The brisk pace of construction at the Summit at Fritz Farm belies the forethought and work that’s gone into creating Lexington’s anticipated mixed-use shopping district.
The project, which officially broke ground this past July, is helmed by Birmingham, Alabama-based Bayer Properties LLC, a property management and real estate fi rm. A Bayer Properties official recently revealed that construction has begun on The Summit’s 306 multifamily, condo-style apartments with site prep work on the retail portion to follow.
“We want to create a gathering place,” said Lindsay Bayer, who serves as the project’s creative director and brand strategist.
A wide variety of vendors are expected to fi ll out the 280,000 square feet of retail space, including stores with national reach in men’s and women’s apparel such as J. McLaughlin and Brooks Brothers. Sporting stores Orvis and Water + Oak will sell outdoor clothing and gear for backpackers, climbers and hikers. Other off erings include the bohemian chic Lotus Boutique; women’s jeweler Kendra Scott; gifts and accessories by Lily Rain; Anthony Vincé Nail Spa; home decor from Pottery Barn and Arhaus; and a new, stand-alone Whole Foods that will be double the size of its current Lexington Green location.
The Summit also will introduce a number of businesses to Kentucky. New culinary options will include the Southern craft popsicle chain Steel City Pops; the Mississippi-based Babalu Tacos & Tapas; J. Alexander’s, a casual dining restaurant; Nashville favorite Edley’s Bar-B-Que; and Shake Shack, a self-described “roadside burger stand” with locations across the globe, from Chicago to London to Moscow. Bayer Properties also says the Summit will bring in several other, as-yet-undisclosed outlets, including up-and-comers with fewer than 20 stores nationwide, a high-end cosmetics concept, and two New York City-based chains specializing in fashion eyewear and men’s apparel and accessories.
The project has had to overcome various obstacles during the creative development and construction process, including delays due to weather. One concern from locals is headache-inducing traffic. To combat further congestion, Bayer Properties has created three main entrances: one on Nicholasville Road, Man O’ War, and East Tiverton Way.
Another potential concern is The Summit’s nearness to Fayette Mall. Will the new development drive business away from established retailers?
Bayer said such worries are overblown.
“Fayette Mall is a very productive center, a very successful center, and we’re really not at all trying to compete,” she said. “We’re trying to complement it and bring something different. We’re creating a community with a very distinct point of view.”
Bayer, who is the daughter of company founder and CEO Jeffrey Bayer, said that The Summit’s multi-use nature means it will serve as more than just a space to eat and shop.
Aside from retail and food vendors, The Summit will host condominiums, apartments, 280,000 square feet of office space and a 120- plus room boutique hotel.
Award-winning garden designer and Kentucky native Jon Carloftis has designed a green area that Lindsay Bayer predicts will be “the heart and soul” of the development. This green area, laden with fire pits, water fountains and native plants, will serve as a community event space, offering seasonal activities such as group yoga, live music, exhibitions from the University of Kentucky’s art department and live broadcasts of UK sporting events on big-screen televisions.
Another promising aspect of the project is its collaboration with Lexington’s already thriving creative class. The Summit will offer an all-local food hall that Bayer describes as “sophisticated farm chic.” The hall is being built using wood preserved from barns that previously occupied the grounds. According to Bayer, local vendors will display their wares and flavors in adjoining stalls so that visitors can experience a true taste of Kentucky. Favorites Athenian Grill and Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream already have signed on, as has an as-yet-unnamed craft cocktail bar that uses all locally sourced ingredients. Famed Bluegrass chef Ouita Michel also will add to her culinary empire with a new standalone restaurant called Honeywood, which is being described as a high-end Kentucky tavern.
When development of The Summit was still in its initial stages, Bayer Properties looked to other “jewel box markets” like Charleston, South Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama; and Raleigh, North Carolina, for inspiration. Though these thriving cities are relatively similar to Lexington in size and tourist appeal, the developers said Lexington lacks the same concentration of higher end hotels, retailers and restaurants.
“Lexington demands that and deserves that,” Bayer said. “We also saw opportunity in Lexington. … A lot of local business owners and residents wanted to get behind the project, wanted to help, wanted to be part of it.”
While consulting influential figures in Lexington’s creative scene, Bayer learned the importance people here place on local and regional flavor.
“It was very apparent that the culture here runs deep,” she said. “People are very proud of their history, and we would be foolish to build a project that does not tap into that and tell that story.”
She added that Bayer Properties is keen to create an atmosphere that feels uniquely Lexington.
“The last thing we want to do is build a project that could also be in Cleveland, Indianapolis or Chicago. It needs to be very distinct to Lexington so when that local or tourist comes, it lives and breathes Lexington.”