Seniors artists quarters could help spur downtown development
EDMONTON: Seniors artists quarters are helping revitalise the core in a number of older cities.
A proposed project combining workspace and affordable housing for artists could accelerate construction in The Quarters and revitalize a long-overlooked part of downtown — but only if other levels of government cough up some cash.
The Artists Quarters is a proposed 16-storey community arts hub that would provide live/work units and studio space for low-income artists. If approved, it would be built on the Koermann Block, the site of the 105-year-old Ukrainian bookstore building at the intersection of 96 St. and 102A Ave.
The project is spearheaded by partners Artists Urban Village, the Edmonton chapter of the Performing Arts Lodges of Canada, and Arts Habitat Edmonton. The city has committed a total of $8.3 million toward the project’s estimated cost of $49 million. The city’s money includes a grant for the city-owned land the Koermann Block building sits on, affordable housing units, and a portion of the structure’s base.
The project is being proposed as not just a way to support the arts and construct more affordable housing, but also as a means of spurring further development in The Quarters (an up-and-coming neighbourhood in the city’s core), revitalizing the Boyle Street area, and diversifying downtown.
“By putting artists in there and making it possible for them to have space, you can diversify the population … You can offer more to the larger community,” said Alice Major, a member of Arts Habitat who is also a prominent poet and founder of the Edmonton Poetry Festival.
But there are still several financial hoops to jump through. The partners are depending on $13.6 million from the provincial and federal governments ($6.8 million each) as well as a grant from the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund to make the project financially feasible.
They’re also relying on a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation program to finance the building’s mortgage. An Artists Co-op Society would be created, which would facilitate residents covering the cost of the building over time, with artists paying a monthly fee toward maintenance and the mortgage.
Without those partners on board, Arts Habitat would have to approach private developers to finance the project, which could result in the city pulling back and a “complete retooling of the project,” according to city administration at an executive committee meeting on Tuesday.
At the meeting, Ward 4 Councillor Aaron Paquette, an artist himself, said he supported both the cultural and economic benefits of the proposed project.
“To get something like that in The Quarters … could actually create a little bit of a renaissance in the building. Because everyone wants to be where artists are. That’s why they get priced out of everywhere they live,” he said.
“To have a place where people can practise their craft, bringing the kind of people who want to live downtown … and yet they won’t get gentrified out, is actually pretty powerful. That could actually add to a lot of economic activity in the area,” Paquette said.
But the city’s $8.3-million contribution is contingent on the building’s residential units being classified as affordable housing. If the private sector was to get involved, it’s unclear how the project could be converted into a for-profit project while retaining the planned number of affordable housing units, which is currently 65.
According to city administration, private developers haven’t expressed strong interest in the project because there’s no return on investment.
Ward 11 Councillor Mike Nickel stressed that “social return on investment” is just as valuable, while Ward 8 Councillor Ben Henderson expressed frustration with higher levels of government for always expecting the city to lead the way when it come to financing such projects.
“If they’re going to insist on us coming in first like this, they need to have a system to be able to respond much faster,” Henderson said.
The project would be the first of its kind in Edmonton and would also play a part in preserving heritage, although in a limited way. The façade and side of the Koermann Block building, dating back to 1913, would be incorporated in the new tower.
Heritage advocates such as Dan Rose, co-founder of the Edmonton Heritage Council, said while he supports the project overall, it’s not an appropriate form of historic preservation.
“From one dimension, I’m happy to see a project like this go forward. It’s certainly a part of town that could benefit from some positive attention,” he said.
But Rose said he’s also sad to see that in the project’s final design, the actual Koermann Building would be demolished, with certain heritage aspects, such as the fading ghost sign, merged into the new building.
“It’s a bit disappointing to see how little consideration there was in actually incorporating the whole structure into the overall design of the building as opposed to just slapping the façade on a new building,” Rose said.
Major said the project is not so much about preserving the past as it is about building a sustainable future for local artists, while giving a nod to Edmonton’s history and creating vibrancy in The Quarters.
“This is a project that you need to look at over 50, 100 years, as being a benefit to the arts community and also to the downtown community as well,” she said.
The city’s executive committee accepted the report on the project from administration. Depending on how financing for the Artists Quarters pans out, Arts Habitat will either be able to proceed with the project or will have to reimagine the funding model and design.
