As Hazard envisions a new future, this building could be a catalyst for downtown development

Not long ago, downtown Hazard was one of many bustling cities tucked within the coal-rich hills of Eastern Kentucky, with a Main Street full of businesses that would draw crowds every weekend.

Ask any Hazard resident of a certain age, and they’ll tell you about the clothing stores, movie theaters, restaurants and the arcade that brought people out of the hollers and into the town during the decades where well-paying jobs were far easier to come by.

Those days are gone by anybody’s standards, but officials in Perry County and the City of Hazard are ramping up an effort to bring in new businesses and restore a level of vibrancy that many residents say is sorely needed.

“Unless you’re going to court or need a lawyer, you’re not going downtown,” said Angel Bowling, employee at Shenanigans, a restaurant in downtown Hazard.

Among their strategies are stronger zoning standards, substantial incentive packages for rent-paying businesses, and a flagship art studio project that could serve as a symbolic fist step toward a more lively future for the city.

Spearheading the effort is Bailey Richards, the downtown coordinator for the City of Hazard.

Richards works for both the City of Hazard and Perry County — officials said her dual-role is symbolic in itself, in a region where county governments and their largest cities often butt heads. She has focused much of her time on renovating a previously-vacant downtown building into an art studio and community space that is set to open this spring, called ArtStation.

When it is finished, the building will hold classes and studio space inside, and its large outdoor patio will provide a place for parties and other community events during the evenings.

A group called the Appalachian Arts Alliance bought the building six years ago but allowed it to sit empty. Last year, after a “come to Jesus moment,”Richards said, the group’s new board decided to move forward with renovations. It secured $250,000 of grants and loans from the Appalachian Impact Fund, and launched its own capital campaign.

The ArtStation will be one of the biggest building renovations in Hazard in years. Richards hopes it will be a catalyst for other downtown development projects, and foster excitement among residents who may be eager to see the downtown reemerge as a more vibrant part of the community.

“When one thing starts happening, lots of things start happening, and you kind of get optimistic again,” Richards said.

She hopes the crowds that the ArtStation draws create a demand for other businesses, like shops and restaurants, and that the city’s push to clean up some of the other vacant storefronts will provide spaces for them to rent or buy.

Perry County Judge-Executive Scott Alexander said the city and county have both worked to better enforce zoning standards, and have considered incentive programs to provide spaces rent-free if the tenants agree to maintain the building for a certain number of months or years.

The vacant and debilitated buildings create “an eyesore to not only our people but the people that we’re trying to invite in,” Alexander said.

“As we invite the outside world in, we’ve got to clean up,” he said.

Richards said a new administration in Perry County’s government has seen downtown revitalization as a more pressing concern. In addition to a new judge-executive in 2018, a new city commissioner for the City of Hazard ran largely on the idea of economic development.

Luke Glaser came to Hazard in 2013 for a job with Teach For America and, rather than leaving for law school, said he stayed and ran for office because “we were on the cusp of something really special.”

Rather than bringing back the Hazard of decades ago, Glaser said he wants to work with community members to find out what people want from an Eastern Kentucky downtown in 2020.

The city is not necessarily pushing for 100 percent occupancy in its buildings, Glaser said, but does want downtown to look inviting as people pass through, and have spaces for them to gather for events.

The ArtStation is a good first step, he said.

“The mayor always says, ‘We need a win, we’ve got to have our first win,’ and that’s it,” Glaser said of the ArtStation. “I want it to be the gathering space of the community, that doesn’t really exist right now.”

This story was originally published December 24, 2019 at 11:22 AM.