Several months ago on Fresh Patina, I asked the question, “Who’s job is it to lead?” It’s an important question because developing downtown Loveland is going to take vision, optimism, perseverance…in other words, leadership. The answer is, we all have a stake in our community, and so we all have a responsibility to lead in our own way. City council and government, the business community, non-profit organizations, and ordinary citizens all have a role to play in moving Loveland forward.
I was reminded of this at a recent City Council meeting, where members of the Council debated the ArtSpace project, ArtSpace is a non-profit real estate developer that is coming to Loveland because of the hard work of the people at NOVO Restoration, who formed partnerships with the Erion Foundation, Community Foundation, Mueller and Associates and the City of Loveland. ArtSpace will create affordable space for artists to live, work, and show their art in Loveland. It will both benefit local artists and attract others to our community. The project has been in the works for some time, and they have gotten to the point where they are close to signing a predevelopment contract with the city. In fact it the final vote is expected to be Oct. 4th.
The project will bring people, culture, and the potential of 55 new businesses that are interested in locating in the ArtSpace project, making it a win-win-win for Loveland. I think this is one of important projects the City Council is working on right now.
Now, I know that not everyone agrees with me, and I’m always interested in hearing other ideas and proposals. And like anything we invest local tax dollars in, it’s important to have an honest and thorough discussion about the pros and cons of ArtSpace. But what struck me during the recent Council meeting was some of the questions council posed for the project.
The one councilmember who voted against the project said, “the timing isn’t right.” I don’t know when the timing could be better to bring people and economic opportunities to Loveland.
The reality is that if we don’t invest in things like ArtSpace, other communities will. And they will be the ones to benefit from the cultural, economic, and quality-of-life advances that come with it.
I know that City Council can’t do everything on its own. Businesses, non-profit organizations, and private citizens have done much of the legwork on ArtSpace and many other projects. But just as City Council can’t carry the ball on every play, its members can’t sit on the sidelines the whole time either.
Some have argued that all government investment or incentives to bring new development to Loveland is wrong because doing so creates “winners and losers.” Not every project can qualify for an incentive or is worthy of investment, and that’s not fair, they argue. Well, welcome to the real world. Some projects are going to make more sense for the community than other projects, and sometimes leaders have to make difficult decisions. But that’s not a reason to do nothing. The only loser then would be Loveland.
So I urge the leaders in our community, elected or otherwise, to work towards something. Let’s come together in the coming weeks to support projects like ArtSpace and the Rialto Bridge that will bring economic and cultural benefits to our community. Let’s find a way to build on what we’ve already got downtown, and make it even better. Let’s move forward when we agree, and find common ground when we disagree so we can move forward again. Let’s all step and up and lead in developing downtown. If we do, Loveland will be the real winner in the end.
You make a good point – the responsibility to lead lies within each of us in our community, whether we are elected leaders or not.