The full story
The city’s Type B Board purchased 2.66 acres of land—located at 201 Buttercup Creek Boulevard, adjacent to Bell District—with the goal to develop a community arts center or an art park at the site.
The feasibility study will explore the concept of a gathering space for the community to view and experience the arts and also be a part of making the arts.
While it’s all preliminary, staff is looking to put a 25,000 square-foot center on the property that would be dedicated to a variety of arts, Deputy City Manager Katherine Woerner Caffrey said at the Oct. 12 meeting.
Caffrey said the facility would offer classrooms, a theater and a gallery that also functions as an event venue. Programming at the center would appeal to kids, adults and seniors.
The purpose of the study is to get smarter about the project and what would work or wouldn’t work for the space, she said.
What officials are saying
“It's so exciting, because it's not something that we have and it's filling so many gaps that I think we've all talked about,” Council Member Heather Jefts said at the meeting. ‘[It’s] just a way to bring so many different people in our community together in a public space. I think it's going to be great.”
“We're all really excited we're doing a feasibility study—we're making sure that we're doing our homework, building a foundation, and really thinking through how this pays for itself as much as possible in the long term,” Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin said. “While it's certainly exciting, it's also comforting to know that we're being very deliberate about it.”
Looking ahead
Costing $264,100, the feasibility study would take about six months to complete.
Caffrey said staff will provide an update on the study early 2024.
