LexRides

[brokebike]

the Lexington I want to protect is the Lexington that is slated to be destroyed in the next 2.5 years.
_________________
------------[] O

[brokebike]

didn't I say something earlier in this thread about a fucking "sandstone-hued building" with "green tinted glass"?

what a coincidence.
_________________
------------[] O

[elzie5000]

Demolition to be finished by August. Wow.

Fucking up Phoenix Park is a nice little adder.

[Christopher]

[elzie5000]

I don't get that part. Does that mean they're going close North Limestone?

I took that part to mean they were going to expand the parking garage that is behind the library currently. Something like that.

This means the city agreed to sell part of the park?

Gotta pay those EPA fines somehow.

What about the zero mile marker? Where's that going to go?

They'll move it to some other random place, like they've done in the past.

[jkizzle]

this is just all around unfortunate. the architecture is not good, the projected size is not good, the cost is not good OR SUSTAINABLE, the impact on the surrounding area is not good...

seriously, who comes up with this stuff. There are still like 3 more "urban style" condo buildings slated to go up before this building is finished - they havnt started them yet because they cant sell any units...

[jkizzle]

also, they move the farmers market, the highest grossing outdoor market in the region (maybe country), and plan to throw this thing up in 2 years! that means street closures, tons of work going on in extended hours etc, making downtown a real pain the ass for the next two years.

this shit is busted, im going to see what kind of hell i can raise in the architecture department tomorrow...

[charlenemingus]

I just got back from the council meeting where the Webb Company and Harold Tate of the Downtown Development Authority spoke to the council about the development. Andrea James, Jim Gray, Dick DeCamp and Tom Blues all expressed concern and even opposition to trying to get the building completed by the 2010 games. Andrea expressed a lot of concern about public input actually being heard and changes being made to the plan if the public felt the building didn't fit with their vision, ie. the building is too tall. I'll have more info. posted from my notes tomorrow.
Charlene

[brokebike]

[Christopher]

There are still rounds of local and state approvals. There's still time for public comment. There's still time to try to impact this craziness.
_________________
http://www.lexingtonbikeracecalendar.com

[dan]

The Tax Increment Financing aspect of this dirty business is especially disgusting. Bad enough to see the Dame raped by "Ole Cock and Balls", but for us to foot the bill?!

Here are some links from the Chicago Reader about TIF.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/theworks/071101/

http://www.chicagoreader.com/tifarchive/

and

http://www.commissionerquigley.com/library/taleoftwocities.pdf

The practice of using TIF is controversial enough for things like improving blighted neighborhoods, building schools, museums and things like that. To use it to slap up luxury condos and a four star hotel that will sit vacant reeks of corruption.

[jkizzle]

[seicer]

A dedicated thread to this can be found here with rendering.

Just to clear up some details --

1. Phoenix Park will be reduced by 1/3. As it is, the park is only a little over 15 years old and is heavily underutilized. It rests below road grade, is almost in a constant shadow of other buildings, including Park Plaza and the DDA, and is far too separated from the streetscape via a water barrier.

As someone who actually uses the park and lives in front of it, I won't be sad to see it go. While it was needed greenspace when it was built, given that you had a continuous block of buildings where the Courthouses now reside, the Courthouse Plazas offer far more greenspace and are almost always bathed in constant sunlight. Many events are held here in lieu of Phoenix Park.

2. The development east of Limestone will consist of a two-story retail structure with a four-story parking garage that will be connected to the Lexington Library Parking Garage and Park Plaza mid-rise. This will also be connected, via a pedway, to Centrepointe.

3. The rendering shows a pull-in for hotel guests and for the underground parking garage off of Vine.

4. There will be two-stories of retail (or clubs/bars/etc.) on all four-sides, with two stories of office space on top of that. A hotel will be in the center, followed by condominiums/leased units, and a restaurant on top.

5. The Webb Cos. own the entire block, making property acquisitions a non-issue. They have also secured outside financing, although they are applying for tax-increment financing (TIF). TIF has been used many times in Louisville (it was limited to Louisville for many years, but recently expanded under the Fletcher administration to Lexington and northern Kentucky) to fund projects like Museum Plaza and Riverfront Park Place. TIF is innovative financing because it is designed to tax the increases in property value resulting from property improvements. Given that the development will be vastly more dense than what is there now (parking lots do not generate much...), and given that there is more there than condos, there will be a steady stream of revenue.

6. They are preparing for an August demolition date and for a completion by summer 2010. They aren't playing around with this one either -- they have begun or have evicted most of the block. Rite-Aid will soon close and possibly relocate in a development that will be in the triangle bounded by Main, Rose and Vine, or just wait for Centrepointe to open. I hope that The Dame and Mia's can find new locations, or negotiate space inside Centrepointe (although doubtful).

7. It will be Kentucky's largest LEED building, and one of the largest in the United States.

Personally, I'm cautious about the project. The Webb Cos. have shown that in the past, faced with many obstacles that involve financing, construction delays and downturns in the economy, they have pulled off the project in a very expedited manner. They have shown commitment to this project and aren't second guessing it, given that the design is pretty much etched in stone (there have been renderings floated around for quite a while). Their prior projects have been a bit of a drawback to downtown, IMO, given that while the buildings may be useful or practical, they are fairly negative to the streetscape.

Festival Market was popular when it first opened, but has since readapted to become nothing more than office space and locations for restaurants and eateries. Lexington Financial Center is a success, but its plaza is uninviting and its parking garage is a total waste. World Trade Center/Radisson is useful, but its streetscape is a bust and its design is hideous to say the least (it was built on the cheap and had expedited construction due to financial issues back then).

I will miss The Dame and Mia's if they move, and I really hope they can find new places in the downtown to locate to. But at the same token, I'd like to see some tasteful redevelopment occur on (most) of that block -- most of the buildings are not historic or are parking lots.

What I am looking for in this project is --
1. Room for the Farmer's Market. I think that they could somehow incorporate it into the design, or possibly construct a venue similar to what is in Huntington elsewhere on Vine (as part of Vine's reconstruction) or maybe in place of the remaining Phoenix Park.

I did notice that they stopped work on renovating the cafe at Park Plaza into something else. They began interior demolition in January but pulled out only a few days later, and I am assuming that they were given word that their cafe would face retail shops at Phoenix Park.

BTW --
http://www.lexingtondda.com/assets/Public_Mtg_022308.pdf

Attend the public meetings on that!
_________________
Sherman Cahal | Cincy Rides

[brokebike]

what's so disappointing is that for the past 5 or 6 years, there was finally a generation of young adults who were excited and proud of their downtown and the vibrant, creative scene that has been building around it. Like Alex mentioned earlier, many young people were relocating to the downtown area, rehabilitating homes and buildings and making things happen... things that didn't exist before, and things that definitely added to the character of our small city. Many of us live, work and play within the vicinity of downtown and it was finally starting to feel like a community of like-minded individuals. People weren't moving away to larger cities as much after college, instead opting to stay and see how they could contribute to this new direction for downtown.

Now, it seems that all of that is about to be undone within the next 2.5 years, all because a handful of people who have long been the money / power establishment in this town see a chance to capitalize on one week's worth of exposure in 2010 - dramatically changing the look and feel of our town for a speculative payoff.

It's hard to convey to people who either don't live downtown, or don't realize what goes on there, the importance of the block that housed our downtown entertainment nexus. Any question of the historical significance of the buildings is beside the point, and I hate it when that point is argued. The energy and vibe that buzzes around the intersection of Main and Upper is more than tangible. Those buildings and what goes on in and around them is more than the sum of its parts - they added a character and charm to our humble nightlife and provided a place for Lexington's downtown residents to congregate, relax and enjoy themselves.

The thought of either The Dame, Buster's or Mia's relocating into CentrePointe (with its pretentious spelling and extra 'e's) is an absolutely ridiculous notion, as a big part of the experience of all of those business was simply walking in the front door and taking in the atmosphere of the spaces. Busters is a dirty, dingy punk pool hall, and that is the way it is supposed to be. I've personally heard people visiting from large cities like LA and NYC express their envy that even those big cities were lacking bars with that type of honesty and character. Busters is and was the real deal. Can you imagine going into a newly constructed Busters contained within some bright, glass encased sterile structure with cheap "hip" decorations adding the atmosphere? No way... I'd rather not have a new Busters and live with the fond memories of what used to be.

What I fear our downtown becoming is an environment similar to that of Charlotte, NC. Large banks essentially own that town, and all of the buildings are brand new glass and steel structures reaching to the heavens in a space as big if not smaller than our own downtown. Walking through downtown Charlotte is like a ghost town... sure, it has fountains and tiny pockets of greenspace around those skyscrapers, but there is NO activity on the streets... especially after 5pm. No buildings exist that look older than the 90's, and the retail housed on the street level of the buildings are nothing but chain restaurants and coffee shops... places that are NOT conducive for any sort of social activities other than those of business travelers looking for a beer and a burger. Where the locals hang out there, I have no idea... and when I asked the employees of the businesses there, they couldn't tell me either... nor did they seem to care because they were just looking to clock out at 5pm.

I think most of the population of Lexington at large, in the mainstream, outer areas hear words like "new building", "skyscraper", "jobs" and "hotels and restuarants" and think it is a positive thing that they can be proud of, but for those of us who actually frequent and care about downtown, we are about to lose everything that we hold dear.
_________________
------------[] O

[Christopher]

Again, "Centrepointe" is a ridiculous name.

And since when is Phoenix Park underutilized? I see more people hanging out in Phoenix Park during daylight hours than almost any other street space in town, including the Courthouse Plaza.
_________________
http://www.lexingtonbikeracecalendar.com