Midland City Council spoke favorably in a meeting last week about designating areas in downtown Midland as cultural or entertainment areas.
Establishing these neighborhoods would help the city revitalize parts of downtown, stimulate economic development and attract tourists, said Chuck Harrington, director of development services, last Tuesday. Cultural districts are areas with a high number of cultural or artistic facilities, while entertainment districts are areas where entertainment is the main attraction.
A cultural district would be more difficult to create as an application would need to be filed with the state and approved by the state, Harrington said. However, an entertainment district only needs an amendment to the zoning ordinance by the council, he said.
The benefits of an entertainment district include better venue signage such as neon signs, the ability for bars and other venues to play louder music than outside of the suburb, and the ability to transport alcoholic beverages on the street when leaving a venue councilors said to the next.
The city would also have the option to create a public improvement district within the entertainment district to fund revitalization and other projects like improving alleyways, Harrington said. A public improvement district would levy a tax on property owners within the area for improvements and maintenance.
According to Harrington, a public improvement district would require approval from 50 percent of property owners. An entertainment district could be created without establishing the public improvement district and property tax.
According to Harrington, city officials felt that the boundaries for the Downtown Midland Management District, which extends from Front Avenue to Kansas Street, could be applied to an entertainment district, although the area may be too large. Staff also suggested that a district could be created around Centennial Park, with boundaries two or three blocks from the park in each direction.
If either district was created, the city would also set up separate agencies to oversee each district. Any groups planning to hold events or festivals in the area would then contact the appropriate agency instead of seeking city council approval, Harrington said.
Mayor Patrick Payton and Councilor Lori Blong said they would like to build an entertainment district soon and possibly apply for the cultural district designation later. Councilor John Norman said a cultural district could also be an opportunity to highlight Midland’s Hispanic communities.
“The city is now almost 60 percent Spanish,” he said. “I think this should be more of a big deal … bring in that culture.”
Plans to create an entertainment district were originally considered decades ago, but were delayed until a downtown park and convention center were completed.