The future of Railroad Square deserves solution-driven discussions

The arts take many forms – from distinguished museums and art galleries to street art, to artists starting out and needing affordable studio space, to local theater and cinema. When grouped together geographically, these provide for a variety of artistic tastes and create placemaking destinations - supporting tourists, hotels, restaurants, breweries, coffee shops, entertainment, and retail.

In our discussions for how to resolve the Railroad Square Arts district issue let’s look at how other cities have approached similar challenges and opportunities.

The City of Alexandria, Virginia, bought an old torpedo factory building in 1969 and repurposed it as an early example of creative placemaking. Today the Torpedo Factory is the nation's longest continually operating public art center in a converted industrial space and home to the largest number of publicly accessible working artist studios in the U.S. It houses more than 165 visual artists who produce artwork in a wide variety of media including painting, ceramics, photography, jewelry, stained glass, fiber, printmaking, and sculpture.

Clearly, as limited in studio space as Torpedo Factory is for Alexandria’s huge metro area, competition and exclusiveness are factors that would not be issues for Tallahassee. The Torpedo Factory is a significant tourist attraction for the city of Alexandria, supporting restaurants and hotels in the area. The city’s ownership of the Torpedo Factory assures its continued artistic appeal and success.

Asheville, North Carolina, has a River Arts District, a funky vibe with over 300 artists working and exhibiting in their studios in old factory and riverfront buildings. While the buildings are landlord-owned, the River Arts District Artists (RADA) foundation, formed in 1985, is a 501c(3) non-profit that raises tax deductible funds through individual and corporate sponsorships for supporting scholarships for artists, promoting space for creative endeavors in the district, and assisting the artist members of RADA. The city actively promotes the River Arts District as a tourist and local attraction with artists at work in their studios.

The River Arts District is a true treasure for the city of Asheville. However, Asheville is today faced with rising real estate costs, building owners aging and considering selling, and corporations eager to buy and change the face of development – there are now hard discussions in Asheville for how to preserve the arts and historical focus of this neighborhood. The private ownership in the River Arts District creates uncertainty for its continued artistic appeal and success.

The reality is that Railroad Square will likely not survive with continued private ownership, and its prime location will give over to more corporate development. Already, the character of the All Saints and Railroad Avenue area is shrinking.

Consider that public ownership of the Railroad Square Arts Park by the city, along with public, private, and non-profit support from COCA, Blueprint, and others, can preserve this historical and funky district of our city that is placemaking for the working arts and an entertainment draw for residents and tourists.

Already, the city has supported this notion – it provided space for All Saints Cinema, it created Domi Station’s business incubator, and it created Art Alley and the public activity spaces along FAMU Way, as well as Cascades Park, a short bike ride away. All of these contribute to the character that envelopes Railroad Square Arts Park. There are already the infrastructure, housing, and hotels in place for this to be a significant destination and attraction.

Let’s have meaningful solution-driven discussions and let’s preserve this important piece of our city.

Becky Parsons has lived in Tallahassee for more than 50 years and is a former board member of Sustainable Tallahassee.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: The future of RRSQ deserves solution-driven discussions