Ten-thousand square feet of an old auto-body shop in downtown Lafayette will be transformed into a Coworking site. The space is in the Stein Building at the southeast corner of Sixth and South streets.
The Tippecanoe County Public Library owns its, but the city will lease it. Lafayette Economic Development Director Dennis Carson says the goal of a Coworking site is to foster start-up communities.
“Those can be around technology or any other kind of particular idea or cluster of industries or business,” he says. “We want people to be able to dream their idea here. Work on their idea here and launch it here in Greater Lafayette.”
A non-profit organization will be formed to run the Coworking site, which will sell memberships to use it. The plan is to have it operating this fall.
Carson says the city will refurbish the interior as part of the deal.
“It will be an open, flexible space, but we’ll also have maybe some smaller offices, some conference rooms,” he says. “The majority of it will be open with tables and chairs and places for people to work and meet and collaborate.”
Greater Lafayette Commerce, Purdue and Lafayettech are partnering with the city and library on the venture.