The Memphis Music Magnet plan consists of two primary sets of elements to be developed and implemented in the target neighborhood:

• Homeownership incentives / Housing programs for musicians
• Place-based neighborhood amenities (Memphis Music Magnet Centers), achieved through the restoration and reuse of vacant buildings, that would appeal to musicians, broadly support creativity, and contribute to revitalization.

Homeownership incentives / Housing programs

The intent of creating homeownership incentives and housing program for musicians is to attract new talent looking for a supportive environment, strengthen the commitment to Memphis among local talent, create vested neighborhood stakeholders, and contribute to a sense of community.

There are a variety of alternative approaches that could be used to provide homeownership incentives. We are working to develop an appropriate model that takes advantage of our strength as an affordable place to live, that is accessible and useful to working musicians and artists who are not yet well-established financially, and that won’t displace current residents of the target community.

Homeownership Incentive Models

Arts-based revitalization programs in Paducah, Chattanooga, New Orleans, and Cleveland all provide models from which appropriate ideas can be gleaned.

• The Paducah Model: Private Financial Institution Supported

Paducah’s Artist Relocation Program has used homeownership incentives to attract artists to the formerly distressed Lowertown neighborhood, adjacent to the city’s downtown. The Paducah model is relatively simple and is primarily driven by a relationship with the locally owned and operated Paducah Bank, and the bank’s willingness to alter lending guidelines for artists purchasing properties within the target area. Because of the context of the program, the bank has been willing to offer mortgages with lower interest rates and higher loan-to-value ratios than it normally would, to recipients whose income is not always easily verified by standard procedures, to purchase properties in a neighborhood in which it might not otherwise lend. The city also offers vacant lots for new construction at no charge to qualifying applicants, and offers $2,500 towards architectural or other professional fees for new construction or renovation. The program is supported by an aggressive national marketing campaign.

Participants in the program have tended to be well established artists (rather than “starving” artists) capable of securing large mortgages for costly gallery and living space renovation in Lowertown’s large Victorian structures.

• The Chattanooga Model: Foundation Supported

Chattanooga’s CreateHere developed the ArtsMove homebuyer incentive program to assist qualifying artists of all disciplines to purchase residential property in five urban neighborhoods. The incentive is a 5-year forgivable mortgage of up to $15,000 which requires no pre-payment and accrues no interest, provided the artist purchases property in a qualifying neighborhood and the property remains owner occupied for the full 5-year term.  Artists may use the incentive for down payment assistance, closing costs, prepaid expenses, and upgrades included in the contract. Recipients are determined by a juried competitive application process. Funding is provided through a relationship with the Lyndhurst Foundation.

• The New Orleans Model: Non-Profit New Construction

New Orlean’s Musicians Village contains 72 new single-family homes developed by Habitat for Humanity. While the homes are available to all applicants meeting Habitat’s income requirements, the project has been geared toward supporting local musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The project also includes 10 rental homes for elder New Orleans “music masters” and the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, which will provide for the “music education and development of homeowners and others who live will nearby.”

• The Cleveland Model: Non-Profit Foreclosure Recovery

The Northeast Shores Development Corporation has been purchasing foreclosed properties in the Collinwood neighborhood and making them available to artists through a combination of rental, purchase, and rent-to-own arrangements. The CDC plans to expand the project to 25 or 30 homes using funding from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, an element of the federal recovery initiative administered through HUD. Efforts in Cleveland have been mindful of the threats of gentrification to existing residents, as well as to the artists who may move to blighted areas, only to be forced out by rising property values.

Affordable Senior Rental: Legacy Housing

In addition to developing incentives to create vested stakeholders through homeownership, we are also interested in supporting the elder legends and unsung heroes of Memphis music who might have a need for affordable senior rental housing.

There are many venerable musicians who have contributed to the fabric of the Memphis music scene but have not achieved lasting stardom or long-term financial stability. (Recently, local musicians and industry players have banded together through benefit concerts and other fundraising efforts to assist bluesman Blind Mississippi Morris and Beale Street Legend Ruby Wilson with housing troubles.)

A “Legacy Housing” component would allow these individuals to live with dignity and continue to make important contributions to the community, while relieving them of a financial burden and the risk of foreclosure or other housing struggles.

Other short-term rental options for up and coming or visiting artists are discussed below.

Place-based Neighborhood Amenities || Memphis Music Magnet Centers

We propose the development of several Memphis Music Magnet Centers – unique music-related amenities – within the target neighborhood.

We believe that the lure of affordable housing and the opportunity to live among like-minded artists as part of a community will have significant appeal to musicians. The purpose of the Memphis Music Magnet Centers is to augment this appeal with physical elements that contribute to revitalization and support creativity by addressing needs, removing barriers, and fostering an environment that facilitates collaboration.

We are developing a broad set of appropriate ideas for the Memphis Music Magnet Centers. Programming elements could include:

• Rehearsal Space

Providing a convenient and affordable place to rehearse would solve a problem that all performing musicians face. The right building could provide a number of high quality rehearsal spaces as well as a gathering place for neighborhood musicians. Spaces could also be set aside to support touring musicians coming to Memphis.

• Affordable Equipment Rental

Affordable rental of music and live sound gear would provide a short-term solution for local musicians in need of equipment for performances or recording. The program could also coordinate with local music venues to advertise the availability of rentals for touring musicians, easing the hardships of travelling with bulky gear.

• Traveling Musicians’ Dorm

Short term housing for visiting artists and touring musicians could be made available in a traveler’s hostel arrangement, with dormitory and private rooms available.  The Traveling Musicians’ Dorm would provide a more affordable alternative to traditional hotels, incorporating secure parking for vans and trailers.  The facility could help foster collaboration between local and touring musicians.

• Musicians’ Health Care Center

In our survey of local musicians and others involved in the industry, respondents identified “availability of affordable health care” as one of the most important factors in a place to live and work – and only 26 percent were satisfied with the availability of affordable health care in Memphis. (Health care concerns exist for musicians everywhere because it is difficult for self-employed individuals or part-time employees to find affordable insurance.) There is a wide range of ways in which a neighborhood center could address the health care needs of local musicians, with options ranging from a simple information clearinghouse with appropriate counseling, to the more complicated development of a full-scale primary care treatment facility. The most appropriate approach would likely involve a partnership with one of the non-profit health care providers already serving the Memphis area, such as the Church Health Center, which currently serves musicians through a relationship with the Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission.

Accommodating the Memphis Music Magnet Centers

In addition to providing amenities for musicians, the centers are also intended to stimulate revitalization through the restoration and reuse of vacant buildings. There are at least three alternative ways in which this can be accommodated:

• Single Large-Scale Adaptive Reuse
  

This approach would entail a large adaptive reuse that could allow multiple elements to be programmed into a single currently vacant building (e.g., a vacant warehouse or school).

• Multiple Smaller (Music Heritage) Properties

This approach would focus on reclaiming some of the music heritage properties identified in the previous tab (“The Neighborhood“) and programming those smaller individual properties with appropriate Music Magnet Center elements (e.g., Memphis Slim’s house could serve as the health center, etc.) This approach would not only accommodate the desired amenities, but would also increase the revitalization impact of the Memphis Music Magnet program by spreading property renovation throughout the neighborhood. It would also help preserve elements of the neighborhood’s (and the city’s) musical heritage in a unique way by reprogramming these properties (many of which are now vacant) with active uses that are accessible to neighborhood residents, not just tourists.

• Combined Approach

It might be most appropriate to program some of the elements into the smaller music heritage properties while grouping others into a larger adaptive reuse.

Warehouse Reuse || Live/Work/Show Space

Warehouse renovation could allow for the development of additional program elements that could support a broader variety of artists (beyond musicians), provide short-term housing options, and serve as a hub of activity. The AS220 facility in Providence, RI provides an example of a warehouse reuse that supports creative people and the arts community in an innovative way. The facility is housed in a renovated 20,000 square foot, three story building, with each floor serving a different purpose. The first floor includes five artist galleries, a performance space, and a café; the second floor provides 9 artist studios and workspace; and the third floor provides 11 dormitory-style rental units for artists who are committed to engagement in the community. (Nuci’s Space in Athens, GA provides another example of a multi-use facility that provides health services, practice space, a performance area, and community café.)

The Soulsville area provides several potential spaces (particularly near the intersection of Bellevue and Walker) for a similar multi-use “live/work/show” facility that could offer a variety of elements available to a broad range of artists and creative people. Bringing together artists and creatives from different genres can help facilitate natural synergies (e.g., music and film) and help foster new forms of collaboration.

The Conceptual Map below shows the Soulsville target area and highlights three potential “activity nodes,” which would serve as focus areas for the Memphis Music Magnet Program.

Potential Long-Term Funding Sources and Existing Programs to Leverage

Developing these elements will require significant long-term funding. We have identified several funding sources to investigate, as well as some existing local programs that might contribute to the provision of homeownership incentives. The sources identified here are generally long-term “brick and mortar” options. As will be discussed in the final chapter of the document, we recognize that there is a great deal of planning and groundwork that needs to laid before we are ready to pursue implementation funding.

• National Park Service || Saving America’s Treasures Grant Program

Bricks and mortar grant for preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and historic structures and sites. Might be appropriate for renovation of individual music heritage properties.

• National Park Service || Preserve America Grant Program

Matching-grant program that provides planning funding to support preservation efforts through heritage tourism, education, and historic preservation planning.

• National Endowment for the Arts || Artist Communities: Access to Artistic Excellence Grant Program

Small matching-grant funding for projects that employ the arts in strengthening communities.

• Economic Development Administration || Economic Adjustment Assistance Investments

Grants for investment in areas of economic distress.  Funds can be used to develop a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) or implement such a strategy through site acquisition, infrastructure improvements, or the administration of revolving loan funds.

• Tax Increment Financing (TIF)

Could be used for infrastructure or other improvements.

• Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC)

Could be used to support development of Legacy Housing component (affordable senior rental).

• Neighborhood Stabilization Program(NSP) Grants

Could be used for purchase and redevelopment of foreclosed homes to support homeownership and housing elements of the Music Magnet program.