During the 1990s the City of Peekskill saw its population decline and its downtown area stagnate. Peekskill used art to solve these problems, creating a downtown hub with art galleries and inexpensive lofts that would attract artists priced out by New York City’s expensive property market. The city used economic development incentives such as tax breaks, grants, façade improvements, and loans to draw artists into the community and construct live-work artists’ lofts.