A few years after being a little more than an ambitious concept, Town Branch Commons, a urban trail system planned for downtown Lexington roughly following the city’s founding waterway, now has a real-world start date for construction.
City officials say work will being in 2018 on the 3.8-mile trail system that will link two other major trails on the east and west ends of down- town. It will connect Town Branch Trail, which begins at Masterson Station Park, to the Legacy Trail, which runs to the Kentucky Horse Park. The entire project is projected to be completed in 2020.
“We will have a contiguous 22-mile section of trail that starts in a truly rural area, goes through the downtown urban environment and again goes out to rural areas,” said Environmental and Public Works Commissioner Dowell Hoskins Squires. “You’ll have a protected pedestrian/biker way.”
Earlier this summer, the city won a $14.1 million federal infrastructure grant, which will pay for much of the work on Town Branch Commons.
The urban portion of the trail will follow, roughly, the route of Town Branch Creek, which historically flowed through the downtown area but is now largely confined to underground culverts.
“Instead of digging up the creek, they are proposing creating linear green zones,” said Van Meter Pettit, president of Town Branch Trail Inc., a nonprofit that has helped head the trail project. “Instead of a concrete sewer under the pavement, you create a landscape zone on top that can catch stormwater. Water will be visible, but it will not look like a creek or river. The water will be recirculating for the pleasure of people.”
In a map released by the city at a recent work session of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, seven work zones were identified as segments of Town Branch Commons. They are: Zone 1: Midland Avenue corridor landscape; Zone 2: the Transit Center area along Vine Street; Zone 3: what is called downtown streetscape; Zone 4: Triangle Park at Main and Midland; Zone 5: Town Branch Park; Zone 6: the Distillery District along Manchester Avenue; and Zone 7: the Legacy Trail connector.
All but Zone 5, Town Branch Park, are fully funded by either federal grants or bond money the city is committing to the project. The proposed park will be located behind Rupp Arena and the Lexington Convention Center and will be largely paid for with private donations. Blue Grass Community Foundation has a contract with the city to assist in the fundraising. A memorandum of understanding between the city and Lexington Center, which owns the land in question and which oversees Rupp Arena and the convention center, must still be approved. The memorandum will outline each party’s role in the project.
Businesses and residential buildings along the Town Branch Commons route stand to benefit from more pedestrian traffic plus an improved streetscape.
“We are big fans of Town Branch Commons,” said Phil Holoubek, president of Lexington’s Real Estate Co. (LRC), which is planning several developments along the trail’s course. “We are excited that funding is in place and we look forward to the city moving ahead with design and construction.”
Among Holoubek’s projects is Main+Vine, a three-story, mixed-use development at the intersection of Main, Vine and Midland. The area is a gateway into downtown on the city’s east side along Town Branch Commons’ path. Holoubek said his project will break ground late this year. Farther down Midland Avenue is another LRC project, called The Midlands, a collection of craftsman-style town homes. Construction on that is expected to start in 2017. Other LRC projects also are planned for Midland Avenue.
“Ensuring that there is an awesome street/bike path the entire length of Town Branch Commons is absolutely critical to its success,” said Holoubek. Since there will be such a blending of city and private development along the route, Holoubek said “it shows the importance of the public and private sectors working hand in hand to make the design work,” he said.
With the Herald-Leader building up for sale and new development expected along Midland, the area is poised for dramatic change. Holoubek believes the mixed-use construction, park and trail are a good start and hopes traffic issues are addressed.
The next major step for Town Branch Commons is work on design. The city has accepted bids for the design work. A design firm could be selected in the next few months.