Dance and arts organization Peninsula Lively Arts closing San Mateo location after 60 years

“This is terribly, terribly sad and emotionally difficult to lose a company that’s been around for almost 60 years, that has been focusing so much on this community,” she said. “We were born in San Mateo, and we’ve never left.” 

The nonprofit will formally close its doors June 30, after the completion of the spring season’s performances and class releases, a March 13 press release said. 

News of the closure comes amidst a redevelopment plan for the Concar Drive shopping center where the facility is located. Developer Brookfield Properties, which declined to comment, is planning 847 units of housing for the site, which raised concerns around the future of Peninsula Lively Arts back in August 2025. 

Leadership from the arts organization explored a variety of options to stay open, including participating in the redevelopment process or moving to another location, the press release said. But Chinn said she thought Peninsula Lively Arts would have had to close regardless of the development, due to its unsustainable financial model. 

“We probably would still have to close, because the business model is not sustainable, because we can’t operate just with earned revenue,” she said. “If we stayed in the building, we would still be struggling with how to make our shows profitable.” 

Peninsula Lively Arts never fleshed out a philanthropic arm of its business to solicit donations, which is a feature that many nonprofit arts organizations rely on to survive, Chinn said. The revenue from show ticket sales and class fees alone was simply not enough to keep the organization afloat. 

The company informed its dancers, families and renters of the news before it went public, she said, and the reactions have been understandably distraught. 

“Most have been sad, resigned — [it’s] understandable,” Chinn said. “We’ve seen a lot of arts organizations start to fold. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how big of an organization you are, the economy and reduction in funding for the arts is an increasingly terrible perfect storm.” 

Many people are going through a grieving process for the loss of a space that has fostered community and belonging, seen its students grow up and created professional dancers. Now, Chinn said, she’s turning to honoring the legacy of Peninsula Lively Arts. 

“We celebrate dance in all kinds of ways,” she said. “We’re very proud we’ve been a welcoming cultural center for groups that express themselves through music, dance and community.”