To show the support of the Mayor’s proposed Arts District I am signing this petition provided by the Downtown Neighborhood Association. The Arts District as proposed by the Mayor's Office meets the current and future needs of the downtown community. The Downtown Neighborhood Association Board supports the Mayor's plan for what amounts to a "district within a district" approach. By applying many of the same economic incentives that will be incorporated in the Arts District to the areas surrounding it -- and by extending out to areas surrounding the many arts and cultural landmarks that are nearby -- the rising tide on Broad Street will lift all ships. And by including iconic cultural anchors like the Richmond Ballet, the Black History Museum, the Valentine and the National, the district can gain leverage from the marketing muscle they represent. This approach, we feel, will be to the mutual benefit of the more focused and branded Arts District on Broad as well as to the surrounding business and residential communities within the larger district to which the Arts District's own success is closely tied. Name Contact