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Main Street Academy Fall 2019 Session Overview 9.17.19

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Fall 2019 Main Street Academy Session 3 Wolfeboro Agenda 10.24.19

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Fall 2019 Main Street Academy Session 2 Rochester Agenda

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Fall 2019 Main Street Academy Agenda Session 1 South Berwick

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Grant and opportunity applications are adjudicated through a peer panel review process, based upon the concept of public input on the expenditure of public funds. Individuals with relevant art form and/or arts practice expertise are identified and asked to serve as panelists for each grant/opportunity category.

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Municipal Technical Assistance Grant Program

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Municipal Technical Assistance Grant Program

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Does your community need more choices in places to live - but zoning is preventing them? Perhaps you want a mixed -use downtown or neighborhood, or multi-family homes - but your current zoning prevents it. Or people may be looking for denser neighborhoods of smaller homes, but current zoning does not allow it

The MTAG Program may be assistance you need.

Funded by New Hampshire Housing and administered by Plan NH, the MTAG Program is for New Hampshire communities who want to expand options for places to live (eg, by location, and/or design and/or price-point) and need to change their zoning regulations in order to do so. Grants range from $5000 to $20,000. A 25% cash match is required.

Grant funds are for hiring consultants to review current regulations and re-writing what's there and/or creating new ones to address the wants and needs of the community's members regarding housing choices.

A key part of the program is community outreach and engagement in the process.
Go here for more info and application materials: Plan NH Municipal Technical Assistance Grant Program 2019 Please give us a call at 452-7526 if you'd like to find out more for your own community.
Communities for the 2018-19 round are Exeter, Claremont and Hopkinton.

All of the zoning changes that Jackson proposed passed Town Meeting in 2019.

Dover, Farmington, and Rochester are currently in progress/almost complete.

Candia was selected in 2017 and is complete.

In 2016, the towns of Boscawen, Franconia, Hinsdale, and Peterborough were selected to each receive a grant for technical assistance in reviewing, rewriting or creating new zoning regulations to increase options for places to live for households with changing and/or diverse needs and income levels.

In Boscawen, funds were used for technical assistance to combine several zoning districts into a single, multi-use (including places to live) zoning district in its major travel corridor.

In Franconia, funds were used for technical assistance to guide the process of developing consensus-based zoning amendments that support increased choices in places to live in and round the town's center - while addressing the physical and infrastructure challenges that are often barriers to providing more homes and businesses.

Hinsdale's grant funds were used to remove regulatory barriers to provide more options for its residents for places to live, employment opportunities and transportation choices. The Town voted for a tiny house ordinance.

Peterborough created regulations for a new village node, which includes workforce housing and other additional types of places to live.

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NH Municipal Technical Assistance Grant (MTAG) Program

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Does your community need more choices in places to live - but zoning is preventing them? Perhaps you want a mixed -use downtown or neighborhood, or multi-family homes - but your current zoning prevents it. Or people may be looking for denser neighborhoods of smaller homes, but current zoning does not allow it The MTAG Program may be assistance you need.

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New Hampshire Housing has a variety of grant and education opportunities for nonprofits and community leaders involved in housing.

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Community Outreach & Engagement Information Brief

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Community Outreach & Engagement Information Brief

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2018 Community Engagement Information Brief 11x17

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Downtown Characteristics Info Brief Final 4.26.19

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Balancing Preservation & Progress through Permaculture

A wide reaching project with benefits for all facets of the Franklin community

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Economy

A prosperous downtown with thriving retail, community venture, residential, and mixed use development

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Environment

A sustainable, comfortable, and enjoyable place where people want to be

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Experience

Unique places, events, arts and culture

We hope to pioneer a new approach to building a collaborative and resilient downtown using the principles of permaculture to differentiate how we derive our livelihood, food supply, transportation, energy, shelter, culture and sense of community

Executive Director, PermaCityLife

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A wide reaching project with benefits for all facets of the Franklin community attach_money Economy A prosperous downtown with thriving retail, community venture, residential, and mixed use development nature_people Environment A sustainable, comfortable, and enjoyable place where people want to be business_center Experience Unique places, events, arts and culture We hope to pioneer a new approach to building a collaborative and resilient downtown using the principles of permaculture to differentiate how we derive our livelihood, food supply, transportation, energy, shelter, culture and sense of community Executive Director, PermaCityLife

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https://www.mainstreet.org/mainstreetamerica/successstories

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Sample Board of Directors Job Description 

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Sample Board of Directors Job Description 

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Rochester Historic District Commission Presentation 

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Rochester Historic District Commission Presentation 

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sWouldn't you like your community to be a place where people choose to be? No matter the size, most people want to be in towns or neighborhoods that are vibrant and delightful.

There are many ways to plan and design such places. We know that for most, walkability (and bike-ability) is key. Choices in where to live, in how to get about. Basic amenities (eg schools, library, Post Office, drug store and grocery). Green parks, trails and water. Places to gather, as well as cultural and historic resources. These contribute to the social well-being of a community, and are the foundations of economic health.

The strongest communities, we are all learning, are those in which residents and business owners have a say in changes and in the future. Whether an overall master plan or an empty lot or neglected building, having people who are there taking part in determining what happens is key.

In placemaking, community members envision how they would like to shape a space for themselves, recognizing not only its physical characteristics, but also the social and cultural (and sometimes historical) values that make it their own. These are spaces for people first, often becoming the heart of a community.

They are the places that give a community it's unique "sense of place."

In this day and a half conference, we will learn about placemaking and its emerging role in community planning (including transportation planning!) and design. In addition, we will learn about creative placemaking - how the arts can play a significant part in enhancing public spaces of all sizes.

2.5 AIA and AICP credits approved for Thursday, 4.25 for Friday .
Thursday October 17 12:30 OPTIONAL tour of The Hotel Concord and the new HRKNSS Co-work space. Preregistration requested for headcount.
1:15 Doors open

2:00 Welcome

2:15 Planning and the Arts - how the arts can make planning more effective. Leonardo Vazquez, Executive Director, The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking

3:30 Break

3:45 Arts and Space - How and Why the Arts Have a Unique Role in Supporting Communities and Projects Alexander Golob, President and Lead Artist, Golob Art LLC.

5:00 Reception (appetizers and cash bar) - no additional cost to attend but pre-registration requested for planning purposes.

6:15 Dinner on our own - but we can all be together at a location yet tbd. If you wish to be part of this group, please do pre-register for headcount.

8:45 Placemaking in transportation planning. Ben Stone, Director of Arts & Culture, Smart Growth America

10:00 BREAK

10:15 Hawk Talks - three quick presentations about Placemaking and Creative Placemaking

-Placemaking in Manchester. Jodie Nazaka, Manchester Planning Department

- Rural Placemaking. Amanda Whitworth

- Project for Public Spaces' Eleven Priciples for Great Community Spaces. Robin LeBlanc, Plan NH.

12:00 LUNCH

1:00 Working with different personalities and other challenges in local creative placemaking projects Jessica Gelter, Arts Alive!

2:30 Wrap-up
3:00 OPTIONAL tour of The Hotel Concord and the new HRKNSS Co-work space. Pre-registration requested for headcount. CLICK HERE FOR MORE AGENDA INFO
3:00 Depart

NOTE: On Thursday, there is an optional reception and then a chance to go out for supper as a group. Please do register for these (see registration form) so that we can plan accordingly.

And to

for their support of this conference

for their great partnership.

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Placemaking - Combining planning (even transportation planning!), community and

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What is the difference between traditional development and placemaking? How can planning (and yes, even transportation planning!) go beyond the usual to create unique places that celebrate the 'sense of place' of a community? What roles do community members and the arts have when designing these special corners of our towns and neighborhoods?

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Main Street Academy Speakers Session 1 Fall 2019

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Main Street Academy Speakers Session 2 Fall 2019

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A state agency enhancing the quality of life in New Hampshire by stimulating economic growth through the arts, investing in the creativity of students, making the arts accessible to underserved populations, and preserving heritage arts.

What's New?

Registration is now open for the 2019 Arts Education Conference- Culturally Responsive Leadership; Race and Equity in Education and Community
November 14 & 15, Dover, NH

2019 Governor's Arts Awards
Winners announced! Tickets on sale now for the award event - Monday, October 21, at the new Bank of NH Stage, Concord

New England Foundation for the Arts:
Idea Swap - Worcester, MA,October 30, 2019 - Submit a Project Idea by October 9; Register by October 9 for early bird discount

New Grant Opportunity! Public Art Learning Fund - November 12, 2019 Deadline

NEST (New England States Touring) Grant - December 2, 2019 Deadline

Click large picture to learn more

About Us
The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts is a Division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Our enabling legislation charges us to ensure that the arts play a significant role in the welfare of people in the Granite State. Our mission is to promote the arts to protect and enrich New Hampshire's unique quality of life.

The State Arts Council provides a wide variety of services, competitive grants, and technical assistance to non-profit organizations, schools, health care facilities and to individual artists, helping to ensure that the arts thrive in New Hampshire and are accessible to all. Funding for our grants and services is provided by the New Hampshire Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The State Arts Council is part of a network of 50 state arts agencies and 6 arts agencies seated in US jurisdictions. All state arts agencies share similar goals that support increasing public access to the arts and ensuring that every community in America enjoys the cultural, civic, economic and educational benefits of a thriving arts sector. The National Endowment for the Arts provides leadership and support for the work of state arts agencies through its State Partnership Grant Program. Important research and advocacy for the work of state arts agencies is carried out by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, a non-profit membership organization based in Washington D.C. Our Partners
New Hampshire State Council on the Arts
Van McLeod Building - 19 Pillsbury Street, 1st Floor, Concord, NH 03301
TTY/TDD 800.735.2964 :: Tel 603.271.2789 :: Fax 603.271.3584

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A state agency enhancing the quality of life in New Hampshire by stimulating economic growth through the arts, investing in the creativity of students, making the arts accessible to underserved populations, and preserving heritage arts. What's New?

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Cultural organizations generate 3,851 full-time jobs in Rochester, Portsmouth, Concord and Monadnock regions

A newly released study puts the economic impact of the arts and culture industry on four New Hampshire regions at $120 million.

The impact translates into more than 3,851 full-time equivalent jobs, $81,650,000 in household income and $12,474,000 million in local and state government revenues in the greater Rochester, greater Concord, greater Portsmouth and Monadnock regions, according to the Americans for the Arts' Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 national economic impact study.

The study is the most comprehensive look at the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted in the United States, according to Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, which compiled the information in partnership with organizations in 341 regions across the country.

The study found that, in the four regions, a total of some $120 million is spent annually by audiences attending an art or cultural event.

Drilling down, in the specific New Hampshire regions studied, the results are:

Greater Rochester - total economic impact: $12,256,157; FTEs: 405; household income: $8,080,000; state and local revenues: $1,048,00; spending by organizations: $4,353,943; spending by audiences: $7,902,214.

Greater Portsmouth - total economic impact: $58,041,659; FTEs: 1,825; household income: $38,408,000; state and local revenues: $6,768,000; spending by organizations: $21,456,627; spending by audiences: $36,585,032.

Greater Concord - total economic impact: $31,185,366; FTEs: 962; household income: $22,438,000; state and local revenues: $2,754,000; spending by organizations: $17,833,550; spending by audiences: $13,351,816.

Monadnock Region - total economic impact: $18,551,485; household income: $12,724,000; FTEs: 659; state and local revenues: 1,904,000; spending by organizations: $13,271,384; spending by audiences: $5,280,101.

The local organizations that participated in the study were Art-Speak (the city of Portsmouth's cultural commission), the Rochester Department of Economic Development, the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce and Arts Alive! Inc. of Keene.

Nationwide, the study found that the nonprofit arts industry produces $166.3 billion in economic activity every year, resulting in $27.5 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues. In addition, it supports 4.6 million full-time equivalent jobs and generates $96 billion in household income.

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New study puts arts' economic impact at $120 million in four NH communities - NH Business Review

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Cultural organizations generate 3,851 full-time jobs in Rochester, Portsmouth, Concord and Monadnock regions A newly released study puts the economic impact of the arts and culture industry on four New Hampshire regions at $120 million.

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Courtesy of the Katahdin Gear Library

Though he's worked in libraries for more than a decade, Millinocket Memorial Library director Matt DeLaney didn't get into the library game because he loves books. He chose to work in libraries because he loves people.

"Libraries are a public space where trust and relationships are built within a community," said DeLaney, 36, who moved to Millinocket two years ago from Syracuse, New York. "Libraries bring people together. And in this information age, where knowledge is everything, I think libraries are more relevant than ever. I know all of that sounds like buzzwords, but it's absolutely true."

Today, the mission of providing equal access to information goes far beyond a library's traditional role of being a repository of books, periodicals and public documents. Public libraries in towns large and small have expanded their scope to include an array of items available to patrons, both educational and recreational.
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In Millinocket, patrons can not only check out the latest Stephen King book - they can borrow one of the library's many mountain bikes, canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards or sets of cross-country skis and take them out for a spin in the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument or on the new Katahdin Area Trails. The equipment, which was donated to the library by the Outdoor Sport Institute, makes up the new Katahdin Gear Library, and is free and open to anyone.

"Libraries across the country are redefining what they are and how they can serve their communities," DeLaney said. "If ecotourism and the outdoors is what's going to save the Katahdin region, then that's what we need to offer to our patrons. We don't give them books about mountain biking. We put them on a mountain bike."

Gabor Degre | BDN

Aside from Millinocket, libraries such as the tiny Cherryfield Public Library in Washington County offers everything from tennis rackets to an American Girl doll for loan. At the Readfield Community Library in Kennebec County, patrons can borrow snow shovels, sleds and snowshoes during the winter. At the library in New Gloucester, just south of Auburn, staff have amassed a wide array of craft and art supplies for patron use.

Janet McKenney, director of library development for the Maine State Library in Augusta, said public libraries worldwide have in the past 15 or so years begun to shift their thinking away from just books and reading materials toward being a multi-use center for the exchange of information of all types.

"I think a lot of it started with the internet. At first, librarians were a little dubious about it, but as the internet became ubiquitous I think it really opened their eyes as to the possibilities," McKenney said. "I think we generally have a different idea about what our role is in the community now. I think now it's all about accessibility to all forms of information."

At larger, more urban public libraries, such as the Bangor Public Library, librarians don't just point people in the direction of the book they're looking for - they help people access social services and assist them with tasks such as filing their taxes online or renewing a passport or driver's license. The need for such help had become so high at the Portland Public Library that this year it hired its first full-time social worker.

Troy R. Bennett | BDN

"There are libraries that have special kitchen items, or gardening tools, if you want to try something but can't afford to buy a bunch of equipment you might only use once. There are libraries that have things like lead testing kits for water, or a meter to see how efficient your electrical use in your house is," McKenney said. "Why shouldn't a library help you with those sorts of things?"

In Millinocket, the Katahdin Gear Library has only been up and running for about a year, but has already seen an array of users from within the community and beyond use its extensive collection of gear. DeLaney also last year started a new project called the Katahdin Story Booth, which loans out "story kits" that contain microphones and audio recorders, with the idea that local young people will interview their parents, grandparents and other elders in the community.

"We've been through a lot, here in the Katahdin area. I think if we have those memories and those stories saved for posterity, it can help us retain our identity," he said. "It's just another way to solve a community problem."

| BDN

Despite efforts to modernize and broaden the scope of services, public libraries still face uncertain futures and funding crunches.

The Millinocket Public Library itself closed outright when the town voted to defund it in 2015. After a community outcry, the library reopened later in 2015, and hired DeLaney in 2016. The nonprofit that now operates it has since raised $1.24 million to fully renovate the building. DeLaney said the renovations should be complete in April; the library is in temporary housing until then.

"I think one of the reasons we've been able to come back stronger is that we're willing to take risks, and be nimble, and try new things," DeLaney said. "And when you start demonstrating that what you do is really valuable to the community, things start to turn around. The libraries that are doing well are thinking that way. They are more than just a warehouse for books."

Not that you can't still check out books in Millinocket, or at any of the state's more than 200 other public libraries.

"Books aren't going anywhere," McKenney said. "It's just going to be books, and more."

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You can borrow a canoe at this Maine library

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Though he's worked in libraries for more than a decade, Millinocket Memorial Library director Matt DeLaney didn't get into the library game because he loves books. He chose to work in libraries because he loves people. "Libraries are a public space where trust and relationships are built within a community," said DeLaney, 36, who moved to Millinocket two years ago from Syracuse, New York.

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In early 2019, the town of Cornelius, Oregon, celebrated the opening of a new mixed-use development called Cornelius Place. Situated on the town's main thoroughfare, the building features a 13,650-square-foot public library that replaces one at City Hall that was only one-quarter that size. It also includes a café, a courtyard that will host concerts and a farmers' market, and a 2,900-square-foot YMCA recreation and fitness center. "Our town didn't have a senior, youth, or community center, so our library is a lot more than a repository for books-it's a multi-purpose community space as well," says Library Director Karen Hill, who shepherded the project.

Cornelius Place offers something else for the community: above the library are 45 apartments intended to be affordable for seniors with household incomes of up to 60 percent of area median income (AMI). Eleven apartments are part of the Section 8 program, making them more deeply affordable by requiring households to pay no more than 30 percent of their income in rent.

Cornelius, a city of 12,400 in metro Portland, anticipates growing by more than one-third in the next five years. Cornelius Place is its first three-story building, first mixed-use building, and an anchor for a new walkable-downtown master plan, says Ryan Wells, community development director. Combining a new public library with affordable senior housing made both projects possible. "There is cost sharing to construction when you mix those uses," says Wells. "We could not have built the library on its own."

Despite predictions that they would die in the digital age, public libraries in many U.S. communities are in fact busier and more loved than ever. Increasingly viewed as community hubs, the nation's 16,568 public libraries are places where visitors peruse the stacks, focus on laptops, upgrade job skills, study English, try out "maker" equipment, connect with social workers on staff, and more. But many libraries are struggling to meet this demand with facilities that are small, outdated, and in need of repair-or in need of major upgrades to offer the collaborative areas, flexible workspaces, and cutting-edge technology that patrons increasingly expect.

As public libraries look to rebuild, however, they often face financial challenges. Land values and construction costs in many cities are on the rise, making such projects increasingly costly and frequently requiring special tax levies or capital campaigns. Meanwhile, cities seeking new solutions to the affordable housing crisis are eyeing some desirable real estate: the air space above those typically low-lying public libraries. Joining forces makes it possible to invest public dollars in-and leverage additional funds for-projects that serve the community in multiple ways.

"The evolution of public libraries in U.S. cities generally has followed the evolution of community needs, and in a growing number of cities, that now means combining new libraries with affordable housing," says Loida Garcia-Febo, a library consultant and 2018-2019 president of the American Library Association. "Most libraries see their value in how they integrate and respond to the community, and it's clear that in tight real estate markets, libraries can leverage their physical assets to increase the value they provide to the community."

Living at the Library

Combining libraries with apartments is "part of a trend away from single-use zoning and back to mixed uses," says Robin Hacke, executive director of the Center for Community Investment at the Lincoln Institute, which helps disadvantaged communities harness investment to achieve their economic, social, and environmental priorities. Hacke added that the trend also reflects a recognition of the importance of libraries as "third places for civic engagement and social cohesion."

One of the nation's first examples of a library and affordable housing sharing space took shape in San Francisco in 2006. As part of the 50-acre Mission Bay redevelopment, the city partnered with Catellus Development Corporation and Mercy Housing, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, to add a 7,500-square-foot branch library as a civic anchor. The building that houses the library includes a community meeting hall, an adult day health center, a coffee shop, and Mission Creek Senior Housing, with 140 apartments for low-income seniors.

Though it has been successful, this project so far has been a one-off for the city. At least one public official has asked the city's acting librarian to explore whether future library renovations might be combined with affordable housing. "We are in an affordability crisis and we need to maximize our existing public land for 100 percent affordable housing," wrote Sandra Lee Fewer, a member of the city's Board of Supervisors, in an email response to Next City (Brey 2018). "It would be a missed opportunity to not pursue adding affordable housing above newly renovated public resources like our libraries."

Although San Francisco has been slow to replicate the Mission Bay model, other cities have taken up the idea, including Chicago. Under Mayor Rahm Emanuel's leadership from 2011 to 2019, the city made more than $300 million in new investments to renovate or build 30 public libraries in the city's network of 80 libraries, which serves 10 million visitors annually. The "Branching Out: Building Libraries, Building Communities" initiative has focused on investing in libraries as community anchors with high-quality civic architecture and programming.

Since 2011, six new libraries have been built, and 14 branches have seen significant updates. By the end of 2019, construction of five additional libraries will be finished, with four existing libraries renovated.

Three of the new libraries are co-located with housing in world-class examples of modern architecture. In 2016, the city announced a partnership between the Chicago Public Library (CPL) and Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) that would cut costs, increase library patrons, and invest in attractive, sustainable buildings that provide the kinds of services the city needs. A city-run competition attracted submissions from 32 architecture firms, and three award-winning, Chicago-based firms were selected to design the projects:

The six-story, $33.4 million Independence Branch Library and Apartments in Irving Park on the Northwest Side, designed by John Ronan Architects and developed by Evergreen Real Estate Group, has a two-level library featuring a music studio and makers' workshop, topped by 44 subsidized apartments for seniors.

The $34 million Northtown Public Library and Affordable Apartments in West Ridge, a four-story, curvilinear structure designed by Perkins and Will, also was developed by Evergreen Real Estate Group. The bright, 16,000-square-foot library has a garden and a rooftop terrace shared with tenants. The upper floors include 44 apartments for seniors, with 30 CHA public housing and 14 affordable apartments.

The seven-story, $41 million Little Italy Branch Library and Taylor Street Apartments on the Near West Side, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and developed by Related Midwest, includes a single-level, open-floor-plan library and six floors with 73 apartments above, including 37 CHA public housing, 29 affordable, and seven market-rate apartments.

Besides traditional library programs, such as book clubs for seniors and intergenerational educational and cultural programming, each branch offers early-learning playspaces and facilities for teens to explore digital design, music, and recording technology with help from skilled mentors. They also provide high-tech programming such as 3D printing, virtual reality, and robotics, as well as dedicated workforce development support and technology tutors.

In West Ridge and Irving Park, "these projects enabled CHA to deliver new housing units and expand affordable housing opportunities in two communities where CHA had not previously had much of a presence," says Molly Sullivan, CHA senior director of communications. "This helped meet a demand for affordable senior housing in those communities." The library system also had been seeking ways to bring modern facilities and services to these communities, says Sullivan, so combining housing with libraries made sense.

"Co-locating libraries with affordable housing provides housing and learning centers where they are needed-and makes communities more resilient and sustainable," says Sullivan. "We know that housing is vital to our neighborhoods, but strong, healthy communities also require anchors that provide resources for lifelong learning."

Critiquing the three projects in The New York Times, architecture critic Michael Kimmelman characterized the libraries as "just plain good urban planning." He praised Emanuel for promoting the idea that "distinguished civic buildings in underserved neighborhoods constituted their own brand of equity" (Kimmelman 2019).

In June, Smart Growth America named the Taylor Street library its Project of the Year. "We knew when we embarked on this unique project and partnership that we were building more than a new building," said former Chicago Housing Authority CEO Eugene E. Jones, Jr., when the award was announced. "We were creating a community anchor and asset that will have a lasting impact on residents and this neighborhood" (CHA 2019).

A Branch Grows in Brooklyn

Brooklyn is also leveraging opportunities to improve library infrastructure with housing, using aging branches as sites for redevelopment projects that combine new libraries with affordable apartments, or, in one case, sleek new tower architecture with market-rate luxury condominiums.

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is an independent library system that serves the 2.5 million residents of the borough. BPL is the fifth-largest library system in the U.S., with 59 neighborhood libraries and 7.9 million annual visits. That might sound like a lot of capacity, but many of the system's buildings are crowded, worn, and inadequate for modern use. In total, New York City libraries have some $1.1 billion in unfunded capital needs, mostly repairs, with $271 million needed just in Brooklyn, according to a 2014 report by the Center for an Urban Future, an independent nonprofit research and policy organization (Giles 2014). The report recommends ways to bolster libraries as community centers, including incorporating affordable housing.

"We see libraries performing a much bigger role in New York," says Eli Dvorkin, editorial and policy director for the Center. "We have never relied on libraries as we do today." He says libraries "are the single resource of first resort for immigrants, teenagers, seniors. They are the 21st-century settlement house, building the social infrastructure of our cities, but we haven't invested in their infrastructure."

That is changing with projects like Brooklyn's Sunset Park Public Library redevelopment. Built in the 1970s, the popular Sunset Park branch was too small to meet the needs of a community whose population increased 34 percent between 1990 and 2014, double the citywide growth rate. During the same period, housing became more expensive, with median rents increasing 63 percent, far outpacing Brooklyn's median income growth of 25 percent. In 2017, the city issued a competitive RFP and selected the Fifth Avenue Committee (FAC), a Brooklyn-based nonprofit affordable housing developer and social justice organization, as a partner in revamping the library. FAC proposed a 21,000-square-foot library-double the original size-with 49 units of permanently affordable housing on top.

Located on the first two floors of the eight-story building, the library will be outfitted with collections, technology, and flexible space. Above that, the apartments are slated for low- and middle-income households ranging from formerly homeless residents with no income to those earning between 30 and 80 percent of AMI. Apartments in the building, which is expected to open in 2020, will rent for well below the current market rents in the neighborhood.

"The City of New York isn't creating more land, but our population is growing, and resources are in demand for both libraries and affordable housing," says Michelle de la Uz, executive director of FAC and a New York City planning commissioner. The city has a long history of combining civic uses with other development, she noted, but those projects haven't included 100 percent affordable housing. "We wanted to create the model so it can be replicated and we can have more of these win-win-win situations for libraries, for people who need affordable housing, and for taxpayers" to achieve the greatest benefit possible from public land.

The Sunset Park branch is one of several library-housing hybrids in New York. The three-story, 26,000-square-foot Inwood Public Library in Upper Manhattan, now under construction, anchors a 14-story mixed-use building called the Eliza, which has 175 deeply affordable apartments, universal pre-K classrooms, a social services delivery center, and amenities including a children's playroom, gym, and roof garden.

The Inwood site was rezoned to allow for a sizeable increase in height and density, notes de la Uz, while "at Sunset Park, we built as-of-right and didn't have to rezone-the height was allowed." She agrees with a recommendation from the Center for an Urban Future that rezoning, where appropriate, would make many more of these projects feasible (see sidebar page 31). "We've done many projects in partnership with government, and giving land at a reduced rate is how you make affordable housing happen," she says. "The project has to be a certain size" to support the cost of construction, she notes, and rezoning and revaluing the land on which libraries sit to allow for higher buildings and greater density "would allow for many more affordable units above libraries and greater public benefit to be realized."

Not Always Affordable

Not all of the city's library-housing projects offer affordable housing, and some have inspired controversy. The 28,000-square-foot 53rd Street Library across from the Museum of Modern Art in Midtown Manhattan, which opened in 2016, provides a three-story base for the 50-story luxury Bacarat hotel and apartment tower. And a rebuild of BPL's Brooklyn Heights branch saw the original 1962 building demolished and the site reenvisioned as One Clinton, a mixed-used, 38-story condominium tower with a new library, STEM learning center, and retail space at its base. Due to be completed in 2020, the tower's 133 market-rate condominiums are listed for between $1 million and $6.4 million.

The Brooklyn Heights branch would have required over $9 million for renovations and upgrades. Instead, Hudson Companies paid $52 million for the old branch library site. That money is providing funding for BPL's capital needs, including $12 million to fit out the new One Clinton library-and $10 million for the Sunset Park branch.

Critics of One Clinton have been outspoken about the dangers of "privatizing" public land and property, the plan to scrap the old library rather than renovating it, and the new project's lack of on-site affordable housing. As part of the deal, Hudson Companies is building 114 units of permanently affordable workforce apartments nearby, at no cost to the city. Off-site development of affordable housing within the same community district is allowed under the city's mandatory inclusionary housing program. The apartments are intended for households earning from 60 to 125 percent of AMI, with half reserved for local residents.

Milwaukee is also combining a mix of market-rate and affordable housing with libraries. Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) has partnered with developers to build four new mixed-use branches that cost the library system a total of $18 million. They include the Mitchell Street Branch Library and Alexander Lofts, which opened in 2017 in the South Side historic commercial district. With 23,000 square feet on two floors that feature a large community room, recording studio, makerspace with kitchen, and a reading area with a fireplace, Mitchell Street is now the city's largest branch library. The $21 million project-$6 million for the library and $15 million for market-rate housing-involved the restoration of a historic building that once housed a department store. The new development has 52 market-rate apartments and eight adjacent townhouses.

The housing for these four projects varies from affordable to market-rate, a decision left to the developer, says Sam McGovern-Rowen, MPL project manager. "The library board and the city have expressed a preference for mixed-use housing developments, but we do not dictate the affordability aspect," he says. "The developers propose projects through our RFP process, and we have selected projects that cover the full spectrum of affordability."

Co-locating libraries with at least some market-rate housing "means that the library can play a role in community economic development," McGovern-Rowen points out. "We take formerly untaxed property and put it on the tax rolls, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax base so far." The libraries have also been "a shot in the arm to the neighborhoods and business districts where we build these projects," he says, as thousands of library visitors and new residents patronize local businesses.

Unlocking the Value of Land

Co-locating libraries and affordable housing "seems to fit into a broader trend of unlocking the value of land," says Rick Jacobus, principal of Street Level Advisors in Oakland, California, and author of a Lincoln Institute report, Inclusionary Housing: Creating and Maintaining Equitable Communities (Jacobus 2015). "Libraries also are an obvious and synergistic pairing with affordable housing, which needs a ground-floor activation that is not housing."

"A common challenge in mixed-use buildings, especially with developers of affordable housing, is they run into difficulty locating the right institution or organization to partner with for ground-floor development, and banks then have trouble financing the projects," confirmed Hacke of the Center for Community Investment. Incorporating a library, Hacke says, "can contribute to financial viability for a building, but also to the well-being of people who live in the building. When you can bake that into the design of the project, it serves the financials as well as the residents."

Are co-located libraries and affordable housing any more difficult to finance than separate projects? Yes and no. Generally a city's public library division pays for the library, and the housing developer, whether it's the local housing authority, a nonprofit, or a private for-profit developer, works separately to secure financing. The affordable housing component, and often the library, typically have to seek multiple funding partners. But co-location can provide a core and shell for the library building, some shared space, and a catalyst for additional funding. "Mixed-use development and shared costs make the building of new libraries affordable," says ALA's Garcia-Febo.

The $20 million Cornelius Place project in Oregon, developed by the national nonprofit BRIDGE Housing with local service provider Bienestar, was 12 years in the planning and required more than a dozen financial partners. After a library levy failed to pass, the library conceived of introducing senior housing as a feasibility step. The library cobbled together its $5.8 million share of construction costs from sources such as local businesses, individuals, and county, state, and federal funds, including a $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The city owns the land, and the building is owned by BRIDGE Housing, with the library paying a nominal leasing fee for its space.

Mixed-use projects, especially those with an affordable housing component, can also offset construction costs by taking advantage of low-income housing tax credits or state tax credits. In 2009, the Miami-Dade Public Library System joined forces with the county's Homeless Trust and Carrfour Supportive Housing to build the Hispanic Branch Library and, above it, the Villa Aurora Apartments. The project included 76 units of permanently affordable housing: 39 for formerly homeless families and 37 for low-income families. The new 12,000-square-foot branch library quickly became a community destination. Carrfour, a nonprofit affordable housing provider, built the complex on the site of a former Salvation Army shelter and leases the first-floor space to the library system. Funding sources for the $29 million project included the Enterprise Social Investment Corporation's tax credit equity, an incentive loan from the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, deferred developer fees, and city, county, and federal funds. The cost to the library system was $3 million.

The City of Chicago worked to persuade federal officials that public libraries could be co-located with public housing without putting federal housing subsidies at risk, noted Kimmelman in The New York Times. The three Chicago projects had different funding packages. Financing for the Little Italy branch, for example, included U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds, federal tax credits, revenue from two tax-increment financing districts, and another housing fund. By adding the housing component to the library, the project qualified for federal tax credits and government housing funds, including from HUD, that provided almost half the needed funds. Thus, the construction of the building was underwritten significantly by co-location.

In Brooklyn, FAC is leveraging eight sources to finance the $35.8 million Sunset Park library, which breaks down to $7.8 million for the "core and shell" of the library and $28 million for the residential portion. Funding sources include over $10 million in state and federal affordable housing tax credits and $8.75 million from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The developer is constructing the building at no cost to BPL, which will fit out the new library for $10 million-half the cost of demolishing the library and building a new one-derived from the sale of air rights to the old Brooklyn Heights library site. The city turned the property over to FAC during development, but when construction is completed, the city will own the library in perpetuity, with both its portion and the housing units treated as condominiums. FAC will own and manage the apartments.

For the Common Good

Smart rezonings could allow dozens more libraries to be upgraded and more co-located library and affordable housing projects to be built. The Center for an Urban Future worked with the architecture firm Marble Fairbanks to identify at least 25 libraries in New York City with surplus development rights that they could leverage for affordable housing or other uses, depending on the community's needs.

"Cities are trying to lean more heavily into the production of affordable housing, and what's relevant here is the land," says Jacobus. "If you have an asset like urban land, you might as well use it to its fullest potential. This could happen in many cities with one- or two-story libraries in places that could be denser. By building a building that is denser, they're able to unlock the value of the land to subsidize affordable housing, and that extra value is a public asset."

Even projects with market-rate rather than affordable housing can provide significant public value, says Jacobus. The One Clinton project in Brooklyn Heights, for example, provides the library, housing to ease a tight market, and a fair amount of capital to underwrite improvements to other new libraries, while the developer also provides affordable housing nearby. "They were able to use the value of an asset to leverage affordable housing," Jacobus says. "It's a smart move and there's a trend there that seems promising."

Pairing libraries and affordable housing helps cities meet other goals such as financial management and neighborhood development, he notes. "The bigger issue is that you get obvious public benefit out of the project, which helps with public acceptance of affordable housing," often a target for community opposition. While Jacobus doesn't see mixed-use housing and library projects as a widespread trend-in part because libraries still require additional public funding to build and operate-he does see cities becoming more entrepreneurial and using all the resources they can to create more affordable housing.

Garcia-Febo of the ALA is more optimistic. As a wise use of public land that provides value to the community, co-location of libraries with housing "is a great new opportunity to distribute services across neighborhoods, and I think we'll see many more of them," she said. "It's difficult to equate the value of libraries with the land or air space they occupy, but for many library leaders, this is an opportunity to reinforce the value of libraries for access, education, lifelong learning, and the civic commons."

Co-location Considerations

For a mixed-use library and housing project to succeed, planners must consider many factors, including the following:

Zoning. Zoning should allow for mixed uses combining residential with public institutions (and perhaps other uses), and for the height and density required to build a critical mass of housing over library space. A 2018 neighborhood rezoning decision by the New York City Council allowed for mixed uses and additional building height to achieve goals such as developing affordable apartments and encouraging economic development that benefits the local community. The decision paved the way for the 14-story Eliza building, which combines the new Inwood Library with 175 affordable apartments.

Air Rights. Development rights generally refer to the maximum amount of floor area permissible on a lot. When the actual built floor area is less than the maximum permitted floor area, the difference is referred to as "unused development rights," or "air rights." The value of air rights, which can be sold to adjacent property owners or others, can vary by location and can depend on factors such as zoning restrictions, the height and density of adjacent buildings, and proximity to public transit and services.

Financing. Libraries generally are funded by a city's capital budget or by special tax levies. Market-rate housing generally is financed privately or through commercial banks. Private developers of affordable housing can take advantage of low-income housing tax credits. Municipal housing authorities can access funds from local, state, and federal sources to develop subsidized public housing for low-income households. Depending on the needs of the community and developers' plans, co-location can include a mix of publicly subsidized, affordable, and market-rate housing; the latter can help underwrite development of the more affordable units.

Tax Implications. Market-rate housing that shares space with libraries is almost always taxable, so these projects can help expand a community's tax base. In contrast, affordable housing is usually tax-exempt, at least when it is owned by a housing authority or land trust. The best housing option depends on a community's needs-fiscally stressed cities may prioritize their tax base, while hot-market cities prioritize affordable housing. In general, reducing costs for the construction of libraries and public housing will benefit taxpayers.

Kathleen McCormick, principal of Fountainhead Communications in Boulder, Colorado, is a contributing editor for Land Lines. She writes frequently about sustainable, healthy, and resilient communities.

Photograph: Cornelius Place, a mixed-use developmnet in Cornelius, Oregon, combines a ground-floor library with affordable senior housing that is walkable to the downtown area. Credit: Courtesty of Washington County, Oregon.

References

Brey, Jared. 2018. "How Library Systems Can Help Address Affordable Housing Crises." Next City. June 18, 2018. https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/how-library-systems-can-help-address-af...

CHA (Chicago Housing Authority). 2019. "Taylor Street Apartments and Little Italy Branch Library Garner National Award." Press release. June 24. https://www. thecha.org/news-media/news/taylor-street-apartments-and-little-italy-branch-library-garner-national-award.

Giles, David, Jeanette Estima, and Noelle Francois. 2014. Re-envisioning New York's Branch Libraries. New York, NY: Center for an Urban Future. September. https://nycfuture. org/pdf/Re-Envisioning-New-Yorks-Branch-Libraries.pdf.

Jacobus, Rick. 2015. Inclusionary Housing: Creating and Maintaining Equitable Communities. Policy focus report. Cambridge, MA: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. https:// www.lincolninst.edu/publications/policy-focus-reports/ inclusionary-housing.

Kimmelman, Michael. 2019. "Chicago Finds a Way to Improve Public Housing: Libraries." The New York Times. May 15. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/15/arts/ design/chicago-public-housing.html.

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In early 2019, the town of Cornelius, Oregon, celebrated the opening of a new mixed-use development called Cornelius Place. Situated on the town's main thoroughfare, the building features a 13,650-square-foot public library that replaces one at City Hall that was only one-quarter that size.

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ROCHESTER - The Lilac City is becoming more beautiful almost on a daily basis with art installations popping up across the city, and a lot of the credit is given by many to one native son.

Matt Wyatt is an artist whose mission is to make art available for all residents of - and visitors to - Rochester. He is an artist in his own right and for the past several years, he has used that talent and knowledge of art to begin a revolution of beautification for the city.

Wyatt is also involved in the city's theater world and is one of the founding members of Rochester Pride which has become an annual summer event.

There are not too many people in the city who do not know his name and he does it for a pure and simple reason.

Wyatt loves the city he grew up in and wants it to be a hub for art and culture in the state. He believes in Rochester and wants it to achieve its full potential. He loves his family, and this is where he wants them to grow and thrive.

"Rochester is definitely in a revitalization mode," said Wyatt. "Art in the city was born from that. I think eight years later things are starting to turn around. We started a fire and it's a very exciting time."

Mayor Caroline McCarley knew Wyatt before she became mayor and said she loves working with him to make the city better.

"He is a wonder and prize for this city," said McCarley. "Music and art have always been a part of Rochester, but Matt is breathing life into it. He has so much energy and we could not be happier that he is here with us."

Rochester is Wyatt's life. He was born at Frisbie Memorial Hospital, and went through the school system, graduating from Spaulding High School. Pursuing his love of art, he went to the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester and returned to begin his adult life in "his" city.

"I traveled to places like New York and Chicago, refining my love of art," said Wyatt. "Now, I have the best life here, with my husband Jonathen, and our daughter Ava. She is my little assistant and comes everywhere with me. She helps me hangs installations and she is developing her own love of art. She comes to all our exhibits and can be found doing her homework in city council chambers. I think - wow; we are team. We were out the other day and she decided she needed to buy some art deco pieces and said she wants to study design."

Wyatt said his hope for Ava is that all her work with him is instilling a sense of civic pride.

"I know that Rochester is working to overcome a somewhat negative reputation," said Wyatt. "That mainly refers to the downtown area and I think we overcome that by making it an arts and music destination. I see the comments on social media, and I hate it. I do not want my kid to have those views about where we live."

Art came early to Wyatt's life. He has long been passionate about art and has had exhibits of his own.

"I always knew I could draw things, make things," said Wyatt. "I did illustrations for projects in school and everyone wanted to be in my group, but I never took it too seriously until one day a teacher asked me to submit something for her. I wasn't sure what it was for, but I went home and made a piece that she submitted. I found out it was for the Scholastic Arts and Writing competition."

The digital art piece Wyatt submitted won the regional competition and he was awarded a gold key and his work went to New York for the national competition.

"I won again," said Wyatt. "I got to go to Carnegie Hall, and I knew this was what I wanted in my life."

Scholastic Publishing group loved his piece so much, they bought it from Wyatt to use in their promotional materials.

"Then all I could think about was wanting to be part of exhibits in museums," said Wyatt. "I still do my own art now but have found a passion for curating shows and exhibitions. We are proud of what we are presenting here in Rochester. We want to be a destination for great art in New Hampshire. We are doing it by offering public art all over the city."

Even Wyatt's day job is creative and involves music and theater. He is the associate producer and publicist for the Rochester Opera House.

"I love being able to work there full time," said Wyatt. "I get to see the shows before anyone else does. I am awed seeing all these people sing their lungs out. We do great shows, like The Full Monte, and Rock of Ages. We bring in great music performers."

The Rochester Museum of Fine Arts and his day job there grew from his association with the Opera House.

"We were doing a short film series of great Oscar-nominated films there in 2013 and Anthony Ejarque and I became friends. The rest is history. He had a position open and asked me if I was interested."

"I love Matt," said Anthony Ejarque, executive director of the Rochester Opera House. "He has enabled the Opera House through his creative set of skills. I think Matt has great insights and a great feel for the direction the city needs to move in. He is a hard worker and is dedicated to Rochester in more ways than people know."

Rochester resident Amy Regan and Wyatt are the driving forces for the Rochester MFA. They have two permanent galleries, the Carnegie Gallery at the Rochester Public Library (a Carnegie library) and the Bernier Room at the Rochester Community Center. Public art is popping up everywhere in the city, the most recent being a mural of the book covers of great literature in the windows of the abandoned Hoffman Furniture building, turning a downtown eyesore into art.

"When I think about Matt; I think about his passion for art," said Regan. "We both have that as artists. I love the way we work together, the way we bounce ideas off each other. Look at the Hoffman building. That went from a hole in wall to a becoming a fabulous billboard of art. We are bringing in art that I never thought I would see in Rochester."

Some of the budget for the art projects comes through the city's economic development department.

"The money was sitting there, and no one was using it," said Wyatt. "No one was using it because no one asked. We approached them about adding permanent murals and sculpture throughout the city."

Jennifer Murphy Aubin works with Wyatt as the public arts liaison for the city.

"I want to know - where is his cape and scepter for the city, because he deserves that," said Murphy Aubin. "He has done more to make this city beautiful than anyone. He gets amazing art, like the Sunday morning Warhol series he did. He brings in top-notch art worthy of New York and London, and we have it here in Rochester."

City Planner Michelle Gears called Wyatt an innovator and a leader in the community.

"He is not afraid to take a risk," said Gears. "He is leading the charge and making art available for all."

Recently the gateway to the city, coming in from Route 125, became the location for sculptures by artist Adam Pearson.

"The gateway to a city should pull you in," said Wyatt. "These are beautiful and will remain on location, showing people Rochester appreciates art."

The Rochester Performing Arts Center opened downtown. Wyatt's hand is in that, too.

"We are raising money to offer art scholarships for kids to study there," said Wyatt. "There are very talented people who might not otherwise get this chance."

Two Sundays ago marked the second year of Porchfest, a unique project and production of the Rochester Opera House that puts music artists and bands throughout the city to play music all day long, allowing visitors to roam the city and hear great music, while also checking out the city's businesses and restaurants.

"The idea is to place bands in as many nooks and crannies as we can think of," said Wyatt. "We sell bracelets to the after party and the bracelets also get people discounts at the local businesses. We all win."

Wyatt is one of the founding members of Rochester Pride.

"I am proud of that," said Wyatt. "I ran it for the first four years. Now Main Street Rochester has taken it over and I love watching it continue to grow. We have an amazing network of people here for all of this to happen."

Whatever he takes on next, one thing can be sure. It will be with the goal of making Wyatt's beloved city a little bit better.

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ROCHESTER - The Lilac City is becoming more beautiful almost on a daily basis with art installations popping up across the city, and a lot of the credit is given by many to one native son.Matt Wyatt is an artist whose mission is to make art available for all residents of - and visitors to - Rochester.

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Main Street Academy Fall 2019 South Berwick Notes 10.1.19

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Craft Breweries and Community Information Brief

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Craft Breweries and Community Information Brief

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Craft Breweries and Community Information Brief

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2019 Downtowns and Trails Information Brief

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River and Economic Development Research Brief

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River Towns Research Brief Online 8.14.19

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Main Street Academy Speakers Session 3 Fall 2019

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