Local Artists Find Affordable Fort Lauderdale Homes
August 7, 2008
Artspace is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create, foster and preserve, affordable housing for local artists. Artspace is able to succeed in their objectives by working to develop affordable live/work space in communities across the Country.
Recently Artspace opened a new space providing housing for local artisans here in the Fort Lauderdale real estate market. Thanks to Artspace in association with Lennar Corp, many artists can call Fort Lauderdale home.
Artspace supports the continued professional growth of artists and enhances the cultural and economic vitality of the surrounding community.
Finding and retaining affordable live/work space is an age-old problem for artists, painters, sculptors, dancers, and others who require an abundance of well-lit space in which to work. Many artists gravitate to old warehouses and other industrial buildings, but their very presence in an industrial neighborhood often acts as a catalyst, setting in motion a process of gentrification that drives rents up and forces the artists out.
Here in Fort Lauderdale, the local market has not had an abundance of the types of properties suitable for an Artspace environment. It has also been quite costly to live here as well.
Why Does Artspace Work To Provide Affordable Housing For Struggling Artists?
As the nation’s leading nonprofit real estate developer for the arts, Artspace has had the relative experience to lead the organization to the following conclusions: Artspace’s experience in facilitating space development for artists has led us to the following conclusions:
- Aesthetically pleasing spaces create a safe working environment that helps artists grow professionally and achieve financial stability.
- Live/work projects help increase pedestrian traffic in urban areas, while streetscapes take on a new, lively character.
- Other neighborhood development typically follows within three years of the completion of a live/work project.
Here in the Fort Lauderdale real estate market, Artspace Sailboat Bend has opened for occupancy. The project, which took 10 years to complete, is a brand new 3 story loft apartment building.
It is fully occupied by some of the Fort Lauderdale area’s most innovative artisans, who also happen to be the type of tenant who can least afford to live in such a building. However with rental rates far below even the most conservative Section 8 housing subsidies, the lofts at the Artspace Sailboat Bend artists can get a brand new, 2 bedroom loft apartment for just $751.00 per month.
Overall rents range from as little as $510.00 per month to a high of $80.00. How is one lucky enough to get one of these “primo” units at such a low rental rate? 
Well first of all, any Artist that wants to live there has to be the stereotypical “struggling artist”. The struggling artist “qualifies to live at Artspace Sailboat Bend by earning less than 50 to 60 percent of Broward County’s median income for a one person household, or 50-60% of $49,800 ($24,000 - $29,000.00).
Your tax dollars pay the rest. The Sun Sentinel recently ran a poll asking their readers should tax dollars be spent subsidizing the rent of seemingly able bodied tenants and over 80% of those responding said no, the taxpayer should not be forced to bear this burden.
One of 32 such projects in the United States by Artspace Projects Inc., the Fort Lauderdale site is Florida’s first. Architect Bernard Zyscovich said he designed the lofts using his own inner artist, creating a lobby that doubles as a gallery, for instance.The project is “kind of like the fantasy dream of artists,” he said, “to be able to just do your artwork and be surrounded by people who do art.”
Artist Nerissa Street denied that she and others are simply sponging or fleecing the taxpayer and benefiting from cheap subsidized rent. “We all have big plans for what we’re doing,” she said.”The artists are communicating the soul of their community”.
Street, who is 34, and in addition to being an artist, is a writer and “performer”. Yet with all of these “jobs” she is only able to pay the low rate of rent at the Artspace project. Recently Street quit her job at a local bookstore where she was slated for upward advancement. As the job was interfering with her artistry career.
“This is what I’m here to do,” she said. “Unlike working for someone else, the work that I do here has no ceiling….I can be a millionaire.”
By then maybe she will understand what the rest of us may have a problem with. Until you become a taxpayer it’s hard to understand that money isn’t free.
But hey, it’s a real nice looking development here in the Fort Lauderdale real estate market. I wonder if they take commission only real estate agents who love to finger paint?
sources: Artspace | Sun Sentinel
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