Mayor and Keefe Auditorium Commission push phased plan tying Elm Street housing to auditorium preservation

Mayor Jim Donis told the Board of Aldermen that his administrationis prioritizing housing at the Elm Street Middle School site while trying to preserve the Keefe Auditorium. "My priority . . . is to get housing established there," the mayor said, arguing a compromise could reserve some tax and sale revenue for auditorium restoration rather than using bonding immediately.

Dennis Schneider, chair of the Keefe Auditorium Commission, presented a year-long study showing a range of renovation options and costs. "There are a short list of reasons to keep the KEF. One, it it has historical value to many people in the city," Schneider said, then laid out three option tiers: a lower-scope renovation estimated around $18 million; mid-range renovations in the $29$34 million band; and larger rebuild scenarios that the commission declined to endorse as fiscally realistic.

Schneider and staff described a financing model that would likely combine a site-specific tax-increment financing district (TIF), the parcel purchase price, and external fundraising to make the auditorium project viable. Director Cummings told the board the TIF could plausibly cover roughly $15$20 million for a minimal option, with the remainder dependent on grants, earmarks and private fundraising; the commission estimated a rebuilt Keefe might reopen in 2032or 2033 without accelerated fundraising.

Commissioners said the auditorium needs an operating model to cover recurring costs and recommended two paths: an independent nonprofit like other regional theaters, or a contracted, for-profit operator. Schneider said the venue would need about 100 performance nights per year to approach break-even, and that phased construction and a multi-year capital campaign would be required to get there.

Several aldermen pressed the administration and commission on details: how the TIF would be structured; whether developers (identified in proposals as LMG and Pen Rose) had been asked to revise plans to preserve the auditorium; and how the city would manage a transition while the auditorium was closed. Director Cummings said a preferred-developer designation (LMG in the administrationpresentation) would be included in forthcoming legislation to allow negotiations and required board votes.

Board members expressed mixed views but generally authorized the commission to continue refined planning rather than halt work. Several aldermen emphasized housing urgency and neighborhood concerns such as parking and density; others warned against shelving the auditorium option permanently. The commission will return with a phasing plan, a fundraising recommendation and an operating-model recommendation before any bonds or TIF legislation is finalized.