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Council reviews lease for downtown business resource center; MOU reporting to guide oversight
Summary
Councilors discussed a proposed five‑year lease of 515 Civic Plaza Drive for a business resource center operated by Downtown Taos Inc.; staff said reporting and performance metrics exist in the previously approved MOU and agreed to consider soft‑landing provisions if partners must wind down programs.
Project manager Cribben and staff presented a proposed lease of 515 Civic Plaza Drive to Downtown Taos Inc. for use as a business resource and entrepreneurship center. The lease would allow programming space to incubate and graduate small businesses, with an initial emphasis on a front-end phase followed by expansion into pods as the program grows.
A councilor raised concerns that the lease’s standard 30-day termination clause could leave program participants exposed if a partner unexpectedly withdraws. Cribben and staff responded that reporting and quantitative benchmarks are included in a previously approved memorandum of understanding (MOU) that requires quarterly reports on program metrics (for example business graduation rates), and that program continuity/soft‑landing language could be explored as an addendum or phased into future expansions.
Staff said the goal is to keep the lease straightforward to enable early occupancy and to build programming before adding additional lease complexity. The discussion closed with staff agreeing to coordinate with partners on soft‑landing planning and to incorporate reporting oversight consistent with the MOU.
