A new makerspace and mixed-use condo building take shape down the street from an existing small-scale manufacturing workshop in the Magnolia Avenue Warehouse District. (Image: Google).
Although Knoxville is intentionally supporting small-scale manufacturing across the city, the Magnolia Avenue Warehouse District is a true hub for local makers. An ongoing streetscaping project is making the neighborhood more walkable and livable and the redevelopment of mothballed buildings has followed closely behind. Electric Co. Lofts carries forward the legacy of a 1920s furniture warehouse as a mixed-use condo building and 1200 McCalla will soon be hybrid co-working/showspace for artisans. Knoxville is also encouraging investment geared toward small-scale manufacturing outside the boundaries of the warehouse district, including a hotel redevelopment project that will double as a retailer for locally made goods.
Jim and Terrance concluded by underscoring their efforts for a more inclusive maker community. They’ve partnered with Etsy to offer free craft entrepreneurship classes in disenfranchised corners of the city and brought together community organizations to focus on diversity and inclusion during this year’s Maker City Summit.
Carrie Gartner of The Loop Community Improvement District (CID) in Columbia, MO described an impressive amount of activity since the technical assistance workshop was completed six months ago. Carrie and her team quickly activated a vacant lot with a pop-up park that engages the surrounding neighborhood daily, focusing on STEM education for kids and now serves as the new location the Loop’s maker fair. The team is collaborating with Moberly Area Community College to expand its mechatronics program—which will soon include new makerspace for students and community members—and Mizzou North to repurpose an old hospital kitchen as a space for emerging food producers.
The Loop CID is also paving the way for future developers by familiarizing city planning staff with the types of floor plans and operations common among small-scale manufacturing businesses and by proposing a series of long-term zoning changes to streamline new projects.