Colorado’s plan to embed arts space into historic districts may be slow to take shape. But towns are fine with that.

Posted by The Colorado Sun article on October 8, 2019. Read full article here: www.coloradosun.com

by Sue McMillin @suemcmillin

TRINIDAD — When Colorado launched its ambitious Space to Create program, it wanted to have nine live-work projects flourishing within eight years.

Four years in, just one is under construction and it will be next summer before anyone moves in.Yet those involved couldn’t be more excited about the prospects for the four rural communities selected so far and those to come in future years.

“It slowed because of the capacity of the state to manage all those projects,” said Margaret Hunt, director of Colorado Creative Industries. “It was more complicated than we anticipated.”

That said, she added: “We’re very pleased with the process. It’s been a learning curve for all of us who’ve never been involved in workforce housing before.”

These are not just housing projects. While providing affordable live-work spaces for “creatives,” they also are intended to revitalize downtowns, preserve historic and cultural amenities, encourage collaboration and give the communities an economic boost. The partners include state and local governments, nonprofits and grant-making foundations, and each project is molded to the community it will serve.

Suddenly, three to five years to develop each project doesn’t seem so long. It took just as much time to get the concept launched.

Space to Create was born out of discussions initiated by the Boettcher Foundation after the city of Loveland asked for its support for an Artspace project. Boettcher staff was skeptical. Affordable housing isn’t part of its mission, and an art enclave brought to mind the stereotypical “starving-artist” colony, said Julie Lerudis, director of finance and operations for the Denver-based foundation.

But the Loveland project was about saving the landmark Feed & Grain building, enhancing arts in the community and revitalizing downtown. It is managed by Artspace, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit with similar projects across the country. Boettcher awarded a $50,000 grant to support the renovation of the historic granary to provide community arts space.

The foundation’s involvement with Loveland also planted a seed. What if, Lerudis thought, we could develop a similar concept for rural communities?

“We were looking for rural Colorado projects,” she said. The foundation knew there was a common theme in small, rural towns: “deteriorating main streets, a need for economic development — something that would make their children want to come back to the community — and a need for affordable housing.”

Boettcher leaders brought together a team to consider the idea. It included Colorado Creative Industries (part of the state Office of Economic Development and International Trade), the governor’s office, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, History Colorado, the Gates Family Foundation and Artspace. In July 2015, then-Gov. John Hickenlooper announced the Space to Create program, with Trinidad as the demonstration site.

A little (art) history

There’s an abundance of initiatives on the arts – make that “creative industries” – in Colorado for good reason. It’s big business. In 2016, it contributed about $14.5 billion to the state’s economy (more than mining or transportation), employing more than 100,000 people, according to the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, developed through a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

“It’s a part of who we are in our state,” Hunt said. “So, I’m not surprised these projects have been so well embraced.”

The “creative economy” has six subgroups: design; film and media; literary and publishing; performing arts; visual arts and crafts, and heritage. When you include things such as software publishers, advertising agencies, architectural services and internet publishing, the figures make sense. And Colorado Creative Industries adds a seventh category: culinary arts (including the cottage craft market).

Colorado Creative Industries works to channel that creative spirit into economic development.  

Since 2012, the state has certified 23 creative districts, which must include a contiguous area with a concentration of art and cultural organizations and enterprises, be walkable, have complementary businesses such as restaurants, lodging and retail and promote arts and cultural activities.

Having a Certified Creative District provides a solid base for the small communities vying for entry into the Space to Create program because it shows community organization and backing, Hunt said. Space to Create programs are for communities distant from urban centers and with fewer than 50,000 residents.

A vital component that Space to Create adds is affordable housing, because if those pursuing creative enterprises – whether full time, part time or in their limited spare time – can’t afford to live in a community, they move. Or perhaps are unable to devote time to their craft or innovation and it never takes flight.

That’s what Artspace realized more than 30 years ago as it shifted its role from advocating for space for artists in communities to developing that space.

Getting the housing balance right

In Trinidad, population about 8,200, those working on the Space to Create project initially thought they’d need eight to 10 affordable housing units, said Marilyn Leuszler, Executive Director of Corazon de Trinidad Creative District. They’re building 41.

Ridgway, population about 1,000, plans to build 26 apartments. Paonia, population about 1,400, is considering a slightly more modest 17 living units. Grand Lake, with about 500 residents, is awaiting recommendations from its just-completed market survey.

The number of housing units recommended by the market surveys, conducted by Artspace, is a fraction of the interest indicated by respondents. Artspace bases its recommendations on its 30 years of experience developing and managing live-work space. Its projects all run in the black without ongoing philanthropic support, and it has no trouble keeping apartments filled, Lerudis said.

About a year before Space to Create was announced, Trinidad talked to Artspace about a project, but the small town did not meet the nonprofit’s criteria. Most Artspace programs, such as the one in Loveland, are contracted directly with the community. Space to Create is one of four special programs the nonprofit is involved with, and the only one that is state-driven.

Artspace also is consulting directly with other Colorado cities, including Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Telluride, Carbondale and Fort Collins, on the potential for projects. Andrew Michaelson, director of property management for Artspace, said he’s pleased with the progress in Trinidad, and expects to begin taking housing applications in the spring. “This has been a really fun project to be involved with – watching the revitalization of the community,” he said. “It hits a lot of the touch points for us, it’s part of the Space to Create project and we see the next steps they’re taking.”

The $18 million Trinidad project involves renovation of three vacant buildings on Main Street, one donated by a bank and two purchased by the city. It will house 13 apartments on the upper floor and 20,000 square feet of community space on the main level that will be managed by the city. While details of the community space still are being hammered out, Leuszler said it will likely include retail, gallery and flexible space for meetings, events and performances. People are not required to live in the residential units to have access to the community space. A separate, new building a few blocks away will have 28 apartments. Leuszler said it is much cheaper to construct new residential units than it is to renovate old buildings for housing and the new building helps offset the overall cost.

“This is the biggest thing that’s taken place in Trinidad for decades,” she said. As Space to Create progressed, shopkeepers began sprucing up their buildings and other development projects were initiated, including a planned $8 million renovation of the now city-owned Fox West Theatre in collaboration with preservationist Dana Crawford, chairwoman of Urban Neighborhoods Inc.    

“It’s literally a change that is palpable now,” Leuszler said.

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