Santa Fe city staff told the governing body on Nov. 12 that Midtown redevelopment has reached key predevelopment milestones: infrastructure design has advanced to roughly 60%, demolition contracts are in place for prioritized buildings and multiple private proposals have moved into review.

City Manager Mark Scott and asset‑development manager Carly Vendetti described progress on the 64‑acre Midtown Metropolitan Redevelopment Area, which encompasses the former Santa Fe University of Art and Design campus and surrounding parcels. Vendetti said the city has contracted a demolition vendor and identified LaSalle Hall and student apartments as the first structures to be removed to make room for Arroyo Park and central spine infrastructure.

Scott walked the council through two proposals the agency is seeking to move forward in exclusive negotiation agreements. The Blue Mesa Center for the Arts (proposed by Dr. Glenn Erickson) is a mixed‑use arts‑focused project at Parcel H1A with roughly 30 live/work units, a café and public institutional uses tied to the arts. The New Mexico Innovation Hub (led by David Perez) would occupy two parcels (J1A and J1B) and combine lab/innovation spaces, climate‑tech and advanced manufacturing uses with supporting housing and workforce training.

Staff emphasized mandatory master‑plan criteria will govern selections: inclusionary affordable housing, prohibition on short‑term rentals, job creation and community engagement. Vendetti said the agency expects to issue additional RFPs for a 100% affordable project on Parcel K1B using LIHTC structures where feasible.

Financing the $60–$70 million infrastructure estimate (staff cited that range, excluding heritage building restorations and parking structures) will require a mix of tools, Scott said. The city is examining tax‑increment financing (TIF), state grants and loans, sale of parcels and GRT‑backed debt; staff said TIF typically scales over decades and will not cover heavy early costs. Scott said staff is preparing a financing concept for early review in the new year.

Councilors and community members asked about timing for ENAs and development agreements, site assessment reports and protections for adjacent neighborhoods. Vendetti said assessment reports (Wilson & Company, RMKM) and a feasibility study with ArtSpace and Autotroph are available and will be posted to the MRA’s page on the city website; staff said the ENA drafts are with legal counsel with first transmittal to council possible by December or early next year. Neighbourhood preservation efforts such as the Hopewell Mann stabilization plan are underway, with workshops expected in early February.

The council did not take a final development vote but directed staff to continue site work, advance ENA/ADA drafts with legal counsel and report back on financing next year.