‘It’s Just a District, Not Much Is Going to Change’

Published August 9th, 2024 at 8:00 am, Last Updated August 9th, 2024 at 1:40 pm

One of the more controversial proposals in the village this year is the plan to create an Arts and Culture District, which has many residents up in arms. 

A volunteer group called Corrales StayInformed issued this statement: “Our concerns are quality of life through reasonable approaches to density, noise, lighting, traffic and attention to the values of the nearly 8,500 residents and property owners who call Corrales home.”

Mayor Jim Fahey doubled down.

“Folks that are against this have confused the district with the discussions we’ve been having about the new building, which would be a multi-use facility,” Fahey said. “That’s not what this is. We’re not building anything new. This is just calling an area and group of buildings that already exist an Arts and Culture District so we can get grants and uplift the area.”

Fahey concedes that the village could do a better job of getting information out about the plan, but says that it has been out there for months. 

“There’s an argument of the district bringing more noise and traffic, but I think people are going to find a reason not to like it,” he said. “But if nobody came to the village, our businesses would cease to exist, we would be a ghost town.”

The Arts and Culture District designation from New Mexico MainStreet would mean the village could apply for grant funding, something Fahey says is important to keep the vitality of the arts scene in Corrales. 

“For us, the most important thing is that people take the time to understand what an Arts and Culture District really is,” said Angela Gutierrez, executive director of Corrales MainStreet. “Anybody who is really, truly interested, should look at the draft plan and see what it is. So many organizations and residents were involved in gathering the information.” 

She says she wants residents to know that MainStreet didn’t just make the plan themselves, they took the information that was gathered and put the plan together for the village. She says that the designation helps show the cohesiveness of a community. 

Fahey said dozens showed up to Corrales MainStreet’s presentation at the July 23 council meeting. A large crowd also showed up at the Old Gym Town Hall, where people asked questions about the plan and had a chance to see the blueprints in person.

“We’ve done what we can to make life better here, at least we think so,” said Fahey.  

Get Involved

The next Village Council meeting is 6:30 p.m. Aug. 13 in the Village Council chambers.