpetuity as a community asset emphasizing local cultures, businesses and artists.

Great Places in America Award – Public Spaces – American Planning Association (2015)

A public space may be a gathering spot or part of a neighborhood, downtown, special district, waterfront or other area within the public realm that helps promote social interaction and a sense of community. Each year, APA recognizes outstanding people, planning work, and places — representing the best in planning and community impact. During the National Community Planning Month each October, they celebrate how planning improves lives and creates communities of lasting value.