Lexington has been chosen to be part of an intensive revitalization effort, joining six other U.S. cities that will receive a year or more of expert assistance aimed at boosting the economic viability of entire neighborhoods.
The National Main Street Center Inc. picked Lexington and the other applicant cities for a program to make “demonstration sites” of selected neighborhoods. In Lexington, the chosen neighborhoods are East End and North Limestone. The program will provide organizational and technical help based on North Main Street’s methods, which lean heavily on volunteers and building preservation.
“The Lexington Downtown Development Authority is thrilled to partner with the National Main Street Center on this demonstration project,” Lexington Downtown Development Authority President Jeff Fugate said in a statement. “It will provide valuable guidance and direction in growing economic opportunity in our downtown neighborhoods.”
Fugate said the DDA is partnering with the two local organization to administer the program locally.
“We are excited to partner with Blue Grass Community Foundation and the North Limestone Community Development Corp. to identify methods to meet the commercial needs of the neighborhoods through this process,” he said.
National Main Street Center is a program of the private nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is supporting the neighborhood revitalization effort along with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
