Las Campanas Picks Up Steam After Surviving Recession

Courtesy JHL Media & Public Relations

Damon Scott
Albuquerque Business First

Master-planned communities take time to develop, and the recession set some timetables back even further.

But Santa Fe’s massive Las Campanas luxury golf community has recently seen new life and has made some changes to generate more activity.

The 4,700-acre spread, which was first established in 1992, became a victim of the recession in 2008 when the original builders placed the property into bankruptcy, according to a 2012 report in the Dallas Morning News. In 2012, Dallas-based Cienda Partners took control of the community’s undeveloped areas and made some key hires to spur further home sales.

The development has 700 homes, with 26 now under construction, but there are still about 1,000 more lots available.

Cienda Partners’ stake in Las Campanas is now operating under the Las Campanas Residential Holdings entity. It also opened a new real estate brokerage office at the development. Las Campanas Realty, located at the entrance to the community, will be staffed by two veterans with experience in luxury golf-community developments.
Nancy Zepeda is now the director of sales, and Sandra Halpin has been hired as the qualifying broker and marketing coordinator. Zepeda moved to Santa Fe from Tucson, where she had a 14-year run in real estate sales. Halpin moved to Santa Fe from Chicago 11 years ago and has been operating her own real estate brokerage in the City Different. The two will focus on both home and land sales at the community.

“They are working to bring Las Campanas back up to where it was when the market was better,” said spokeswoman Jennifer Hinsley. “They have experience in selling high-end properties that are associated with golf communities. It’s all about Santa Fe and capitalizing on potential buyers who have an interest in a second home or living in the Santa Fe area.”
Hinsley said the number of homes being built in the development already doubled between 2012 and 2013, which is a sign of the market coming back.

The Club at Las Campanas is a separate entity owned and operated by its members. Hinsley said owning real estate is not a requirement for membership, although many residents are club members. The club includes two Jack Nicklaus signature golf courses, the Las Campanas Equestrian Center, a spa, a fitness and tennis center and the Las Campanas Clubhouse.

Las Campanas is northwest of Downtown Santa Fe, and the realty office is at 218 Camino La Tierra. More information is online at http://lascampanas.com.