HISTORY
CENTRAL SECTOR SMALL AREA PLAN
The Central Sector Small Area Plan developed as a result of a recommendation in the 2007 Comprehensive Plan to address community-wide concerns including density, land use, zoning, public safety, traffic, transit, schools, community facilities, infill, infrastructure and commercial/residential compatibility. Given the scope and complexity of these issues, the Planning Commission selected the Central Sector as an area to be studied in detail.
The Small Area Plan (SAP) provides for a more intense study of the Central Sector that is tailored to the needs of the diverse demographics of the large neighborhood. It is intended to guide public improvements and steer private investment in order to promote neighborhood stabilization and revitalization. The preparation of the Central Sector Small Area Plan (CSSAP) relied on the community’s most valuable resource -- its residents. The collaboration of residents, business owners and the Urban County Government lend credibility to the recommendations which address the citizen’s everyday issues and concerns.
There were many reccomendations in the CSSAP for the North Limestone Corridor, which spans subareas C & D, as labeled in the plan. The following were reccomendations established in the plan under the “Subarea Priorities” sections:
Provide a new zone district that facilitates mixed-use development with development and design standards that are appropriately scaled.
Consider redevelopment on the northwest corner of Fourth and Jefferson that would provide student and neighborhood-serving retail.
Permit projecting signs and building awnings which promote a neighborhood /pedestrian-friendly scale environment
Develop a strategy to deliver cost-effective and nutritious groceries to low-income neighborhoods
Engage the community in the future role/reuse of Johnson Elementary
Establish and maintain contact with absentee landlords especially concentrated from Fifth Street to Loudon Avenue in the vicinity of North Limestone
Incentivize infill development
Retain unique character of North Limestone as a traditional neighborhood retail corridor
Creation of a CDC/EDC
NORTH LIMESTONE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN
In 2006, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council approved a water quality management fee that funds water quality improvement grants. Grant projects focus on stormwater quality, monitoring and enforcement. In 2011, the North Limestone Neighborhood Association, in conjunction with Urban Collage and EcoGro, was awarded a Class A Sustainability grant. The application was to create a plan that provided a framework for public and private stormwater resolution projects in the neighborhood. The framework would ensure that future projects maintained alignment with the environmental goals of the neighborhood.
The plan, through public input, gathered opinions on environmental issues in the neighborhood, and educated residents about ways to resolve these threats. In addition, the plan included best management practices (BMPs) for several large-scale projects in the neighborhood. This plan set the precedent for much of the Neighborhood Association, and in turn, the North Limestone CDC’s work in the years to come.
NOrth Limestone CDC
North Limestone CDC (founded in 2013) was established in response to a recommendation from the 2009 Lexington Central Sector Small Area Plan. Its main purpose is to act as a “bridge” to facilitate investment in the North Limestone area, serve as an advocate for local community issues and be an implementation tool for neighborhood needs and desires. It is designed to provide staffing power to pursue grant initiatives, act as an intermediary between non-profit organizations, for-profit businesses, city government, neighborhood organizations, community activists, and residents. The North Limestone CDC's mission focuses on connecting neighbors with resources and opportunities, and creating programs for equitable community development, focusing on the three areas of Community & Cultural Initiatives, Economic Opportunity, and Housing Design & Construction.