Fayette Alliance Blog

Downtown Design Task Force Making Progress

By Knox van Nagell | March 23rd, 2011 | See all in Creating a Dynamic City for Everyone, Fayette Alliance Blog, How We've Made a Difference

Lexington | Photo by Jeff Rogers, www.jeffrogers.com

Over the past several weeks, the LFUCG downtown design taskforce has met regularly to discuss the vision and attributes of Lexington’s urban core. Members include interested citizens, developers, architects, neighborhood advocates, planning professionals, and elected officials.

The group continues to tackle a central question facing our community “how do we promote design excellence” downtown– so it remains a special, viable, human-scale destination for Lexingtonians and visitors alike.

Once a vision is determined, various design tools may be recommended to accomplish a downtown we can all be proud of. It is likely this discussion will continue in the months to come- so let us know what you think, and we’ll pass it on to the group! You can email us at director@fayettealliance.com.

Once complete, the group will report its recommendations to the Council for consideration and potential adoption. We’ll keep you posted at fayettealliance.com.

Tags: Design Standards, Design Task Force, Downtown Development, lexington, LFUCG No Comments »

Downtown Market to Open in May

By Knox van Nagell | March 23rd, 2011 | See all in Fayette Alliance Blog

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Town Branch Market is expected to open in May at East Main Street and Esplanade. Businessman Howard Stovall, who made the announcement Tuesday, said the store will carry local products whenever it can. DAVID PERRY | STAFF | Kentucky.com

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Second grocery announced for downtown Lexington

By Beverly Fortune, 3.23.11, Kentucky.com

A grocery selling food, beverages and sundries will open in May at 233 East Main Street, at the corner of Esplanade.

Plans for Town Branch Market were announced Tuesday by businessman Howard Stovall.

“We’re going to try to have the basics for people who work downtown,” he said.

Customers may pick up salads, milk, fruit and microwave meals. There will be fresh-brewed coffee, plus pastries, doughnuts and bread made by Lexington bakeries. “We’re going to try, whenever we can, to get products from local suppliers,” Stovall said… Read more at Kentucky.com

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Downtown Market with “Country Store Feel” to Open in May

By Tom Martin, 3.22.11, BizLex.com

Town Branch Market will open in May in space on the corner of Main and Esplanade in downtown Lexington, offering a place for office workers to pick up coffee, a drink, a bite to eat, or the sorts of essentials that have been hard to come by since Rite Aid disappeared in the demolition of the Centrepointe block.

“We will have some pre-prepared items – salads, sandwiches, things that can be microwaved, a lot of single-serving frozen entrees and shelf staples,” said proprietor Howard Stovall, owner of Lexington’s SignsNow franchise and a partner in the company that manages the nearby Kentucky Theater for the city. “We’re going to have a coffee bar, fountain drinks. And whenever possible, we’re partnering with local people. Donut Days Bakery (Southland Drive) is going to be supplying donuts and pastries. And I’m working with a couple of other people who will be supplying some Kentucky Proud products.”…Read more at BizLex.com

Tags: downtown, Grocery, lexington, Market, Shorty's, Town Branch Market No Comments »

Wendell Berry and the New Urbanism

By Knox van Nagell | March 21st, 2011 | See all in Fayette Alliance Blog

Wendell Berry | Photo courteesy of peacebypeace.com

Wendell Berry and the New Urbanism: Agrarian Remedies, Urban Prospects

by Mark T. Mitchell, 3.21.11, Front Porch Republic

The decline of community is a theme taken up by many today both on the right and the left. The solitary bowler, a memorable image from Robert Putman’s book Bowling Alone, represents the loss that many feel and confirms the intuition that, despite the many advantages the modern world provides, something has indeed been lost. But what exactly is a community? Does any group of individuals living in close proximity to each other constitute a community? Does a healthy community exist more easily in an urban, suburban, or rural environment? Although he does not argue that a good life is only possible on the farm, Wendell Berry writes out of the agrarian tradition, and his vision of community is articulated in a rural context centered around a small town. Berry’s work is useful in developing a sense of the various ingredients necessary for a viable community. However, it is necessary to ask if and how this vision of community, if indeed it is compelling, can be translated into urban and sub-urban contexts. Ultimately, the discussion of community is rooted in the question of human flourishing, and, interestingly, both Berry as well as certain urban designers point to the modern affinity for specialization as a prime culprit in the destruction of modern communities… Read more at www.frontporchrepublic.com

Click Here to read Wendell Berry’s essay “The Agrarian Standard” originally published in the Summer 2002 issue of Orion Magazine.

Tags: Agrarian, Agriculture, Community, New Urbanism, Rural, The Agrarian Standard, Wendell Berry No Comments »

On Common Ground: Summer 2010

By Knox van Nagell | March 18th, 2011 | See all in Fayette Alliance Blog

On Common Ground: Summer 2010 | Photo courtesy of realtor.org

“On Common Ground” is a publication distributed by The National Association of Realtors. In the Summer 2010 issue they focused on megatrends for the decade. Some of the trends identified include an increasing number of bike ways, higher demand for walkable neighborhoods, and an ever-growing focus on environmental sustainability.

Changes in demographics and consumer behavior will have a tremendous effect on real estate markets and transportation over the next decade. The tastes and attitudes of Generation Y, which represents today’s 20-somethings and teenagers, will be what determines what gets built and sold. Environmental challenges that cannot be ignored, such as water shortages and more expensive energy, will also play a huge role in the next decade. Building communities for this new era will require business people as well as government regulators to adopt new strategies… Click Here to download the publication.

Click Here to view individual chapters at realtor.org.

Tags: Development, Megatrends, On Common Ground, Real estate, The National Association of Realtors No Comments »

Return on Environment: The Economic Value of Protected Open Space in Southeastern Pennsylvania

By Knox van Nagell | March 18th, 2011 | See all in Fayette Alliance Blog

Return on the Environment | Photo courtesy of dvrc.org

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and the GreenSpace Alliance recently released Return on Environment – The Economic Value of Protected Open Space in Southeastern Pennsylvania – Final Edition and Technical Appendices.

More than just pretty places, preserved open spaces contribute to our local economies and property values, they help us save on everything from health care to recreation, and they perform valuable ecosystem services that naturally improve the air we breathe and the water we drink. These are the messages that the new study documents and will be used to convey to the public….Download the final report.

Click Here to see more versions of the report or view a summary.

Tags: Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Economy, Environmentalism, GreenSpace Alliance, Greenspaces, Open Space, Pennsylvania, Return on Environment No Comments »

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Who We Are

The Fayette Alliance is your voice at city-hall advocating for sustainable growth in Lexington…to achieve a world-class city in our world-class Bluegrass landscape.

Since 2006, the Alliance has worked with local government to usher over 50 major land-use policies into law that promote farmland preservation and our signature agricultural industries, responsible development, and improved water quality and infrastructure in Fayette County.

We are charting Lexington's future by positively impacting local zoning and policy decisions—the very building blocks of our community. Although many challenges still remain, we are accomplishing sustainable growth in Fayette County for a better quality of life, economy, and environment for all of us.