URBAN ART PARK PROPOSAL

ABOUT USSection1 is a movement. It is an exercise. A celebration. An example of how the creative minds of our generation can shape communities and enrich our lives. Our foundation is dedicated to fostering opportunities that promote and produce vibrant, progressive and creative forms of urban art. To do this we transform vacant, underutilized and derelict sites into vibrant, creative venues and cultural centers. These destination, designated as Section1 Parks, provide and oasis for creative exprvession. A practice that is required to promote diversity, encourage social discourse and develop innovative environments, which lead to systemic positive social change. The development of our network of Section1 Parks will be done utilizing a creative placemaking platform and human centered practices. In doing so we will leverage the talent from the communities we serves, instill ownership of these parks and maximize the value such open spaces can have on our society.

Section1 was founded by Richard Best in September 2012, while attending a dual masters program between Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and Maryland Institute College of Art. The program, Design Leadership, prepared its founding cohort to apply creative process to business settings, while focusing on social value creation. As an independent thesis project, Mr. Best saw not only opportunity to transform an abandon 3.5 acre site into an unprecedented urban art park, but also the opportunity to utilize design thinking to reimage public space. Upon graduation Mr. Best was provided with $10,000 in seed funding from Maryland Institute College of Art’s LAB Award, aimed at supporting projects that encourage local talent to use the city as a canvas for creative vision and aid in Baltimore’s retention of the creative class. This seed funding, in turn, was utilized to establish Section1 Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to utilizing urban art to enrich our lives.

As Seen On

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CHIP WATKINS President (Common Wealth PR)

RICHARD BEST Vice - Presicent / Executive Director

ADA GOERICKE Treasurer (Fox Factory)

SAM POLAKOFF (Cormony Development)

JAMAR JONES (Good News Baltimore)

JEFF KAYCE (The Bozzuto Group)

BRAD ROGERS (Advanced Placemaking)

ANN PRIFTIS(Amazon)

TODD HARVEY(Mission Media)

TOBY BLUMENTHAL(The Mann Center)

HEATHER BRADBURY Secretary (MICA)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

WEB: WWW.SECTION-1.ORG SOCIAL MEDIA: @SECTION1PROJECT EMAIL: INFO@SECTION-1.ORG

04(1,7) Warner St. Mural Project(2, 3) Artscape 2014 Brick Painting(4) Werc, Rubin 415 & Billy Mode Mural(5) Billy Mode @ Parkwest Bazar(6) TTtheArtist during Artscape 2015(8) Rubin 415 during Artscape 2015(9) Michael Owen Section1 Art Bond(10) ‘The Truth’ series @ The Paradox(11) Artscape 2015 Dance Battle

PROJECT SAMPLES(1)

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Located in the heart of Baltimore, between Station North Arts and Entertainment District, Maryland Institute College of Art and the University of Baltimore, sits a vacant 3.5 acre canvas. Surrounding this canvas is a rich community, comprised of artists, designers, and educational institutions, museums, historical landmarks and a demographic largely consisting of the creative class. The site, since the extension of the Jones Falls Expressway (JFX) in the mid 1970’s, has set vacant. Limited access prevents the site from being commercially developed and with the exception of light vehicular traffic, is largely unused. The exception to this can been seen on columns that support the JFX. For nearly 40 years urban artists have found value in this space and used it as a medium for their creative practices.

For the past two years Section1 has been working fervently to transform this site into what will soon be the world’s largest urban art park. A park featuring the highest concentration of street art in the country, 3 live performance venues, an 18,000sft skate park and an acre of lush green space. The development of this park will provide Baltimore with a premier urban arts venue that provides an opportunity to bring together a culturally diverse and otherwise segregated society. An opportunity for a community of artist and social innovators to set a precedent in urban design that inspires the world.

The development of the Section1 Urban Art Park will not only provide the nearby communities od Bolton Hill, Charles North, Greenmount West, Mid-Town Belvedere, and Munt Vernon with a much needed recreational park, but also serve as a cultural center for the entire city of Baltimore. The robust programing of festivals, concerts, and educational and creative events will build an internationally renowned arts destination, allowing the city to increase tourism and attract and retain new residents of the creative class.

VISION06

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THE HIGH LINE NEW YORK

FDR SKATE PARKPHIL ADELPHIA

PRECEDENTS

WYNWO OD WALLSMIAMI

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FDR SKATE PARKPHIL ADELPHIA

Among the first developers to utilize urban art as a means of community revitalization and economic development was Tony Goldman, of Goldman Properties. His earliest success was the transformation of a small burrow of Southern Manhattan. Leveraging from the creative cultural already present in the community, he developed what is now the artistic heart of New York City, known as SoHo. Mr. Goldman also used this strategy to rejuvenate various areas of Miami, including the once delinquent community of Wynwood. The Wynwood district is now a thriving art mecca, host to the world famous street art museum, Wynwood Walls. The district also hosts the annual Art Basel conference, bringing artist, collectors, and galleries from around the world for a week long festival. It is this same vision that the Section1 sees for the Station North Arts and Entertainment District, and one we intended to actively pursue.

The New York High Line transformed an unused freight rail in the West Side of Manhattan into an elevated public park. The park was developed in three different stages. The first section opened in 2009 and the second in 2011. The park attracted over 2 million visitors in 2009, a number that has expanded to 3.7 million annually. The development of the High Line set an international precedent in urban design. Baltimore is currently home to 4,905 acres of green space. This equates to 9.5% of the cities landscape. When compared to other densely populated cities such as New York or Washington DC with a rate of 19.5%, there is an obvious need for park growth. Of the 4,900+ acres of parkland in Baltimore, less then 2 acres is present in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. The area is currently home of roughly 6,000 residents. When comparing Baltimore’s average rate of 7.7 acres of land per resident, this is an additional need of over 5 acres of park space in the area.

Across the country skate parks can be found under major highway overpasses, such as that of FDR Park in Philadelphia. These unique location provide an environment out of the elements that not only increase the longevity of the parks materials, but also provides shade and protection to the park patrons.

The IASC reports that roughly 7% of the U.S. population identifies themselves as skateboarders. This includes both passive and active users. They recommend that cities develop 1.0 SF of public skate park per user to accommodate the demand of this user group. Baltimore is now home to roughly 44,000 skateboarders. Currently only two public skateboard parks exist within City limits. They include Carroll Park and Skatepark of Baltimore. While the two combined equate to roughly 26,000 SF of skate park space, this number does not reach the current demand requiring an additional 18,000 SF of park space.

WYNWO OD WALLSMIAMI

THE HIGH LINE NEW YORK

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+Site Border

Pedestrian Access

Amtrak/MTA Access

Security Fencing

Emergency Staging

Covered Park Area

Small Venue (600 capacity)

Concert Venue (3000 capacity)

3 Amphitheatre (5000 capacity)

Live Entertainment Area

Paintable Surfaces

Green Space

Grass Area

Paved Surfaces

Jones Falls Waterway

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2

+Site Border

Pedestrian Access

Amtrak/MTA Access

Security Fencing

Emergency Staging

Covered Park Area

Small Venue (600 capacity)

Concert Venue (3000 capacity)

3 Amphitheatre (5000 capacity)

Live Entertainment Area

Paintable Surfaces

Green Space

Grass Area

Paved Surfaces

Jones Falls Waterway

COMMUNITY CENTERED DESIGN PLAN

The Section1 Project is an inclusive, community driven initiative. Our success relies on active involvement from the city’s artists and its vast network of educational, cultural, civic, and municipal organizations. To accomplish this we will launch a three-pronged engagement strategy including the development of the Section1 Creative Council, a community design studio dubbed the Creative Labs and a development plan aimed at stimulating organic growth of the park.

Combined these initiatives will allow Section1 to develop a world-class park through innovations discovered with human centered practices. The final product will not only set a new benchmark in urban design, but also instill ownership in the users of the park. This practice of creative placemaking not only increases the long-term safety of the site, but also ensures the space is culturally authentic.

Upon it’s completion the park will serve an internationally renowned arts destination, and set a precedent in urban design that inspires the world.

“NOTHING IS MORE POWERFUL THAN AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME.”

- VICTOR HUGO

Creative Placemaking20

SECTION1 CREATIVE COUNCIL

COMMUNITYDESIGN LABS

ORGANIC GROWTHMODEL

The Creative Council, a sub-committee of Section1’s Board of Directors, consists of a multidisciplinary team of Baltimore based artists & designers. This council serves to provide curatorial, programmatic delineation and creative insight to Section1 leadership. The council consists of representatives from the many creative mediums the organization aims to serve. Current members include Dan Deacon, TTtheArtist, Billy Mode, DJ Fleg, and several other prominent creatives.

Section1 Creative Labs is a campaign aimed at activating the park through comprehensive collaborations with a wide range of local and regional stakeholders. This effort will provide the communities we aim to serve with a voice during the development of the park. Through open source ideation sessions, community workshops, collaborative site programing and a micro grants initiative, Section1 will allow the final design and program of the park to be developed inclusively.

Phased development of the park will allow Section1 to study how users and artists from culturally diverse and multi-disciplinary backgrounds use open space. This process will allow us to organically sculpt and inform the final design of the park through a community driven process. Additionally, this paced growth model will provide Section1 the opportunity to test and identify successful new concepts, and develop financially sustainable programming for future park operations.

PHASE IOCT 2015 - DEC 2016

PHASE IIJAN 2017 - MAR 2018

PHASE IIIAPRIL 2018 - DEC 2020

Phase I consists of four primary milestones. These include pre-development planning, community activation, site remediation and Phase1 construction. Upon completion of Phase1 all safety and access requirements will haven been addressed, allowing the organization to begin programing the space with revenue generating events.

Having completed all environmental remediation, site clean up and initial access requirements, Phase2 will begin with the development of the sites major features. This phase will consist of community design workshops, drafting construction documentation, and final construction of the sites skatepark, entertainment stages, and green space areas.

The final phase of the parks development will consist of the official launch of the parks operations and the construction of operational ‘shipping container’ facilities. Upon doing so the park will be financially independent and sustainable. Surplus revenues will be repatriated into various grants & programs intended to enhance the collaborative and creative culture of the park.

TIMELINE22

Phase Item Description Qty Per Unit Cost Total

I Phase 1 Development 1 ALLOW $448,061.00 $448,061.00II Silt Fence 650 LF $6.60 $4,290.00 II Roadway Asphalt Paving - 8" 772 CF $105.00 $81,060.00 II Curb & Gutter 630 LF $10.00 $6,300.00 II Storm Drain Piping 180 LF $56.00 $10,080.00 II Concrete Sidewalk - 4" 26000 SF $6.75 $175,500.00 II Concrete Roadways - 6" 4000 SF $8.00 $32,000.00 II Retaining Walls - 15' 92 CY $150.00 $13,800.00 II Railings 450 LF $65.00 $29,250.00 II Stairs 20 LF $205.00 $4,100.00 II Skate Park 18000 SF $35.00 $630,000.00 II Bathrooms 3000 SF $55.00 $165,000.00 II Landscaping 15000 SF $30.00 $450,000.00 II Theaters 5000 SF $200.00 $1,000,000 II General Lighting 1 ALLOW $25,000.00 $25,000.00 II General Power 1 ALLOW $10,000.00 $10,000.00 II Office Construction 1 ALLOW $100,000.00 $100,000.00 II Construction Docs 1 ALLOW $10,000.00 10,000.00 II Marketing 1 ALLOW $15,000.00 $15,000.00 II Labor: Project Salary 1 ALLOW $60,000.00 $60,000.00 II Contingency 20% $564,276.00III Phase 3 Development 1 ALLOW $1,000.00.00 $1,000.00.00

Total Project Cost 4,773,717

PROJECT ESTIMATES

Project estimates reflect industry benchmarks of roughly $1 million an acre in development cost. Additional funding will be required for the construction of operational facilities, as illustrated in Phase III. It is important to note that upon completion of Phase I, the park will be positioned to launch revenue-generating operations (concerts, festival, site rental, retail sales ect...) that will not only support the organizations operational budget, but also the parks future development. Proformas available upon request.

24HELP US PAINT THE FUTURE

OF BALTIMORESince the project’s launch in late 2012, our team of creative initiators has been fervently working to make this dream a reality. We have successfully obtained official support from all of our critical stakeholders, including Maryland Transit Authority, Maryland Institute College of Art, University of Baltimore, The Mayor’s Office, MDOT, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, and The Bozzuto Group. In addition to these prestigious organizations we have developed vast support from several prominent architectural firms, city councilmen, academics, artists, musicians, and community and business leaders.

Respectfully,

Richard BestExecutive DirectorE: richard@section-1.orgC: 931-241-1092

Section1 is now at a pivotal stage of growth, as we have begun lease negations with the various property owners who control the site. With a partial park opening slated in coming months, additional resources will be required to support Section1’s operations. Should you our your organization wish two learn more about partnering with Section1, or would like to request a site walkthrough, please feel free contact me directly at richard@section-1.org.

Thank you in advance for helping us paint the future of Baltimore.

SECTION1“RECL AIMED”

In the Spring of 2015 the Section1 team partnered with Volunteering Untapped, a Baltimore based nonprofit organization that combines volunteering efforts with social events to give back to the local community. This collaboration led to ‘Reclaimed’, which hosted a cleanup of the future park site.

Over 300 volunteered contributed to the effort and in under 4 hours collected over 40,000lbs of trash and debris from the site.

With the support of PNC Bank, Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts and the Baltimore City, Section1 became one step closer to opening its doors.

www.section-1.org info@section-1.org301 E 25th St Baltimore MD