By Jackson - Lytle
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wuky/local-wuky-823798.mp3
Lexington, KY – That plan centers on major improvements to the space around Broadway, Vine, Main and Limestone streets, and construction of a glass pavilion in Cheapside Park.
Clete Benken is an architect with Covington-based KKG Studios, the firm charged with drafting with the streetscape plan.
"What the mayor has talked about and what council has asked for is that we think beyond what's here today and think about setting the stage for a future where you can park your car at one end of downtown and decide that if you want to go to lunch on the other end, you're going to leave your car there and you're going to walk or you're going to take the circulator and you're going to find along the way that you've got entertainment destinations, dining venues, retail opportunities that you don't have today."
Curb-side gardens, a water promenade and a new home for the Farmer's Market are included in the plan, much of which Lexington Mayor Jim Newberry hopes to have complete by the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Shoring up dollars could be a major roadblock. The mayor and council hope that money from the federal economic stimulus package, and state approved tax increment financing will help defray some of the costs.
The Downtown Streetscape Master Plan will also be available for public viewing today in the Government Center from 5-7:30.