City of Santa Fe Weekly Wrap
Highlights from the Week of October 25, 2021
There's a lot going on in the City Different!
Midtown Block Party Engages New Voices in Planning Process
MORE THAN 800 members of the community came together at the Midtown Block Party last Saturday to activate the site and provide opportunities for individuals and groups to give their input on the future of the Midtown site.
The festive event included live music by four groups, a mural workshop, a tenant rights clinic, film screenings, a filmmaking workshop, a pumpkin patch, artist booths, raffles, bike giveaways, and other activities that engaged the community in sharing ideas and priorities for Midtown's development.
The City has partnered with local organizations committed to equitable and inclusive processes. The Midtown Engagement Partners hosted the Block Party and include Santa Fe Art Institute, Chainbreaker Collective, Earth Care, Littleglobe, and YouthWorks. Additionally, there were four Midtown Activation Partners that participated in the event -- Fathers of New Mexico, Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library, La Familia Medical Center, and the Santa Fe Indigenous Center.
The Block Party focused on engaging families with children, people of color, low-income households, and other members of our community that are often left out of the planning process. By all accounts, the Block Party was considered a breakthrough success in this respect. Learn more here.
MAYOR'S NOTE:
Smart Growth on the Southside
Affordable housing, attractive livable neighborhoods, a sustainable community and a family-friendly City: We took a giant step forward toward all these goals Wednesday night when we approved an amendment to the Tierra Contenta Master Plan that will launch Phase 3 of the development. (Kudos to Daniel Werwath and his team for doing the hard work to bring it forward!)
The new plan is flexible, adaptable, and visionary. It will provide for between 1,100 and 1,500 new housing units—and 40 percent of them will be affordable. The plan emphasizes mixed-use housing, walkability, parks and trails, a new school and sustainable development. Even better, it will link up with the Southside Library and the new Teen Center.
And we’re adding more amenities to the Southside: a Keith Haring Outdoor Fitness Park is being installed at SWAN Park; the next phase of SWAN Park’s development is a top priority for capital funding.
We’re investing in our future—and doing it with fun, grace, sustainability and care!
Little Libraries by Meow Wolf
For the unveiling of a Little Library, there sure was a big turnout at Fort Marcy Wednesday morning. The City and Meow Wolf collaborated to install a TV-shaped drop box for readers of all ages to donate and borrow titles from. Councilor Signe Lindell hatched the idea for the project with Meow Wolf, and the result was clearly popular with the kids from Tesuque Elementary who joined a host of City and SFPS officials. Three more whimsical Little Libraries are coming to different parks around town in the next few weeks.
Turn On the Closed Captions
This week an Ordinance went into effect that requires “places of public accommodation” such as restaurants, bars, hotels, and gyms to activate closed captioning on any television that is available to the public and capable of displaying closed captions. The intent is to ensure that information in public places is accessible to all members of the community. The Ordinance was initiated by the Mayor’s Committee on Disability (MCD) and spearheaded by Councilwoman Renee Villarreal. Learn more here.
Top Five Travel Rankings!
TOURISM Santa Fe's public relations and marketing efforts have been paying off in some outstanding press lately. This week Santa Fe ranked third in a Forbes magazine report on the 22 best places in the world to travel in 2022 (one of only two destinations in the U.S. to make the list). Other recent rankings: the second best city destination in the entire country in the 2021 Travel and Leisure Readers Poll, and fourth among Best Small Cities in Conde Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards. Bravo!
Deadline Extended to 11/12: Take the survey and voice your priorities for how to spend $15 Million in ARPA funding!
Reminder: Election Day, Ranked Choice Voting*
Maybe you've heard there's a municipal election next Tuesday, November 2. Hope so! Here's a reminder that Ranked Choice Voting was voted into effect in 2008 and used in 2018. It's time to brush up on how it works. This bilingual website provides a brief video explanation (including a sample ballot) and answers to some frequently asked questions. Find voting info here. *The County runs the elections, not the City.