When senior Solomon Cottrell walks through his neighborhood in downtown Lawrence, he sees art everywhere. With artistic neighbors, noticing sculptures leaning in yards or artists working on streets isn’t uncommon.

In 2012, hoping to accentuate the historic and artistic spirit of downtown, the City Commission decided to develop the area between Massachusetts Street and Delaware Street into the Lawrence Cultural Arts District. Since then, the city has collaborated with a variety of professionals, from civil engineers to artists, to make the development possible.

Nearly two years into the project, the Lawrence Cultural Arts District blends the history and diversity of the area with the walkability of Downtown Lawrence. The district is the home of the Warehouse Arts District, which is a collection of repurposed warehouses now used as art galleries. The district also houses art studios, art schools and public art.

The nine-member Cultural Arts District Task Force plans to continue amplifying older areas of Lawrence with renovations instead of resorting to complete reconstruction.

“I’m happy to see that we can develop older properties instead of just tearing them down and building new ones,” said Patrick Kelly, local actor and Cultural District Task Force member.

As old warehouses become apartments and public art displays continue to spring up around Ninth Street, feelings are mixed.

Kelly admits there has been a “back-and-forth relationship” between the developer and the neighborhood.

Junior Sydney Combs, who lives on Ninth Street, remembers her neighbors discussing a petition to stop any construction of the district.

“Our neighbors showed us this information, a petition about why we shouldn’t have it,” Combs said.

However, the petition hasn’t stopped developers or Combs’ neighbor Cottrell from supporting the changes being made.

“I think that it looked a little bit rough there for a while so I think it’s good that they’re bringing some new life to that area,” Cottrell said.