"On Tuesday, Oct. 9, Lexington Vice Mayor Jim Gray announced to the Urban County Council the formation of a citizen task force on downtown entertainment development. The announcement formalized what had been a series of discussions by an ad hoc group of Lexington citizens interested in ensuring that art in general and live music performance in particular become integral to the city's evolving downtown scene. Full disclosure: I am a member of this group.
The purpose of the task force is to determine whether the complexities of regulatory, public safety and law enforcement, transportation, parking, financial and market issues that linger in fact or in perception from the downtown of yesterday remain relevant today, and whether those rendered obsolete by changing times should be altered or retired.
The urban center now taking shape and form in the heart of our city is not our grandfather's downtown Lexington. It's not our father's downtown. As a matter of fact, for many of us who recall the more recent versions, it's not the downtown Lexington of our own experience. The city center now emerging reflects economic and demographic realities that did not exist in the agrarian and industrial fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties or even the nineties. While much change has occurred in those key sectors of the local and regional economy, the presence and relative impact of higher education in our community has only steadily grown.
Today, Lexington, more than anything other than "The Horse Capital of the World," is a college city that is still struggling to fully exploit academic research as a resource for commercial growth. Efforts are being made, to be certain. The partnership of the economic development officers of the city, UK and Commerce Lexington implies important possibilities. In a city that relies on payroll taxes to finance patched sidewalks and potholes, firefighting and law enforcement — not to mention the costs of a forthcoming EPA mandate to repair our sewers — what options exist other than serious, smart economic development?
None.
This is not lost on Mayor Jim Newberry as he prepares to attend the Mayor's Institute on City Design, a partnership program of the National Endowment for the Arts, the American Architectural Foundation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. During the conference, opening in Charleston, S.C., on Oct. 26, leading design experts will work with mayors to help them find solutions to their cities' most critical urban design challenges. Newberry plans to present a "Town/Gown" plan that has been expanded to include not only downtown and the University of Kentucky, but Transylvania University as well.
It is becoming more widely and better understood that the downtown Lexington materializing today is critical to the well being of us all — urban, suburban and exurban dwellers alike. The mix of residency and hoped-for street-level commerce designed to attract, house, support, engage and entertain an educated, professional workforce is essential to the future prosperity of our city.
While we hope to see the establishment of certain forms of retail crucial to residency — a grocer, for example — the explosion of mega-retail centers all around us, from the well-established Fayette Mall and Hamburg Pavilion to similar new centers coming on line in Richmond and Georgetown, narrows the practical options for commercial activity in downtown Lexington. If the district is to thrive, it must provide an attractive reason to become a "destination" not only for those who choose to live in it, but also for those who live in all of the city's neighborhoods and neighboring communities. People like to linger over coffee and conversation at a sidewalk cafè. We are drawn to live music. We are inspired by visual art. It's nothing more mysterious than simply making allowances for us to be the way we are when given the opportunity to commune harmlessly in such specifically human pleasures.
From Knoxville and Paducah to Greenville, Asheville, Chattanooga and Louisville, arts and entertainment have been central to most, if not all, successful downtown redevelopment projects across the nation.
Lexington has traditionally focused heavily on sporting events and should continue to do so. What is missing, however, are equally funded, energetic and imaginative efforts to level the playing field for arts and entertainment.
Recognizing this, the task force on downtown entertainment development will investigate the regulatory environment that awaits any entrepreneur who is interested in investing and engaging in the risks of operating arts and entertainment venues in the downtown sector of Lexington. The aim is to discover ways to create an attractive commercial environment and to then invite the market to participate. There may or may not be a strong response. Either way, freed of outdated regulatory obstruction, the market determines the outcome.
Consider in the meantime, what has taken place in the development of the "Old Market" district of Omaha, Neb. Over recent years, there has been real effort on the part of city and civic leaders to encourage the growth of Omaha's arts community. These leaders understood that Old Market could not become what it is today without giving the arts community some latitude. Consequently, whenever someone came up with a slightly quirky way of doing something, efforts were made to find ways to allow it through code changes or financial incentives. The folks in Omaha have made it work by concentrating on creating the physical and legal frameworks that have brought just enough order to their downtown so that business and entertainment needs can be met while still allowing enough freedom for artists to flourish.
We believe the Omaha mindset should be emulated in efforts to bring Lexington into the hyper-competitive economy of the 21st century.
Task force members plan to roll up sleeves and examine what exactly is necessary for the growth of a vital live music component in the downtown scene. They will, in the near future, report on their findings and offer recommendations for making the very most of a fleeting opportunity that exists here in Lexington, Kentucky — right here, right now.
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