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The Midland Metropolis Council favorably mentioned designating areas of downtown Midland as cultural or leisure districts throughout a gathering final week.
Establishing these districts would help town in revitalizing components of downtown, stimulating financial growth and attracting vacationers, Improvement Providers Director Chuck Harrington mentioned final Tuesday. Cultural districts are areas with a excessive variety of cultural or arts services, whereas leisure districts are areas the place leisure venues function the primary attraction.
A cultural district could be harder to create as a result of an utility would must be submitted to and permitted by the state, Harrington mentioned. Nonetheless, an leisure district would solely want a zone ordinance change from the council, he mentioned.
Some advantages of getting an leisure district embrace higher signage for venues like neon indicators, the flexibility for bars and different venues to play music louder than they’d exterior the district and patrons having the ability to carry alcoholic drinks on the road as they stroll from one venue to the following, council members mentioned.
The town would even have the choice to create a public enchancment district throughout the leisure district to fund revitalization and different tasks like bettering alleyways, Harrington mentioned. A public enchancment district would set up a tax on property homeowners throughout the space for enhancements and upkeep.
A public enchancment district would require approval from 50 p.c of property homeowners, in line with Harrington. An leisure district may very well be created with out establishing the general public enchancment district and property tax.
Harrington mentioned metropolis workers thought-about that the boundaries set for the Downtown Midland Administration District, which stretches from Entrance Avenue to Kansas Avenue, may very well be utilized to an leisure district, although the realm could be too massive. Workers additionally recommended a district may very well be created round Centennial Park, with boundaries set two or three blocks from the park in every course.
If both district is created, town would additionally set up separate companies to supervise every district. Any teams wanting to carry occasions or festivals within the space would then undergo the corresponding company moderately than search approval from town council, Harrington mentioned.
Mayor Patrick Payton and Council member Lori Blong mentioned they’d like to maneuver ahead with establishing an leisure district quickly, then presumably apply for the cultural district designation later. Council member John Norman mentioned a cultural district may be a possibility to focus on the Hispanic communities inside Midland.
“The town now could be nearly 60 p.c Hispanic,” he mentioned. “I really feel like that must be extra of an enormous factor … bringing in that tradition.”
Plans to determine an leisure district have been initially thought-about a long time in the past however have been delayed till a downtown park and conference middle have been completed, council members mentioned.
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