Lexitecture: Mixed Use Development

Lexington now finds itself at an exciting time, where revitalization is a priority for the leadership, and phases of the Vision Plan are starting to happen to that end. However, I don’t feel that our community understands the grave importance of this goal. With that in mind, the goal of this Lexitecture blog is to arm you with knowledge from an architecture graduate student, so that you, too, can advocate for a better Lexington for everyone.

In this first blog, let’s talk about density. Lexington is trying to maintain a small town feel, even though our population has grown well beyond the limits of a traditional small town. We are now over 17,000, while most small towns are 10,000 or less. Because Lexington has not had the tools to deal with this growth, we have seen much of the unsustainable types of development, with suburban sprawl and subdivisions, instead of strong communities. The Vision Plan is the first tool we’ve employed to combat this sprawl, to bring us together instead of push everyone apart.

What’s the best way to build a good density? The most important criteria is “walkability.” How possible is it to walk to work, school, the store, etc., from your home? If you live in Lexington, it is probably difficult. Most suburbians have been denied this right. The more that people can walk to where they need to go, the less traffic we have, and the healthier people are as a result. One of the main causes contributing to our nation’s obesity is the fact that most Americans don’t have the option to walk where they need to go. Bikeability is just as important, because it also gives you a healthy option to move around, instead of driving.

A simple way to build this type of density is to get rid of single-use zoning that separates commercial and residential property, and promote what is called “mixed-use” developments. Mixed-use development allows for someone to live, work, and shop in the same place, or even in the same building. When you build a whole community this way, you decrease the distance between places, and greatly increase the walkability.

“Project Icehouse” is to be the first new, mixed-use development downtown when it includes apartments above street level. Of course, mixed use living isn’t for everyone, but it’s an important part of getting people downtown. You cannot breathe life into a place unless people are living there. King Street in Charleston is a good example of how this works in South Carolina, but we can do this on a Lexington-sized scale and create a destination to eat, shop, work, and live!

Let’s build a better Lexington.