HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/17/2019 - Arts And Culture Master Plan - Economic Advisory Commission
Economic Health Office
300 LaPorte Avenue
PO Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522
970.221.6505
970.224.6107 - fax
fcgov.com
MEMORANDUM
DATE: April 17th, 2019
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
CC: Darin Atteberry, City Manager;
Jeff Mihelich, Deputy City Manager;
Jacqueline Kozak-Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer
Josh Birks, Economic Health and Redevelopment Director
Jim McDonald, Cultural Services Director
FROM: Denichiro “Denny” Otsuga, Chair – Economic Advisory Commission;
Connor Barry, Vice-Chair – Economic Advisory Commission; and
Members, Economic Advisory Commission for 2019
RE: ARTS AND CULTURE MASTER PLAN
The purpose of this memorandum is to inform the City Council of the Economic Advisory Commission’s
(EAC) recommendation made during the April 17 meeting regarding the Arts and Culture Master plan.
Position:
The Fort Collins Economic Advisory Commission members received a presentation on the FoCo Creates
Arts and Culture Master Plan by Jim McDonald, at our March 20th, 2019 meeting, which focused on
creative partnerships, creative economy, and economic health.
The members of the EAC, based on a motion passed 5-0-1 (for, against, abstain) to recommend the
adoption of the FoCo Creates Arts and Culture plan with a few notable suggestions from some of
the EAC members as listed below but not as a part of the motion or recommendation:
1. The plan mentions “housing and work spaces for creatives” in Strategy 2.2a. Availability of
attainable and affordable housing is a community need that is broader than for “creatives”. When
addressing housing affordability issues, goals and strategy should be in coordination with
other departments impacting the issue and inclusive of all community members.
2. Strategy 2.1b and Strategy 3.3 should be prioritized regarding promoting educational
opportunities through partnerships with the education system and promoting life-long learning,
which would drive cultural integration
3. Strategy 4.1 mentions funding mechanisms and potential sources of additional revenue. It is not
clear how much funding the city needs to make up in order to achieve most of these goals. We
recommend the document outline strategies around the amount of money that is needed to achieve
these goals so that staff can focus research on achievable funding mechanisms.
4. The EAC recommends a broader definition of Creative Industry which may create opportunity
for Ars and Culture and Economic Health to collaborate, particularly in startup venture as
industry cluster plan is being reevaluated.