Arts site to benefit Placitas, supporters say

A proposed outdoor art and music venue in Placitas is intended as a quality-of-life improver for the community, according to an organization backing its initial planning stage.

Some residents have expressed concern about the project’s possible impact on the unincorporated village, with some advising Sandoval County commissioners to deny a routine fiscal-agency request.

The Placitas Artists Series (PAS), which is assisting property owner La Entrada a Las Estrellas LLP, says the project will in fact be a boost to the community and reflect its wishes.

The property owners approached the PAS board in July of 2024 to ask for support in obtaining a grant through the National Endowment for the Arts’ Our Town initiative. The grant would pay for architectural design work for an outdoor art and music venue that would support art and music festivals and exhibits, farmers markets, holiday celebrations and similar events.

The board felt that the proposed project both had the potential to be a positive contribution to the community and also would align with the organization’s mission “to present high-quality musical performances and art exhibits in a stimulating setting; to promote regional talent through community involvement in the arts; and to provide outreach programs to our community,” according to an email from Wendy Wilkins, president of the board of the Placitas Artists Series.

La Entrada a Las Estrellas got $90,000 from the NEA and $150,000 in state money through the capital appropriations process, along with a small grant from the McCune Foundation, based in Santa Fe.

The local investor group acquired the two-acre site along Paseo de San Antonio in recent years, with plans to develop it for public use.

The grant, as written, covers the initial costs for architects and engineers to prepare civil, structural, mechanical, and electric site plans, including a topographic survey and civil engineering requirements.

The site work for the plaza would also incorporate design and plans for a bike trail along State Route 165.

The email, which Wilkins wrote on behalf of the entire board of directors, notes that the grant does not include funds for property development, construction, or other work that would take place after the design phase.

She also wrote that PAS has made no commitment to be involved after the completion of the design phase, and that the board would need to approve further participation in the project.

Several representatives of the San Antonio de las Huertas Land Grant have said supporters of the project haven’t been receptive to input from community members.

Wilkins wrote that PAS hosted a Nov. 15 charrette — a meeting of stakeholders in an agricultural or design planning process — to which every resident in Placitas was invited via a mass-mailed postcard. 

“At that meeting and via email, numerous other ideas for features of the plaza were brought up,” she wrote.

Those included an outdoor sculpture garden, including 3D features that could serve as a children’s playground; a classroom for art instruction; an open-air, walk-through exhibit teaching the history of Placitas and an art installation celebrating armed-service veterans from Placitas.

Some respondents also expressed support for some of the initial ideas mentioned in the grant proposal, Wilkins wrote.

“Concerns were also voiced about potential negative impacts to the community such as water use, noise, traffic, and parking,” she wrote, “and the architects have been asked to consider those in their plans as well.”

The organization next plans to share the ideas garnered from the charrette, as shaped by the architects. Wilkins wrote that the design drawings will likely be displayed at Las Placitas Presbyterian Church.

She wrote that the project would increase the visibility of local artists and bring broader recognition of Placitas as an arts-rich New Mexico community.

She also wrote that the project’s fit with the character of the community is important.

“PAS recognizes that the success of this project depends on community support and involvement and alignment with community values,” she wrote.

According to her email, the grant proposal to the NEA specifically said that site development will show “sensitivity to native desert plant species help stabilize the delicate natural and agrarian rural culture of Placitas” and address issues of “respect in a highly multicultural community.”

Before anything can be built, the property owner would need to secure any necessary zoning changes and provide a site development plan, which would need to be approved by the county commission. No timetable has been established for that process, Wilkins wrote.