Zoning to exclude certain businesses is hard to do. Most artist-operated galleries are located in properties usually owned by someone else. So the market would drive out artist, as it has in other ex-art colonies like Santa Fe, Sedona, Gatlinburg, Boulder and Branson.
Art colonies have a depressing cycle. Artists move to a location because of low-cost housing, interesting surroundings, good services, strong galleries, proximity to a big art market and perhaps the presence of a strong arts community. Artists like to hang out and inspire each other, and cooperation has made some places like Bisbee an enduring art colony. A colony may become an art market, attracting the wealthy, who may want a vacation spot, and as a result drive up real estate prices and rents. Developers and property managers move in next, pricing out any business that cannot pay their jacked-up rents for display space, that can be paid by high-end boutiques and restaurants. Finally artists are priced out, even when they were the primary reason for ther popularity of a town or area. This cycle even happened in a downtown LA warehouse district. As a consequence those in the arts move to more and more remote locations like Creede. As someone who is both a working artist and a former longtime tourist railroader I understand both sides. Many artists in Creede were priced out of some other place and do not want to move again. However, they are overreacting, obviously. Despite Don Shank's dream of a successful tourist line to Creede, it is unlikely that it would have the impact that either Mr. Shank wants nor what the locals fear. There is a lot of competition in Colorado already, and as we have discussed before on the NGDF, the the tourist trade has already seen its best days.This is no put-down of the Shanks, as they have worked hard on preserving this historic line, but I think that Don could have handled it better with the town, or at least downplayed the impact. IMHO the Creede Line with its two wooden trestles over the Rio Grande would cost a lot to rehabilitate. However, if the branch was part of the SLRG system, it could be a a great alternate destination for a tour train from Alamosa. If done right the cooperation between the Creede branch, the SLRG, and the C&TS could make the San Luis Valley the best railfan destination in the country.
