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Broad public support for Midtown Arts & Design Alliance as council hears GLDA proposal for Visual Arts Center
Summary
Hundreds of community members, arts organizations and donors told the council they back the Midtown Arts & Design Alliance plan to rehabilitate the Midtown Visual Arts Center. MATA presented phased renovation estimates and said construction would not start until 100% of financing for each phase is committed.
The council’s public hearing on a proposed ground lease and development agreement for the Midtown Visual Arts Center drew sustained testimony from local arts organizations, educators, makers and donors who described the project as a critical investment in Santa Fe’s creative economy.
Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency staff summarized the Midtown Arts & Design Alliance (MATA) proposal and the GLDA: a three‑phase rehabilitation of the Legorreta‑designed Midtown campus focused on nonprofit tenant space, maker and training facilities, galleries and community gathering areas. The MRA presentation outlined staged costs in today’s dollars of roughly $7.0 million for Phase 1, $11.1 million for Phase 2, and $9.9 million for Phase 3; MATA said it already has philanthropic commitments totaling about $4.5 million toward Phase 1 and that it will not begin any construction until each phase is 100% financed.
The room filled with representatives from Make Santa Fe, SFAI, Little Globe, Youthworks and other local nonprofits, plus private donors who said city support was necessary to close philanthropic pledges. “This is an investment in people, culture, education, and long‑term economic development,” said Joseph Conungl, a local architect and future MATA tenant. Make Santa Fe’s board emphasized the project’s youth workforce and STEM training potential; several education and youth‑service speakers described collaborative programs that would use reclaimed campus buildings.
MRA staff said the GLDA includes tenant protections (sliding‑scale leases), insurance and indemnity provisions, and a tenancy model intended to make nonprofit occupancy viable. Staff also recommended conditioning construction starts on financing benchmarks to protect the city from risk.
No direct city capital contribution for Phase 1 was requested beyond a $200,000 capital outlay item noted as a fiscal‑sponsor relationship; MATA leaders said they would continue fundraising to cover the remaining Phase‑1 costs. Councilors asked about phasing, timelines, community benefits, and assurances that longterm operating plans and tenant affordability would be sustained.
The public hearing remains open as the council continues its normal review process; MRA staff indicated they expect to return for final action in early June. Supporters asked the council to approve the GLDA at final action to unlock philanthropic commitments and begin renovations.
