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County hires Creative Startups to develop operational plan for Historic County Courthouse; Taos Historical Society involved
Summary
County staff described a planning contract with Creative Startups and a partnership with Taos Main Street and the Taos County Historical Society to develop leasing, pro forma and operational strategies; funding drawn from non-promotional lodgers tax and the work is slated to run Sept.–April 2026.
Taos County staff told commissioners on Aug. 19 that the county is moving forward with an operational-planning contract for the Historic County Courthouse. The county plans to hire Creative Startups, a Santa Fe-based consultant, to develop an operational plan that addresses downstairs tenanting, use of the mural room, archives storage, leasing policies and management options.
"We are putting together a contract with a group called Creative Startups," Jessica Stern said, describing the firm as nationally recognized and experienced in multi-use creative facilities. Stern said the scope includes community engagement with the Taos County Historical Society as a primary partner and updating county ordinances and policies around leasing and tenanting that are dated.
Stern said Main Street will supply a pro forma at no cost under a state technical-assistance arrangement, and that the Creative Startups contract would run from September through April 2026. Commissioners asked whether the county or an outside entity would ultimately manage the building and whether shared office space for commissioners might be included; Stern said those management and occupancy questions would be addressed through the planning process.
The work will be paid from the county’s non-promotional lodgers-tax fund, Stern said. An earlier RFP for operational planning attracted no offers, she said, and the county split out the pro-forma technical assistance and used the Main Street program to obtain that element for free.
Why it matters: the courthouse’s reuse affects local cultural preservation, visitor amenities such as public restrooms, and space for the Taos County Historical Society’s archives. The plan aims to define management, tenant rules, revenue opportunities and community access.
This agenda item was an update and not a final decision on tenancy or management.
