City of Ellensburg Capital-Unity Park Shade Tents

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4.1.4 Implement co-worlcing space und potential malcers spqce. Co-working spaces have moved from what some might consider a fad into a full-blown national trend with over 80% growth in available spaces during the past two years. According to the Commercial Real Estate Development Association report: Between 2005 and 2014 the number of co-working spaces has gone from 1 to 781. Deslcrnag monitors co-working spaces nationally and cites that 60%o of existing co-working spaces will expand in 2A15,4.5 new co-working spaces are created each day, and 245 people become members globally each day. Ellensburg has multiple opportunities to caprtaltze on this growth while building on partnerships within the Chamber of Comtnerce, with Central Washington University, and even with the creative community that thrives in Ellensburg and Kittitas County. Before delving into the specif,rc recommendations, it is important to begin to define how each of these spaces work, as semantics can sometimes get in the way of truly understanding the pupose of these new models for the workplace environment. It is also important to know that, although their definitions are provided beiow, the fluidity within which they can fuirction in a space is as creative as the very ideas themselves. Co-working spaces provide a place for individuals or small companies to work in a shared environment, Companies can interact with one another in informal ways, form collaborations, or simply share in the creative atmosphere of the space. Co-working spaces may host events and activities, but rarely provide formal business coaching. Such spaces provide conferencing capabilities, shared printers, a kitchen, restrooms, and most importantly high speed intemet access" Incubator spaces are also places where businesses co-habitate as well. A key difference between co-working and incubator spaces is the level of support provided to grow businesses. These spaces frequently have a higher education partner that is helping to cultivate and coach businesses toward success. Many incubators have the desire to "graduate" businesses from the space. There is already an incubator space in Ellensburg, so this approach may not be the most appropriate for downtown, although the trend is continuing to evolve into other kinds of incubators. Accelerator spaces provide a structured way to "graduate" companies, often within a specified period of time. Usually, accelerator spaces receive significant support from venture capital that is directly investing in the start-ups. The goals of an accelerator is to "spin out" successful ventures. These spaces tend to gravitate around like businesses that have collaborative capabilities. Makerspaces are physical locations where people gather to share resources and knowledge. Unlike the spaces described above, makerspaces focus on projects and fabrication. Consequently, makerspaces provide tools and facilities for the makers. While expefts or higher education- affiliated advisors might be available, makers frequently get help from other users. These spaces began to be associated with fields such as engineering, fabrication, computer science, and graphic design. Many makerspaces have higher education partnerships who desire to create an 29