By Knox van Nagell | November 4th, 2009 | See all in Fayette Alliance Blog, Land Use News
Esplanande idea has potential for success
New plan for a small space
Excerpt from www.Kentucky.com, posted November 4, 2009
By Tom Eblen, Herald-leader Columnist
Maybe creating a vibrant downtown isn’t so much about grand plans as small spaces.
One small space with potential is the block of North Mill Street between West Main and Short streets. It retains most of its old buildings, which now house places to eat, drink and work. Developer Nick Ebbitt is converting the upstairs of several buildings into loft condos.
The block is in the middle of downtown’s emerging action: Galleries, restaurants and bars have sprouted along Short and in Victorian Square; Dudley’s is moving there; Cheapside is alive with the farmers market and other events that will only increase in popularity when a market house is built… Read more at Kentucky.com
By Knox van Nagell | October 30th, 2009 | See all in Fayette Alliance Blog, Land Use News
www.Kentucky.com
Distillery District projects get green light from state
Excerpt from www.Kentucky.com, posted October 30, 2009
By Beverly Fortune, bfortune@herald-leader.com
FRANKFORT — A state board gave final approval Thursday to the Urban County Government’s plan for $45.8 million in public infrastructure improvements for redevelopment of the Distillery District along Manchester Street.
The city plans several major improvements — new curbs, sidewalks, storm sewers and construction of the Town Branch Trail — for Lexington’s historic bourbon corridor, west of downtown… Read more at Kentucky.com
By Knox van Nagell | October 30th, 2009 | See all in Fayette Alliance Blog
Farmland and Sprawl
133 places rated: North America
Excerpt from National Geographic Traveler
“A real surprise, and has much more to offer than I would have ever dreamed. Sweeping views of pastureland, long stretches of uninterrupted beauty along the highways, fun little towns, and lots of history… A real must-see.”
“Legendary rolling hills are slowly giving way to modern developments that before long will make it another example of ordinary American exurbia. A land trust should be established soon and protection against uncontrolled development should be implemented.” Read more at National Geographic Traveler.
By Knox van Nagell | October 27th, 2009 | See all in Fayette Alliance Blog, Land Use News
Lexington ‘on the verge’ of revitalization, consultant says
Excerpt from www.kentucky.com, posted Oct. 23, 2009
By Beverly Fortune, bfortune@herald-leader.com
Play to win, Lexington. That means develop the attitude that you deserve to win, believe you can win and demand excellence.
That was advice Thursday from Rebecca Ryan, a consultant from Madison, Wis. “God has dealt you a very strong hand,” she said, pointing to Lexington’s natural beauty, educated work force and more diversity than many people realize. She described the city as “on the verge” of a revitalized, energized identity… Read more at Kentucky.com
Lexington advised to “play to win”
Excerpt from BizLex.com, posted Oct. 27, 2009
By Will Rouse
Lexington, KY – People are always looking for affirmation that what they are doing is right. The familiar image of a worried person nervously lain out on a stiff couch while a spectacled psychiatrist jots notes and occasionally mutters, “Uh-huh,” comes to mind immediately.
The recent luncheon at Buster’s Backroom and Billiards with Rebecca Ryan, owner of Next Generation Consulting, conveyed this image, but instead of a person being examined it was an entire city. For most of the presentation, Lexington seemed like it had been “on the couch” with a professional city consultant who was rebuilding self confidence and trying to establish swagger… Read more at BizLex.com
By Knox van Nagell | October 27th, 2009 | See all in Fayette Alliance Blog, Land Use News
www.kentucky.com
New growth Model
Excerpt from Kentucky.com, posted Oct. 25, 2009
Op-ed by Knox van Nagell
Best estimates say that an additional 60,000 people will call Lexington home by 2030.
So one of the central questions facing our community is not if we grow, but how we grow—and can we do it in a way that positions our built, natural and social environments for success in today’s rapidly changing world?
National and local market studies shed light on this complex issue. Our demographics are changing along with our housing preferences — determining how our community will look and function in the future. The single-family detached home in the ‘burbs has become less and less the housing unit of choice, when other options are available and affordable.
This summer, the Lexington-Fayette County Government completed — with the help of several national and local real-estate planning firms — a housing market study that identified our demographic trends, available land for development and preferred housing types and needs over the next 20 years…Click here to download Knox’s editorial on the Housing Market Study.
