Santa Fe staff presents Age Friendly action plan to council; asks for letters to AARP for designation

Andrew West presented the Age Friendly Santa Fe action plan and described it as an "initial road map" intended to help the city improve quality of life for people of all ages, with an entry point focused on older adults. West said the plan was grounded in a needs assessment and community engagement: "we had over 550 survey responses and we engaged over 250 unique community residents through our listening sessions, workshops and community engagements."

The plan is organized into six priority focus areas tied to the AARP livability domains, and it recommends cross-cutting strategies, community engagement and an advisory body. West asked the governing body to review the action plan, provide feedback, and supply letters of approval from the mayor and city council to include with the submission for AARP age-friendly designation: "I'm asking you to consider the age-friendly action plan resolution adopting this action plan... and also ask for a letter of approval and support both from the mayor and from city council. These 2 letters will be needed to add to the action plan to submit to AARP for age friendly designation."

Councilors thanked staff and emphasized expanding the plan's scope beyond seniors to an "all ages" accessibility lens. Councilor Chavez credited Maria Tucker Sanchez for advancing the effort and said the proposed advisory task force should work with existing committees including the mayor's disability committee. West and councilors discussed leveraging the city's libraries and senior centers for outreach and using the plan to coordinate across Santa Fe Forward, the general plan, and MPO planning work.

No formal vote occurred on adoption at this meeting; West concluded his presentation and councilors invited him to return with an adoption resolution and the requested letters for the AARP submission.