arts district plan seen as bearing fruit
by krissah williams
The Washington Post Prince George's Extra
January 20, 2005

By Mark Gail-The Washington Post

 

 

 

 

Brooke Kidd, executive Director of Joe's Movement Emporium, a dance and arts center in Mt. Rainier, stands outside the warehouse the organization recently bought with the help of a federal economic development grant.
The expansion of a nonprofit cultural center in Mount Rainier is seenby some as a sign that the Route 1 corridor's designation as an arts-oriented development zone is beginnig to spur economic revitalization. Joe's Movement Emporium recently bought a 20,000-square-foot warehouse in the city, giving it four times as much space as it has at its current location, said Brooke Kidd, the center's executive director. The warehouse, purchased for $500,000, will provide room for a theater, a cafe, three dance studios as wel as a rental and exhibition space for artists. "The arts are absolutely vital for our community," Kidd said. "We hav been part of hte vision, and we hope to continue to play a vital role in the growth of hte arts district. This area of the region still has a negative perception, so it's important to work on that." The dance and arts center is located just off of Route 1, where a once-decaying strip of liquor stores and used car dealers is slowly being transformed. A Salvadoran carryout near Joe's future home has been spruced up, and a lively clothing store and health food cooperative have started to draw shoppers. Kidd and other credit these changes to a Prince George's County economic development plan that focuses on the arts. County planners are using financial incentives to attract artists, hoping that they , in turn, will attract restaurants and retailers. The plan targets an area of older suburbs--including Mount Rainier, Hyattsville, North Brentwood, and Brentwood--that has been designated by the state and federal governments as an economic development zone. Arts-related businesses that open in the area are eligible for grants. The plan includes rent subsidies designed to draw more that 100 artists to apartment buildings with studio space. County planners hope to eventually transform 286 acres in the four communities into an extended neighborhood of studios and galeries. With the help of Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Maryland Sens. Paul S. Sarbanes (D) and Barbara Mikulski (D), Joe's was awarded a $200,000 economic development initiative grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Kidd daid. The funds will go toward the purchase of hte new building and bring the amount of money Joe's has raised in the last two years to $1.8 million. Kiddd said the group needs to raise at least $2.5 million to pay the mortgage on the warehouse and remodel its interior. Later this year, Joe's will move to the new facility, a red-brick 1950s building that has been used for the past few years as storage for a direct-mail marketing company. A few miles north in Hyattsvile, another ares related business opened its doors las week. Yoga Space, one of the few yoga studios in the county, began offering classes a couple of blocks from city hall. "This is the right environment for us," said Gloria Thompson, who has lived in Hyattsville since 1976. "We're going to let artists use the space near the window to exhibit."