The original developers of CentrePointe say they will complete the construction project as originally planned.
In a statement released today, R. Dudley Webb says, "This site is still privately owned and it is not for sale. The site will not be returned to a fenced paddock. It will not have a park or an amphitheater that will neither create jobs nor generate taxes for the City of Lexington. We intend to move forward with our original plan of the multi-use project that we previously presented, modified at the City’s request, and which the City approved. "
This comes after another developer, Bridgeton Holdings and Matt Collins, decided to pull out of the CentrePointe proposal with the city after it was determined to be too expensive for Lexington tax payers.
"The proposal simply asked too much from taxpayers. While everyone wants to see progress, it shouldn’t come at a premium to citizens. The developers were unwilling to consider the boundaries Council felt were necessary to continue negotiations," Mayor Jim Gray said in a statement.
That development came after city consultants discussed a location for a new city hall and CentrePointe was considered one of the possible options.
"The bottom line is that we have waited patiently, listened carefully, and hoped that we could get the same cooperation and assistance that the City has given to others, but it never came. As a result, we have now decided it is best to move forward with this project on our own, just as we originally planned, and to seek justice later. We all love this City, want it to be the best that it can be and want nothing less than an exceptional, multi-use project that can be enjoyed by everyone. All we are asking is for the public to know the full truth and to receive the cooperation of the City’s leadership and the Council to help us make this project a reality. This community deserves no less," reads the release from Webb.
“If real progress is occurring, then that is good,” said Susan Straub, spokesperson for the mayor.
It appears as though work has commenced on the site again as machines were working on the site Wednesday.
