LEXINGTON, KY - It's happened again.
As the walls came down along the corner of Main and Vine Street, and news of the development of a one-story CVS pharmacy on the lot began to circulate, the mixed reactions and confusion also started to surface. While some are lauding the return of a pharmacy to downtown, many are pointing to the project, which will include a drive-through and a surface parking lot, as a complete disregard for the city's painstakingly crafted Master Plan, which identifies that corner as a crucial gateway to downtown Lexington.
Once again, they say, Lexington takes what it gets. So much for downtown planning.
But is our planning to blame? Why does it seem that, when it comes time to implement our plans, Lexington so often appears to stop short?
The first and most obvious reason is because it takes money to support and encourage the development we want to see, and that is currently in short supply. The redevelopment taking place on the corner of Main and Vine is a great example of how a lack of public support for the necessary infrastructure (in this case, a public parking garage) can waylay the best-laid plans for one of Lexington's key downtown gateways. The city simply did not have the funds to build the garage, and without it, the developer had to set aside initial plans to construct a multi-level, mixed-use structure that would have extended along most of the Main Street block. Instead, the pharmacy will be built there. Main & Vine LLC, which owns the property, has negotiated for fencing with stone columns to match Thoroughbred Park around the parking lot, and it has allotted space on the corner for public art. No additional development, however, is currently slotted for the block.
A Master Plan is a fine document, but it requires an investment in public infrastructure to realize that vision, and it's an unfortunate fact that the city's pockets are relatively empty. We could chalk it up to poor timing, but finances notwithstanding, while we have taken a great deal of time to plan what we want for our downtown, we have a relatively weak plan for how to get there.
Essentially, we as a city can make suggestions, but with few exceptions, we have established no design standards for downtown, and we have no means to encourage or require developers to conform to our Master Plan. And so we are left to hope that developers will simply do the right thing, for the good of our community. It will take long-term resolve on the part of the community and its leaders to build any real strength into our vision for downtown, but too often, our resignation is more bitter than our determination.
How can that be changed? First, the citizens of Lexington still need to be persuaded that good design is not a planning exercise, but an economic imperative. The community must be convinced of the value that a well-designed downtown core will bring for them, even if they live well outside of New Circle Road. They must also realize that good design means more than the color of a brick facade, and it extends beyond the architectural plans for any single downtown lot. It is the framework for a vibrant and inviting city, a desirable place to live, work and play. It's not simply a matter of making Lexington look nice; we need a city that is useful to all of us, socially and economically.
The University of Kentucky's College of Design has taken a solid first step in building that community resolve for sound downtown design. In March, the college hosted a daylong symposium on design and politics at the Central Library to discuss the important role design should play in the development of government policy. Another event, 3 & 1, planned for April 13, invited international designers and thinkers to share their perspectives on contemporary architecture at Lexington's Land of Tomorrow (LOT) gallery on Third Street. Michael Speaks, the UK College of Design dean, is building a strong argument based on the functionality of good design, and he's bringing that argument to the heart of Lexington.
Our hope is that a community that understands the benefits of a well-designed city core will move beyond the project-by-project, knee-jerk reactions that have become so commonplace for Lexington. We can then begin to establish the necessary infrastructure and allocate the resources needed for the long-term implementation of our plan for a vibrant downtown.
When faced with a project like the one being constructed on Main and Vine, we as a city have a tendency to point to it as another lost opportunity. We throw up our hands and use it as an example of the futility of downtown planning. We identify the obstacles to our vision, such as our current configuration of one-way streets, and we conclude that they are insurmountable.
We could spend a lifetime pointing out what we see as wrong for downtown, or we could work to make it right. Main & Vine LLC has ensured that the building will be constructed in a way that will allow it to be incorporated into a possible future mixed-use development that could encompass the block, should the city someday find the means to finance a parking garage.
But it takes a will to find a way, and it will require a communitywide appreciation for the returns to come from a well-designed city before we can implement and invest in it like we mean it.