The heart of downtown Hagerstown was designated by our community as an Arts & Entertainment District in 1999. This four block area around Public Square contains the core area of Hagerstown's central business district and downtown National Register Historic District. The district has a wealth of distinctive and ornate historic buildings from the downtown's heyday as a regional center for commercial and government activity at the turn of the last century. Accessibility to the district is excellent with a street grid system that includes US40 on Washington Street (eastbound) and Franklin Street (westbound) and MD60/65 passing through on Potomac Street. Public parking is plentiful and affordable in this four-block area.

As envisioned by our community, the thriving A&E District will be an active, vibrant area in Downtown Hagerstown with the flavor of Georgetown, Alexandria, Ellicott City and Shepherdstown in a unique atmosphere which could only be found in Hagerstown. The goal for the A&E District is to foster the continued concentration of cultural, dining, educational and entertainment enterprises in this area to draw families, tourists, arts patrons, fine dining patrons and school groups to Downtown Hagerstown on a regular basis.

The main anchors for the A&E District are the Maryland Theatre, www.mdtheatre.org, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, www.marylandsymphony.org, the Washington County Free Library, www.washcolibrary.org, and the fine dining establishments in this area. Other enterprises drawing people to the A&E District include:

• Washington County Arts Council Gallery, www.washingtoncountyarts.com
• Just Lookin' Gallery,www.justlookin.com
• Washington County Playhouse
• City Ballet School/Potomac Classical Youth Ballet Companywww.pcybc.com
• A variety of fine specialty retail enterprises

Major new Anchors are the University System of Maryland Education Center on W. Washington Street, www.hagerstown.usmd.edu, University Plaza and The Discovery Station, www.discoverystation.org.

The A&E District also hosts a number of festivals and events which draw large numbers of people to Downtown Hagerstown:

• Western Maryland Blues Fest (first weekend in June), www.blues-fest.org
• Augustoberfest (second weekend in August), www.augustoberfest.org
• Community Concert Series
• Little Heiskel Ski Club Annual Ski Swap, www.littleheiskellskiclub.com
• Maymart
• Market in the Square
• Washington County Free Library's Gala In The Stacks, www.washcolibrary.org
• Washington County Free Library's history lecture series, www.washcolibrary.org
• Mummers Parade at Halloween
• Miss Maryland Contest, www.missmd.info
• Thursday Noon Plaza Party, www.washingtoncountyarts.com
• First Fridays, www.hagerstownmd.org/shared/calendarofevents.asp

Existing downtown cultural activities and restaurants currently serve the Hagerstown metropolitan area which extends across Washington County, north into Pennsylvania, south into West Virginia, and west into Allegany County. The Prime Outlets Mall on Hagerstown's southern border already attracts patrons from outside our region to the east of us. The Western Maryland Blues Fest and Sister City Weekend draw tourists downtown from well outside our region. As the A&E District evolves and marketing efforts improve, we anticipate that Hagerstown's A&E District will also become a leisure destination for tourists traveling through the region and to Prime Outlets.

The long-range plan for the A&E District calls for the creation of two new parking decks south of Washington Street and the establishment of a new Performing & Visual Arts Center. The first deck is under construction on S. Potomac Street and will be open in 2006. The Washington County Arts Council is exploring the Arts Center idea.

The feasibility study for the proposed Barbara Ingram School for the Arts will be completed this winter. This charter school for high school students could open as soon as 2007.

In 2001, the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development designated the district as a Smart Growth-A&E District. This designation makes developers, A&E enterprises, and artists eligible for certain tax incentives.

The tax incentives for the Smart Growth-A&E District are available for 10 years, starting July 1, 2002. Developers who renovate space for artist housing or A&E enterprises are eligible for: 1) property tax credits equal to 50% of the increase in assessment resulting from the rehabilitation work; and 2) loans from the Maryland Economic Development Assistance Fund. Artists who live and work in the A&E District are eligible for income tax subtractions. A&E enterprises are exempt from the Admissions and Amusement Tax. For more information, email planning@hagerstownmd.org.

Anyone interested in locating a business or developing property in the A&E District should contact the Economic Development Director at (301) 739-8577, ext. 141, or email at deverhart@hagerstownmd.org.