Downtown Salinas mural planned for alley near Fox Theater; privately funded project moves through city permit process

The Salinas City Center Improvement Association (downtown business improvement district) detailed plans for a privately funded mural on a downtown alley wall that project organizers say is about 110 feet long and roughly 16 feet high.

Greg Hammer, district coordinator for the Salinas City Center Improvement Association, told the commission the organization signed a memorandum of understanding with the property owner for the former La Fagada restaurant to streamline permitting and act as the owner’s agent while the group handles permits, insurance and artist contracting. “We take care of the street maintaining the right of way, cleaning the trash, cleaning up graffiti… We put up all the banners,” Hammer said, describing the BID’s role in downtown maintenance and arts programming.

Hammer said the mural will be painted by local-area artists Evan Wilson and Eric Smiley with additional collaborators; the design was chosen in part to complement the existing Salinas Habitats mural by Jose Ortiz/Ilos del Sol. Hammer estimated the wall area at “a couple thousand square feet” and gave a length of 110 feet and a height around 16 feet.

Commissioners and public commenters pressed for more opportunities for Salinas-based artists, for greater cultural inclusion beyond agricultural imagery and for steps to keep funding and labor local. One commissioner urged that murals reflect the city’s diverse histories — including Chinese, Japanese and Dust Bowl-era Okie communities — not only agricultural scenes. A public commenter and a commissioner both recommended creating a clear call for artists or a rotating residency to open larger projects to local and emerging Salinas artists.

Hammer said the project is privately funded by the downtown assessment (a property-owner assessment the association administers) and by grant dollars the nonprofit pursues; he emphasized the association does not rely on city general-fund tax dollars for the murals. He acknowledged that, because murals are painted on private property, a new owner could remove or paint over artwork; his group’s MOU includes a commitment that the work will remain for several years but he said there is limited legal recourse if a private owner later decides to alter the façade.

The association said it is in the city permit process and waiting on the planning checklist; Hammer estimated a permit timeline that could place installation in late 2025. Commissioners offered to help publicize an artist call and suggested options for pairing emerging Salinas artists with established organizations to meet project delivery guarantees.

The presentation was informational only; the commission did not vote on the mural project at the meeting.