Like an artist turning a creative vision into something to be shared and appreciated, a determined community is realizing a dream in downtown Everett.
Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Artspace Everett Lofts, just north of the restored Monte Cristo Hotel on Hoyt Avenue, was a well-deserved celebration of the success achieved by groups and individuals working toward a remarkable goal: an affordable housing project that will inject new vitality into the downtown neighborhood, and serve as a new focal point for Snohomish County’s vibrant and growing arts scene.
By April of next year, artists will start moving into 40 units on the top three floors of the new four-story building. They’ll have space to live and work, and to share their creative talents in exhibits, classes and workshops that will be housed on the street level — space owned and operated by the Arts Council of Snohomish County.
This project will not only bring new exposure to the county’s distinguished arts community, it will draw even more artists and patrons to the area. It will quickly become a key part of the vitality that’s defining downtown Everett.
Even in harder times than anyone could have imagined just a year ago, a remarkable foundation is being laid for a prosperous future downtown. Major residential projects are also going up near the Everett Public Library and at the corner of Rucker and Pacific avenues. By next year they’ll be welcoming new residents into downtown, people who will shop and buy meals there, attend plays, concerts, art exhibits and sports events, and who will provide a catalyst for even more commercial and leisure opportunities.
Artspace, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit developer, wouldn’t have chosen Everett for this project without the early commitment and determination of city officials and the arts community. Support from the county, state and area foundations was also crucial, as was the city’s sale — essentially a donation — of land that housed an aging city parking structure.
As the economy and credit markets began to freeze up last year, the project’s lenders maintained their commitment to the project. The complicated nature of the deal required flexibility and resolve — something all involved had in abundance. And clearly, a project whose construction will employ about 100 workers couldn’t come at a better time.
The result is a remarkable community asset that will inspire creativity for generations to come, and reflect this community’s commitment to the arts, affordable housing and a vibrant downtown.
Truly a work to appreciate.
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