Nov 29 ReUrbanism meeting features Live Work Create Toledo initiative

• What: ReUrbanism Meeting

• Date: Thu, Nov 29, 2007

• Time: 5:30 p.m. to approx 7:00 p.m.

• Location: Downtown Latte coffee shop in the Warehouse District

• Guest speaker: Kelly McGilvery, the new coordinator for Live Work Create Toledo. She has worked with the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo for several years, helping to develop the creatives' Meet & Greet series and Artomatic 419. She is co-founder of Kickstart Toledo.

From an e-mail :

Live Work Create Toledo

From my notes taken at the February 2007 ReUrbanism meeting :

• A project by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo (ACGT)
• More about the Live Work Create Toledo program from Joel Washing of TwoToledos.com :
  • Economic incentive for artists to relocate to certain neighborhoods.
  • Modeled after program used in Paducah, KY.
    • PaducahArts.com - Paducah Artist Relocation Program
  • Toledo's program is working with local banks to get them to offer attractive loan rates to the artists.
  • Possibly will create a health care collective for the artists.
  • The Live Work Create Toledo program is still in the incubation stage.
    • Need to do a feasibility study
    • What buildings are appropriate for creating an artists' colony?
      • Possibly buildings on Huron Street could be acquired for artists' studios and residences.
  • Live Work Create Toledo would encourage artists to move into "decaying" areas of the city.
  • Initial target areas to get artists to reside in would be:
    • Uptown area
    • Old West End
  • Program extended to local artists too.
  • Goal is to bring 30 artists per year into the target neighborhood(s).
  • Artists would be required to live in the neighborhood for a year.
  • Advantage of bringing in outside artists is if they decide to move to another part of the country after their residence in Toledo, hopefully, they spread the word about the positive aspects of Toledo.
  • In March, two arts orgs from out of town will be in Toledo to give advice.
    • March 8, 2007 Toledo Blade story titled City sees artists as economic force. The article discussed Live Work Create Toledo. The article said Artspace Projects from Minneapolis and ArtistLink from Boston would be visiting Toledo on March 8.
• About Live Work Create Toledo from the ACGT Web site:
  • The program will facilitate the development of incentives to leverage the creative talent of individual artists and our cultural assets to spur economic growth, build community prosperity, and transform our central city neighborhoods.
  • Working with real estate agents, businesses, artists, arts organizations, and homeowners in communities, the City seeks to attract artists and concentrate our existing artist population to become permanent residents and business owners in our central city.
  • The Arts Commission of Greater Toledo is working with the City to develop a package of tax credits, professional development opportunities, and grants and with banks to establish favorable lending terms for artists.
• Seyfang mentioned a new building will be built, not rehabbed but built from the ground up, in the Uptown area on 22nd street.
  • New building will be an artist's studio and residence.
• Seyfang said not all development has to be rehab of old buildings.
• Seyfang said more new building construction is needed.
• The Uptown area has a lot of vacant space for new building construction.
  • Utilities, of course, are already available, and the Uptown area has good traffic patterns, according to Seyfang.
• The Warehouse District is mainly rehab of old buildings.
• Seyfang would like to see some of the vacant parking lots in the Warehouse District be turned over to residential development.