Down to the River
In late May, the city announced plans to purchase 30 acres on the Kentucky River, the only public access to the river in Fayette County.
The city has signed an agreement of sale for the property with John Kelley, whose family has owned the property for decades. The property is located off Old Richmond Road, near the I-75 bridge into Madison County.
Mary Quinn Ramer, President of VisitLex, Lexington’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the new park will be an opportunity to establish a new kind of regional tourism with other river counties. “The growth in outdoor recreation and adventure tourism has been significant over the past two years,” Ramer said. “VisitLEX believes that the Kentucky River will become a major driver in recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike in our destination.”
Councilmember Kathy Plomin, who represents the riverfront area, said, “My husband and I have a kayak and can’t wait for our inaugural voyage down this beautiful venue of the Kentucky River. To Lexington, Kentucky, another feather in our cap!”
Grow Smart
Grow Smart Academy is a free, four-week program designed to educate Lexingtonians on land-use planning and its relationship to our community’s economic development, environment, and quality-of-life.
Want to learn more about how land-use impacts your daily life from public transit, walkability, housing affordability, greenspaces, our climate impact, and where you live, work, and play? Register at Fayette Alliance.
Publix comes to town 
On June 23, Publix announced it had signed a lease for its first Lexington location in The Fountains at Palomar, at Man O War and Harrodsburg Road. The location will feature a 55,701-square-foot store with a drive-thru Publix Pharmacy and an adjacent 3,200-square-foot Publix Liquors. The store is projected to open in 2024.
Digital Access for Properties
The Digital Access Project is focused on the digitization of Fayette County’s historical property records. This initiative is the result of a partnership between the Fayette County Clerk, University of Kentucky’s Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies, the Lexington Black Prosperity Initiative, Blue Grass Community Foundation and its Knight Foundation Donor Advised Charitable Fund.
Hoops, Horses, and Healthcare
The holy trinity of ec dev in Lexington long revolved around hoops, horses, and healthcare just expanded again, when UK Healthcare announced plans to enter a purchase agreement to acquire about 27 acres of property for approximately $20.3 million in the Hamburg development along I-75.
Hamburg was also home to a June milestone in the construction of Baptist Health Hamburg with the placing of a commemorative steel beam signed by Baptist Health staff.
Ground was broken in November of 2020 on Baptist’s major outpatient surgery and medical campus at 2000 Polo Club Boulevard in Hamburg. The plan includes an emergency department, outpatient surgery center, a cancer center, diagnostic services including breast imaging, and medical office building space.
The first buildings at Baptist Health Hamburg are projected to open in spring of 2024. Partners supporting the design and construction on the project include Congleton-Hacker Co., CMW Architects & Engineers, HKS Architects, and CMTA Consulting Engineering.
BIZ CALENDAR
JUL 11
The 2022 Salute to Small Business Awards application is available online, with completed applications due by Monday, July 11, 2022.
JUL 12
Bluegrass SHRM meeting, 11:15 am, Mane on Main
JUL 22
The AFP Kentucky Conference is designed for the entire philanthropic community.
AUG 4
The 20th annual Lexington Bluegrass Area Minority Business Expo (MBE) will return to an in-person format on August 4-5 in Central Bank Center. A networking mixer is open to the public on Thursday from 5:30-7:30, with the full-day expo slated for Friday from 7:00-4:30.
AUG 10
Women Leading KY Networking After Hours, Mane on Main
