Lexington, KY - The developers of a quietly evolving arts district along Lexington's National Avenue are ready to get even more creative, thanks to a development plan recently approved by the city's planning commission that designates the area as an adaptive reuse project.
Walker Properties, which owns 12 acres of property in the neighborhood along National, North Ashland and Walton avenues, has been well on its way to building an arts-friendly environment in the area, which is zoned as a wholesale and warehouse business, or B-4, zone. The company, which handles all its own general construction, has renovated multiple dilapidated warehouse buildings into open studio spaces with contemporary designs for local businesses such as Kentucky Mudworks, Henry Brown Bags and Schumacher's Art Supplies.
"We've been doing adaptive re-use and infill development since long before it was popular to do so," said Greg Walker, who owns Walker Properties, along with his brother, Chad Walker, and father, Randy Walker.
But the B-4 zoning limitations previously had posed an obstacle in the district's developing character as a creative enclave by limiting the permitted uses for the property, which adjoins the Mentelle residential neighborhood and also sits in close proximity to the neighborhoods of Kenwick and Bell Court.
Under a newly established adaptive reuse provision in the city's zoning ordinances, the area now has been given permission to pursue a host of creative business uses, including art galleries, entertainment venues, eateries and retail establishments.
"It's an idea that's been a long time coming," Walker said.
Walker's aim is to attract more artists to the area, and his definition of artist is a fairly broad one. The businesses that will fit best, Walker said, are those that incorporate a creative process into their work, or those who can cater to others who do. Walker hopes that entertainment venues and a good sandwich shop will find their way into the mix, but he's not looking for franchise establishments. He can envision some live performances by bands or visual artists to attract residents from nearby neighborhoods to the walkable community. His plans also incorporate various public art elements, including gateway public art installations and an art garden on the corner of National and North Ashland avenues. The company has not yet determined if these will be commissioned pieces or used for a possible rotating or tenant display.
But residents in nearby neighborhoods shouldn't expect to see the area change overnight, Walker said. He intends to allow the project to evolve naturally, as it has up to this point, and to focus on those businesses that can appreciate the structural character and creative vibe of the place, while offering a good fit for the community.
Walker hopes to transform the former Tuska foundry into an artist's co-op, with individual studio space surrounding a shared central gallery, where a rotation of the artists' work can be displayed.
"That's in process," Walker said. "We've had a couple of really good talks with artists who are interested."
Walker Properties also plans to construct a 30,000-square-foot building on National Avenue that will be intended to provide live-work arrangements well suited for those specializing in creative retail.
In addition to the arts-oriented businesses, a variety of health and fitness establishments have also been setting up shop in the area, including the triathlon shop Swim Bike and Run and a new wellness center, MÌ Mind and Body. These businesses provide a nice, complementary mix, Walker said, in addition to tuning in to the interests of the surrounding neighborhoods.
"For the neighborhood especially, any time you can bring in a fitness element or a wellness element, it's going to do well down there," Walker said.
As part of its adaptive re-use plan, Walker Properties will also establish a historical walking tour, highlighting the neighborhood's history in the bottling industry, including the former home of the John G. Epping Bottling Works on Walton Avenue.
Learning more about the area's history is an important step in understanding and appreciating the structure and design of the neighborhood and its buildings, said Walker, a self-proclaimed history buff.
Walker said that he and most of his creative-minded clients appreciate the well-worn nature and aesthetic imperfections that reflect that history, like gnarly concrete floors and exposed roof trusses.
"With Greg's vision of the contemporary spaces, once he started down that path, the creative market could really appreciate the vision," said Randy Walker, Greg's father, who began purchasing property in the National Avenue area in the mid-1990s. "They like the spaces because of the way they look and how they complement their businesses."
Debbie Hicks, who owns Schumacher Art Supplies with her husband, Doug, said that design vision played a part in their decision to relocate to National Avenue.
"We wanted a building that was sort of like the art spaces in Soho," Hicks said. "The warehouse look, but a little bit upgraded."
Hicks said the area's residents seem particularly geared toward artistic pursuits, and she sees a high demand for studio space that also offers retail opportunities for local artists interested in selling their work.
"I was really surprised when we came into this area at the working artists that are living in the neighborhood," Hicks said. "It's not just visual artists and painters, its musicians and videographers and more. I think it's going to be nothing but positive for the neighborhood."
Some of the existing businesses have also had preliminary discussions about establishing a street art fair to help promote the area and bring in more working artists, possibly starting this October, Hicks added.
Aside from the plan for the National Avenue area, the only other project that has applied for consideration under the city's adaptive reuse provision is the Distillery District under development on Manchester Street. Walker said the provision currently seems to favor larger-scale projects, and while he said there is still more work to be done on the adaptive reuse program, he sees it as a good step forward for the city.
"The adaptive re-use program is definitely a gift," Walker said, "and we're not going to take it for granted."
The adaptive reuse provision originated as part of the city's infill and redevelopment upgrading, which started in the early 2000s, said LFUCG director of planning Chris King.
"It's important to get more flexibility in the utilization of the land we already have inside the urban services area," King said. "It gives more opportunity to developers and it provides for the likelihood that more of the buildings will be preserved, which helps with the character issue."
And because heavy, smokestack-type industries have not been prevalent in Lexington, many of the city's industrial areas are not ill-suited as places to live and can offer opportunities for an interesting mix of uses, King said.
For Walker, the ultimate litmus test will be the project's ability to draw pedestrian traffic by attracting the interest of patrons from nearby residential communities.
"When I see the Mentelle neighborhood people walking down there, I'll know we have succeeded," Walker said.