MSL Teams for Midtown Santa Fe Proposal

MSL has joined a highly accomplished Master Developer and an outstanding team of collaborators on a proposal for Santa Fe’s Midtown District development. The “Central Park Santa Fe” proposal is led by Allan Affeldt, best known for highly successful restorations of historic hotels in New Mexico and Arizona. If selected by the City of Santa Fe, the Master Developer will be responsible for the site’s overall master planning and development. MSL would advise on the infrastructure’s conceptual design and implementation, featuring energy and integrated smart systems.

According to the City’s project vision, “Midtown Santa Fe is a 64-acre district that will be transformed into a mixed-use, urban district in the heart of the city. The goal is to create a dynamic place — an innovation hub that is enriched by arts and culture experience and anchored with higher education institutions, film and multimedia companies, technology and entrepreneurial businesses, community arts organizations, as well as civic buildings and public open spaces.” 

The potential for advanced energy and smart city infrastructures is exceptionally strong, given the mixture of intended uses (residential, commercial, academic, entrepreneurial), the campus-like physical setting, and the opportunity to participate in a complete re-visioning of the district’s design. MSL’s preliminary infrastructure concepts include the integration of a community resiliency microgrid with smart water, telecommunications, and mobility, designed to support reliability, R&D, testing, technology commercialization, and demonstrations of advanced urban systems, as discussed in an Albuquerque Journal article on the Central Park project. MSL’s proposed X_GRID technology accelerator would also expect to utilize the facilities.

As reported in the Santa Fe New Mexican, the Central Park Santa Fe vision includes a large technology office park, several varieties of housing, and a large central park and public amenities, and extends to the adjacent City, State, and U.S. Forest Service owned properties. If the project is selected, MSL will lead an infrastructure team comprised of experts in the various domains and overall systems integration, and will also support education integration with related programs at Santa Fe Community College and the University of New Mexico (both MSL Members). MSL has been engaged with the Midtown project for over a year, having served as an advisor to one of five architectural teams that prepared conceptual visions based on an intensive community engagement and input process.

According to the City, “New housing and neighborhood-serving commercial spaces will also make it a place for people to live, work, learn, and play. The complementary ecosystem of uses is intended to encourage creativity in all forms while promoting social equity, environmental sustainability, and Santa Fe’s heritage and culture. The vision is a district that is beautifully designed and provides an opportunity for residents to prosper, grow, and continue the tradition of multi-generational families in Santa Fe.”

This can provide a perfect setting and a “living laboratory” for MSL’s systems innovation agenda, and the convergence of our Research, Innovation, Demonstration, and Education programs.