Planning commission tables Midtown master plan amendment after debate over facade rules and permitted uses

The Santa Fe Planning Commission took up a proposed amendment to the Midtown Master Plan for the Midtown site at 1600 Saint Michael's Drive, hearing a detailed presentation from city staff and the Midtown Redevelopment Agency before tabling the item for additional work on a condition addressing facade articulation.

The amendment would change subzone designations, alter facade-zone standards and height guidance, add sign, mural and landscape provisions, and replace the plan’s permitted-use table with a system referencing the C-2 zoning permitted uses while retaining a list of prohibited uses for the site. City and applicant presenters described the changes as intended to provide flexibility for redevelopment that the MRA says will accelerate implementation of the Midtown vision.

Why it matters: Midtown is a multi‑acre redevelopment site with city-led planning documents that guide future housing, commercial and film‑production uses. Commissioners and members of the public said changes to facade step‑back requirements and…