New horse in the race? HIPICO redevelopment plan floats equestrian park as amphitheater site

Such a project could serve as a lifeline for HIPICO, at 100 S. Polo Drive. Brian Gonzales, one of the partners in the venture, said the once-thriving horse park has struggled to regain the popularity it enjoyed before the coronavirus pandemic, when equestrian events had propelled its initial success. He is exploring ways to revitalize the site as an entertainment and outdoor recreation destination.

“I don’t think it’ll ever come back,” he said of the park’s status as a premier equestrian site. “We have to make some adjustments, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Revved-up RV spaces

Gonzales said HIPICO’s final application for the new master plan will be submitted to Santa Fe County within 30 days and he hopes commissioners will approve it by fall.

The 57-acre park features 50 RV spots, restrooms with showers and extensive equestrian facilities, including barns, stables, fields and outdoor arenas. It has played host to numerous high-profile equestrian events in the past, as well as concerts and other events.

The first phase of the new master plan calls for enhancing the existing RV spots, Gonzales said, mostly by converting them from back-in to drive-thru spaces, as well as renovating a restroom and shower building, constructing a dog park and creating some amenities designed to serve families.

A second phase calls for the addition of 60 new RV spaces and the construction of a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility. A possible third phase would see the construction of about 18 small houses that would be available for short-term rentals, perhaps up to two weeks.

Gonzales did not provide a figure for the total cost of the improvements and additions, but he said the wastewater treatment center likely would be the most expensive item on the list at more than $1 million.

The changes would be low impact and would not change the nature of how HIPICO operates, he said.

“We’re not doing anything different than what we’re already doing,” he said.

The master plan also would include the potential for a new events center at the park, Gonzales said, although he ball-parked the cost of such a building at $3.5 million — a figure the ownership group is not capable of financing itself.

Fast start before COVID-19

Gonzales and his wife, Phyllis, are partners in HIPICO with Guy McElvain. They acquired the property in 2015 from well-known Santa Fe attorney Jim Alley, who was perhaps best known for helping to stop plans to construct a 26-mile paved highway over Elk Mountain in the Pecos Wilderness.

“When Guy and I bought the property in 2015, the idea was for this to be an events center with concerts, car shows, antique shows and dog shows,” Gonzales said, in addition to making it a prime stop for equestrian events. “We see that as being the best use of the property.”

In the first four years of their ownership tenure, those dreams largely were realized, he said, noting the equestrian events were especially successful, with people flocking to the park from all over the world.

“We were on quite a ride,” he said. “Our peak probably came in 2019, with our shows truly hitting a balance that was very workable. We had people from all over the world, including not just the United States, but Mexico, South America, Europe and New Zealand. … We had truly hit the map at that point.”

What’s more, state officials had taken notice of the crowds HIPICO was attracting and were making plans to support the park, he said.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic, which led to the shutdown of the park.

“The spigot was not turned down, it was turned off,” Gonzales said of the park’s revenue stream.

By the summer of 2020 and into the summer of 2021, HIPICO was allowed to play host to drive-in concerts, with guests parking in designated spots. Phyllis Gonzales said those events were wildly popular.

“That first year, we had over 12 concerts,” she said, noting how hungry concert-goers were, not just for live music but to be among other people amid the sense of isolation everyone was experiencing.

But when most businesses were allowed to reopen in 2022, the viability of HIPICO as an outdoor music venue declined sharply. That was because the park lacks a permanent stage, Phyllis Gonzales said, and the expense of assembling a temporary one for each show made other venues more attractive to promoters.

Nevertheless, HIPICO still plays host to two to four concerts a year, mainly under the auspices of the Lensic 360 program.

Fewer horses, more shows?

Brian Gonzales said he still harbors dreams about HIPICO drawing the kinds of crowds it was attracting in 2019, but he knows it isn’t likely to do so as an equestrian venue.

“We had over 800 horses a week in 2019. Now, it’s more like 100 or 125 horses,” he said.

By the time the pandemic ended, a new equestrian facility — the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Fla. — had emerged as the nation’s premier park. Regarded in many circles as the “Walt Disney World for horse people,” the multimillion-dollar facility dwarfs the competition, Gonzales said, cornering the market on most major events.

So, Gonzales has turned his attention to another possibility. He watched with great interest late last year when the city and county of Santa Fe jointly hired Hotel & Leisure Advisors to conduct an online survey of residents to determine what kind of interest there was in developing a new amphitheater, something the community largely has been without since the Paolo Soleri Amphitheater closed in 2010.

The survey results and feasibility study released Monday show wide support for an amphitheater in the area. More than three-quarters of the 768 people who responded to the online survey reported they have a high to very high interest in the project. More than half said they would visit such a facility two to four times a year.

The study estimates the amphitheater could be built at cost of between $30 million and $50 million, while the cost for a theater would range from $40 million to $60 million, not including land acquisition.

The project is envisioned as a public-private partnership.

Gonzales said he and his partners could perhaps donate land for an amphitheater while others pay for its construction. He pointed to HIPICO’s abundance of wide-open spaces, plentiful parking, sweeping vistas and existing infrastructure, which he said would make it a good fit for such a project.

He has had a few discussions on the subject with Tourism Santa Fe Executive Director Randy Randall.

Randall, whose city agency formally commissioned the study, confirmed Monday Gonzales had spoken with him the possibility of an entertainment venue at the horse park.

“I think the idea of HIPICO putting the land into the deal as a donation could make tons of sense,” he said.

Jamie Lenfestey, director of the Lensic 360 program, said Monday he had not considered the idea of HIPICO serving as the site of a new amphitheater but is open to the idea.

“We love HIPICO,” he said. “We’ve had some really wonderful shows out there. It is an oasis of green grass in a land where green grass oases are few and far between.”

But Lenfestey said there are many elements that need to be taken into consideration before a site for such a facility is chosen. Working in HIPICO’s favor, he said, is its adequate parking and its location in the southwest quadrant of the Santa Fe area, making it attractive to concert-goers from Albuquerque.

When he was booking shows at the Paolo Soleri, Lenfestey said, his market research indicated 50% of those attending came from the Duke City.

Lenfestey said the lack of a permanent stage and other facilities at HIPICO, and the cost of bringing them in for every event, is what has kept him from booking more shows at the park. The construction of a permanent facility there would eliminate that expense, he noted.

He also praised the surroundings at HIPICO, saying they remind him of the setting for the annual Blossoms & Bones Ghost Ranch Music Festival in Abiquiú.

“It’s got a really good atmosphere,” he said.

Lenfestey, who long has championed the need for a replacement for the Paolo Soleri in Santa Fe, said it would make sense for HIPICO to be part of the amphitheater conversation.

“The bottom line is, all options would be on the table,” he said.

Opportunity for developers?

The changes included in the first two phases of the park’s master plan should allow it to become more of a destination for travelers and generate additional revenue, Gonzales said. But he also understands HIPICO will have to be reinvented in other ways to fully recapture its lost glory.

If the park isn’t able to achieve financial sustainability, he said, the time may come when he, his wife and McElvain have to consider other options for the property.

The three owners have been approached numerous times in the past by commercial development concerns interested in acquiring the property, he said. So far, they have rebuffed those inquiries, but Gonzales hinted that may not be the case forever.

“Broadening the scope of what’s possible for events seems to be the only way forward, unless we want to give in to the developers,” he said.

“And we all know what that looks like. This land already has power and water, so it’s a perfect opportunity for commercial development,” he added. “And once that path is taken, there is no reversal.”