A Lexington project again has made the list of Knight Cities Challenge winners, officials announced.
“Plant & Play,” one of two projects submitted this year by the North Limestone Community Development Corp. (NoLi CDC), will receive $125,000. The funds will be used to build a community garden and play area in 30-acre Castlewood Park on the city’s north side.
“Plant & Play” is one of 33 projects that will share in $5 million of funding as winners of this year’s Knight Cities Challenge. Other winning projects include providing a space for Philadelphians to develop city service solutions through a traveling city design lab; further enlivening the Detroit waterfront by creating an inviting, urban beach; and replacing an inoperative freeway in Akron with a lush forest and public space to connect two physically and socially isolated neighborhoods.
“These Knight Cities Challenge winners will help to create avenues for people to contribute to their community,” George Abbott, Knight Foundation director for community and national initiatives, said in a statement. “Their ideas propose to bring together diverse residents, ensure talent thrives, and connect people to place, giving them a stake in city-building.”
With the “Plant & Play” project, the NoLi CDC proposes to work with its partners and stakeholders, including Lexington Parks & Recreation and neighborhood residents, to create a community-supported garden in Castlewood Park where neighbors can grow fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs, as well as host community meals and provide an inviting outdoor space for people to gather and garden. Additionally, the project includes plans to build a natural playscape in the park with sculpted earth, water features, art installations and other elements.
Lexington projects have made a strong showing in previous years of the Knight Cities Challenge. In the inaugural year, NoLi CDC was awarded the competition’s second-largest grant — $550,000 — to create a food hub and small-business incubator in the former Greyhound bus terminal on North Limestone. That project is still in development. Last year’s top local grant winner was “Phoenix Forward” by the Lexington Public Library, which was awarded $150,200 to build programing incorporating the Central Library and the adjacent Phoenix Park.
This year’s competition gathered more than 4,500 proposals from nonprofit and government organizations, as well as design experts, urban planning groups and individual citizens, in 26 cities where the Knight Foundation is invested. The Lexington competitors represent six of 144 total finalists named in this year’s challenge.
The Knight Cities Challenge is sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The program, in its third year, provides $5 million to community and economic development projects in cities where Knight once owned newspapers, including Lexington where it is the former owner of the Herald-Leader.