Metropolitan Development Agency FAQs

The Metropolitan Redevelopment Commission (MRC) is a five-member body appointed by the Mayor and approved by City Council to guide redevelopment in Santa Fe’s designated Metropolitan Redevelopment Areas. Commissioners bring expertise in housing, planning, finance, and community development, and reflect the diversity of the city. The Commission reviews redevelopment plans, projects, and financing tools to ensure they align with Santa Fe’s goals for equity, sustainability, and economic vitality.

The commission meets on the first Wednesday of every month from 9:00am -10:30am in person and on Zoom.

Location is the MRA Office at 1600 St. Michael’s Drive.

For online info visit santafenm.portal.civicclerk.com

Through a months-long, bilingual process starting in 2018 called “Midtown Moving Forward”. The City hosted listening sessions, hands-on planning workshops, on-site family events at Midtown, and live online surveys/Q&A—partnering with UNM and local organizations to reach residents who are often left out. Community input prioritized affordable housing and anti-displacement, access to jobs and training, arts & culture, and safe, walkable connections. Drafts were refined through public hearings and then adopted by the City Council. The MRA now uses those community-driven plans to guide redevelopment.

A Metropolitan Redevelopment Area is a district the City formally designates under New Mexico’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Code after finding specific conditions—such as deteriorated buildings, faulty street or lot layouts, underused or vacant properties, or a lack of adequate housing. Inside an MRA, the City adopts a redevelopment plan and can use special tools to catalyze investment for community benefits, which are focused on supporting and investing in the current area. These tools include public–private partnerships, targeted infrastructure upgrades, incentive or fee relief, and financing options like MRA bonds and potential tax-increment mechanisms. These powers apply only within the MRA boundary and are intended to implement community-driven plans (e.g., for mixed-use reinvestment, jobs, housing, walkability).

Approved in 2022 by the City’s Governing Body, the Midtown Master Plan lays out the vision for transforming the former Santa Fe University of Art and Design campus into a vibrant, mixed-use district. It emphasizes affordable housing, cultural spaces, film and media production, and a new park and civic plaza—creating a walkable neighborhood that reflects Santa Fe’s identity and drives future economic growth. The Plan also establishes clear, legally binding development standards for buildings, streets, and civic/open spaces—standards the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency must follow when administering and reviewing Midtown redevelopment.

View Master Plan Here

Adopted alongside the Master Plan in January 2023, the Community Development Plan sets the policies and public benefits that guide redevelopment of the Midtown District. Focused on sustainability, equity, economy, and culture, it ensures that new investment delivers affordable housing, job creation, cultural vitality, and community stability. Together with the Master Plan, it creates a framework for redevelopment that reflects Santa Fe’s values while protecting adjacent neighborhoods.

View Community Development Plan Here

Launched in 2025, the Neighborhood Stabilization Plan is a year-long initiative focused on protecting and strengthening the Hopewell Mann neighborhood as Midtown redevelopment moves forward. Led in partnership with MASS Design Group, Chainbreaker Collective, the Santa Fe Indigenous Center, and Ideas & Action, the plan emphasizes equitable growth, housing affordability, and minimizing displacement. Through deep community engagement, it ensures that residents’ voices shape the future of their neighborhood while preserving its cultural and economic vitality.

Santa Fe’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency was created on August 9, 2023, when the Governing Body adopted Ordinance No. 2023-21, which established the City’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Code and created the Agency (and its Commission) to guide redevelopment efforts.

The MRA is located at 1600 St. Michael’s Drive Santa Fe, New Mexico.
#1 on the map below.

Currently the MRA is entirely focused on the redevelopment of Midtown.

Structures that are viable for conversion on the former campus will be adaptively reused as part of the Midtown redevelopment. Signature landmarks—including the Visual Arts Center (Ricardo Legorreta), Fogelson Library (Philippe Register), and the Greer Garson Theater (Philippe Register), —will be preserved and repurposed to meet contemporary needs, honoring their architectural significance while serving the Santa Fe community.

Stay updated with Midtown by checking our website at midtown.santafenm.gov

Organizations located at Midtown include Aspect Media Village, Sky Cinemas, Santa Fe Art Institute & Midtown Art and Design Alliance, Greer Garson Theater, and Fogelson Library with many more to come!

There are incentives for developers to invest in Midtown, as outlined in the Midtown Redevelopment Area Plan as well as the LINC (Local Innovation Corridor Overlay District).

View Developer Opportunities Here

The Midtown Master Plan makes sustainability a core principle, guided by LEED-ND standards and a “triple bottom line” focus on equity, environment, economy, and culture. It calls for green infrastructure such as bioswales, permeable paving, bioretention areas, and a retrofitted stormwater basin to improve water quality, manage flooding, and recharge groundwater, while expanded tree canopy and native planting reduce heat and support habitat. The plan emphasizes walkable, transit-oriented design with streets that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists, adaptive reuse of existing buildings to cut carbon impacts, and resilient infrastructure that supports electrification. Community gardens, public plazas, and parks further integrate environmental stewardship into daily life, positioning Midtown as a model for sustainable, low-carbon urbanism in Santa Fe.