The plan for a linear downtown park that will follow Lexington’s historic Town Branch Creek is moving forward, with the Urban County Council giving the go-ahead for a $50 million private fundraising campaign to fund the project.
The Blue Grass Community Foundation (BGCF) will oversee the fundraising effort to help build and maintain Town Branch Commons, a two-mile series of planned parks, water features, streetscapes and bicycle and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. In addition to leading the fundraising initiative, BGCF will also establish a conservancy that will handle all future programming and infrastructure needs for the planned Commons.
“Town Branch Commons is a transformative project for our city that will link two existing trail systems: the Town Branch Trail and the Legacy Trail. It’s an important investment in transportation safety improvements and quality of life,” Mayor Jim Gray said in a release announcing the launch of the fundraising campaign.
The conceptual design for Town Branch Commons was developed by SCAPE/Landscape Architecture as part of an international design competition launched in 2012 by Lexington’s Downtown Development Authority (LDDA), which is coordinating the project. The plans call for a path stretching from the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden at Third Street and Midland Avenue along Vine Street to the Distillery District at Oliver Lewis Way.
“Town Branch Commons will have a lasting impact on our city and region, but it also offers the unique opportunity to organize and catalyze philanthropy at a completely new level for Lexington,” said Lisa Adkins, president and CEO of the BGCF.
The city of Lexington is also seeking a $13 million federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant that would be matched with $10 million in local funds and roughly $1 million from LexTran.
“The Commons has a broad spectrum of support,” said Jeff Fugate, president and COO of the LDDA. “Our grant application lists more than 65 project partners and supporters representing elected officials, higher education institutions, businesses, nonprofits, utilities and community organizations.”
For more information on the Town Branch Commons fundraising campaign, check the Blue Grass Community Foundation website at www.bgcf.org.