The Community Redevelopment Agency has been working with The Arts Council of Martin County for designation of the Downtown Arts & Entertainment District within the City limits. The Arts & Entertainment District is an extension of the existing Downtown Historic District and will cover approximately 208 parcels within the CRA. Attached for review, is a map delineating the proposed Downtown Arts & Entertainment District.
The purpose of the Arts & Entertainment District is to facilitate creation of an arts destination, sustain established arts and cultural uses and promote new arts and cultural uses in the neighborhood. The Arts & Entertainment District is conceived as the location of art galleries and art studios forming the core of an arts and entertainment district. A complementary mix of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues will support these uses. These elements are expected to generate interest in downtown Stuart and attract arts and cultural events.
The 2002 CRA Plan which was formed from the “2001 CRA Planning Charette” indicated community's desire to create an Arts District in this geographic area because of the proximity to the downtown area, and many small art studios in this area suggested that this area might be a natural focus for this type of activity but the designation was never formalized (see attached excerpts from the 2002 CRA Master Plan).
Over the last two years, a group of entrepreneurs at 901 Hub on Johnson Ave., in conjunctions with the Arts Council of Martin county, have expanded efforts to create an official Arts & Entertainment District for the City of Stuart, call “The Creek.” At ArtsFest 2019 (Feb 2019), information was shared and the public was encouraged to attend a series of workshops to generate ideas for the district, including a name. These workshops, hosted by 901 Hub, were well attended by community residents, attracting over 100 people at meetings, and 130 via an online survey about the name. The audience at the naming workshop meeting was very diverse in age, gender affiliation, political viewpoints, and backgrounds. Businesses in the district as well as representatives from the Economic Council of Martin County, the Arts Council of Martin County, and the Martin County Tourist Development Council have met under a variety of circumstances to dialogue about the next steps. As an example, an Arts Council invited task force who that gave direction to priorities for designating the geographic boundaries while another group which include experts from the Tourism Office met to finalize the name. The business coalition is moving forward to organize and guide future decisions affecting the district and have distributed information to the businesses in the district.
Last fall the Soul Arts Society planned and executed a art work event, artFind, which was successful (attendance about 100) and they are planning to host their second event on December 6, 2019. This indicates that the area, which already has about a dozen arts-and entertainment-related businesses including Terra Fermata, Note Music and Wine Bar, Stuart Art Supply, the Kling Gallery and The Gilt Complex, to name a few, is poised to take the next step as a formally designated and recognized arts and entertainment district. A Facebook page has been created and the first in a series of promotions, “Creek Walk” will begin on November 1st tying into the City’s Parking Day event at 555 Colorado.
The Arts Council is requesting to include the entire Arts & Entertainment District on the Mural Project Area Boundary Map for businesses to be eligible for the Mural Matching Grant Program. Currently, only a portion of the Arts & Entertainment District is included on the map. The program was limited to parcels (non-residential and mixed-use buildings or structures) within the Urban Code District and East Stuart Code District. It did not include parcels within the 2015 Expansion Area of the CRA. Staff will need to amend the map to include the entire Arts and Entertainment District to qualify for the program.
A notice was sent to all the property and business owners within the proposed Arts & Entertainment District informing of the public hearing to consider the designation of the district.