Ohkay Owingeh Main Street, New Mexico

Ohkay Owingeh is a Pueblo in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, located 25 miles north of Santa Fe. The tribe dates back more than 800 years and, today, is one of the largest Tewa-speaking pueblos.

The Tewa name “Ohkay Owingeh” means "place of the strong people." Historically, Ohkay Owingeh was the center of an Indian meeting ground, its people so powerful that only an O'ke native could declare war for the Pueblo Indians.

Today, Ohkay Owingeh remains an important center. It is a community that has maintained important links to the past, but that is also moving in bold, new directions. Downtown Professionals Network (DPN) was retained by Ohkay Owingeh to provide market assessment, feasibility, site evaluation and related pre-development services for the proposed Ohkay Owingeh “Main Street” project.

DPN worked closely with Tsay Corporation, a wholly owned economic development corporation responsible for managing and operating commercial enterprises on behalf of Ohkay Owingeh, to analyze the market, to assess conditions, to identify business opportunities, and to devise a development concept that is consistent with Tsay Corporation’s project mission and the vision for Ohkay Owingeh.

The Ohkay Owingeh Main Street concept plan and related development strategies offer alternatives for site design, building designs, special features and a mix of uses that support efforts to create a “real place” by:

Recognizing market characteristics and economic realities that will be instrumental to the development’s success.
Capitalizing on the site’s most distinct competitive advantages, including its location along New Mexico State Highway 68 and its proximity to other attractions
Addressing complex “hard and soft infrastructure” issues that are unique to the pueblo and the Main Street site – and essential to the success of Ohkay Owingeh Main Street
Targeting uses and a commercial tenant mix that are “real” and practical in nature, serving the needs of the local population but also offering opportunities to capture visitors and consumers from the larger trade area
Promoting designs for buildings and special features that are authentic and intended to “stand the test of time”

The Main Street project is one component of a progressive economic development initiative that will solidify Ohkay Owingeh as a center for commerce, industry and culture for generations to come.