The Commons, a mixed-use development inside New Circle Road and adjacent to Lexington’s city core on the north side, is bringing a vibrant vision to a neglected part of town. “We say, ‘It’s a place to unite, work, play, and live,’” said Daren Turner, the developer of the project and owner of Turner Properties. “And that piece of property was just sitting there. We’re enjoying rebuilding it and doing something with it.”
The Commons is bringing together light industry, office space, arts, dining, entertainment, retail, and Airbnb short-term rentals, all in the midst of lush landscaping with walking paths and water features. The development already has major tenants. RD1 Spirits recently broke ground on its brand home, adding the site to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
In 2020, Amy Mellinger, now leasing agent for the Commons, took Turner to view the 36-acre parcel along one side of Turner Commons Way, which borders Main Street near the Lexington Cemetery and terminates near New Circle Road. “I fell in love with it,” said Turner. He was taken with the massive mature pine trees along the left side of the road. To the right, the Commons is bordered by railroad tracks.
The property has five 39,000-square-foot warehouses, built all in a row in the 1950s, that stored tobacco for the G.F. Vaughn Tobacco Company as recently as a decade ago. Located in line with the warehouses is a 127,000-square-foot warehouse built in 2002. The property has two looming water towers, one of which is visible from New Circle Road. “Those towers are iconic features,” Turner said. “We’re going to have some fun with those — bring them to life with some neat lighting and cool landscaping.” Two small pump houses that once served the water towers are being gutted and expanded. One will house a coffee house, and the other a stand-alone restaurant.
Soon after the initial acquisition, Turner added four acres to the Commons with the purchase of an adjacent parcel that includes a 16,500-square-foot building. It also came with direct access to Forbes Road, adding a second entrance/exit to the property.
Three of the former tobacco warehouses and the larger warehouse have been renovated with interiors built to suit the occupying tenants. The variety in tenants is striking, and the cavernous interior spaces accommodate the unusual. Public-facing tenants include Sora Aerial Arts, which offers professional training for recreation and performance in the aerial arts and other fitness programs. Battle Axes occupies a 63,000 square-foot space that includes a high-speed go-kart track, indoor zip lines, axe throwing, bowling, and a “rage room,” as well as food and beverage service. Gym Blue offers strength-building equipment alongside cardio machines and a small CrossFit rig.
The development is zoned I-1, with a PUD-3 overlay, allowing for both mixed-use and light industrial uses. There are currently about 20 acres available for development.
Other tenants in the warehouses include Glass Doctor, Demolition Magicians, Heritage Window, Signs from Above, Amteck, Ruskin, SynTerra, and Lexington Manufacturing Center. Thoroughbred Engineering occupies the near 16,000-square-foot first floor of the Forbes Road building. A renovated mechanic shop now serves as the corporate office for the Commons, with tall ceilings and walls clad with wood salvaged from barns on the property. Sherman Carter Barnhart architecture firm now occupies 11,000 square feet of the first newly constructed building there, leaving 7,000 square feet for another tenant.
A major feature will be an entertainment center called the Rail. “We’re embracing the railroad,” said Turner. Turner and the team have designed the backside of the Rail building, which faces the tracks, to replicate a 1950s train station. (Because there are no railroad crossings along the property line, trains aren’t required to sound their whistles as they roll by.) The Rail will have capacity for about 1,000 people. The entertainment area will extend outside, where Turner said large screens and speakers will share what’s happening inside, which will include concerts, comedy acts, plays, and other productions. The Commons is in talks with a Texas outfit that may operate the entertainment venue.
Close to the Rail, a cluster of five buildings will have retail on the first floor, with Airbnb luxury suites on the second and third floors. “My goal is to fill [the retail floors] with lots of Kentucky artists,” said Turner. From hat makers to glass blowers, he’d like to attract a range of craftspeople as tenants, along with boutiques. The stores can range from 600 square feet to larger. The Commons currently has 52,300 square feet available for retail and restaurants.
The Commons includes 20 acres available for development. The entire property is zoned I-1, which means it’s zoned for light industry. As a first for Lexington, the city overlaid the property with a PUD-3 (Planned Urban Development) zoning, which allows flexibility for mixed-use development, including light industrial.
“What’s unique about Turner Properties is that we can do it all,” said Mellinger, leasing agent for the Commons. She said the architects, construction managers, and real estate and property managers are all in-house. “We all work together, which streamlines everything for the future tenant.”
Turner points out that the development right now has two architectural engineering firms, each with more than 100 employees. “That creates a customer base for our restaurants and retail,” he said. “We’re working hard to get the right tenants.” Mellinger said they are not looking for franchise concepts. “We want unique eateries, and we want a family-friendly environment,” she said.
The grounds will feature a 1.5-miles-long walking trail, with benches and plantings overlooking a rainwater retention pond with an underground stream that feeds into the Town Branch of South Elkhorn Creek. Turner said that landscaping and trees are important to the overall design.
A planned walking trail will include benches and plantings, with areas overlooking a rainwater retention pond.
“Over the next four to five months, you’ll see a lot of steel being hung with cranes down there,” said Turner. He projects that the RD1 Spirits and Goodwood restaurant and brewery, another tenant opening a location in the Commons, will open by late summer. Before that opening, construction will have begun on the Airbnb buildings and the Rail entertainment center, with its opening expected in the spring of 2025. Mellinger said she’s continually giving presentations and tours to prospective tenants, including a “global entertainment company” that’s looking at building a large facility.
“Everybody on our team is from Kentucky, and we all have raised families here,” said Mellinger. “We want to provide this project, a legacy, for Lexington. It’s a project that we want to be proud of, and that our kids and grandchildren can enjoy.”