By: Sharon Aron Baron
Construction will soon commence on the Downtown ArtWalk, which the city says will help create an attractive, pedestrian-friendly environment in the downtown area.
Downtown ArtWalk
According to the City of Coral Springs, the Downtown ArtWalk was designed as a “Unique” walkable connection from the planned Downtown Core Area to adjacent quadrants. The Artwalk is approximately 1,300 linear feet running along the north side of NW 31 Court and will provide the community the ability to safely walk back and forth between the Downtown Core Area and The Walk.
Through community events as well as planned outreach meetings, residents, business owners, and visitors have requested downtown public spaces, including walkable open spaces – basically a request for “…a vibrant and sustainable downtown in which Coral Springs’ residents, businesses, and visitors can live, work, shop and entertain.”
The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and the Coral Springs City Commission are bringing this improvement to Coral Springs’ residents and visitors.
Due to lack of a large vacant piece of land that could be utilized to accommodate the community’s wishes, the city decided that a viable solution could be the channeling of an existing canal that could be overlaid with an ArtWalk – the walk, being an Art piece itself “by design” will also provide the open space, entertainment, and event spaces that are desired and needed in the Downtown Core Area.
The ArtWalk will have a 54 tent capacity, six pad Art Sculpture availability, 1,300 Linear Feet of Walk, with over 300 linear feet of seat wall and an abundance of lush landscaping.
How is it being paid for?
The ArtWalk is being funded by the Build America Bonds – Recovery Zone Economic Development Bond Funds of approximately $3.7 million dollars plus previously required and planned water improvement funds of $387,635. Additionally, the CRA is holding $75,000 of construction funds for contingency purposes.
Upon the planned completion of the project in the Summer of 2015, the ArtWalk will provide the community with an area for the future that will provide “living, working, shopping, and entertaining.”
Also, the ArtWalk is intended to complement and support the Festival of the Arts event.
If you’d like to go to the groundbreaking ceremony, it will be held on Wednesday, August 27, 9 a.m. at the Bank of America parking lot, located at 3200 N. University Drive, Coral Springs.
Author Profile
- Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.
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3 comments
Speaking just as a lay person, why in this location? Other than the ability to pave over the canal, I honestly don’t see this as attracting much use. This would’ve been a beautiful idea if it had been running down University Drive, with the eateries and stores, but there is nothing worth walking to in NW 31 Ct.
Exactly another wasteful spending project of our commissioners! we are not Mizner Park or Delray Beach Art Walk. The residents have clearly spoken about these projects but “they” just keep shoving them down our throats and making us foot the bill for their high lofty ideas. ENOUGH ALREADY! VOTE THEM OUT.
Don’t forget the maintenance of this dog. The parkland green market draws 5 times the amount of people and it is held In green spaces in parkland and it didn’t cost 4 million dollars. The art walk looks like an abandoned street 99 percent of the time and costs a large amount of money to maintain. A bad idea by a bad intentioned commissioner and very highly paid staff.