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Inventory The first order of business when beginning to study the potentials of a
selected corridor is the same for every greenway. The process of inventory and site analysis is always the
critical first step that enables “ideas” to eventually be converted
to “reality”. In the last six weeks, the fourth year University of Kentucky landscape architecture students have conducted case studies like the ones you have just seen, on site inventory of Town Branch Creek, collected resources from the Lexington Fayette County Government, Friends of the Park of Fayette County, Inc. and many other professionals to present to you tonight in a comprehensive collection. The final ingredient to make this recipe a success will be your input and ideas. After studying a variety of greenways across the country, we applied our new knowledge and began to familiarize ourselves with the Town Branch stream corridor. At the end of six weeks of research, field trips, and on site inventories we got to know the Town Branch very well, but we still need your help to fill in the blanks. Although, our area of study was only four miles of stream corridor, beginning west of Rupp Arena and ending at the Fayette County line, we encountered a mixture of land uses. The Town Branch Creek weaves through Lexington’s downtown, industrial and residential neighborhoods, and ends in the rolling terrain of horse country. To effectively study the diverse use and character of the creek, we followed the example of the South Platte River Committee and divided the four mile stream corridor into seven segments. This enabled us to focus our areas of study and to gather information quickly. After sifting through the information, we identified the opportunities and constraints within the Town Branch corridor. We considered influences such as, economics, history and culture, recreation types, and the ecology of the site. As you will see, these characteristics often overlap. In Lexington there is a constant struggle to find an equilibrium between development and preservation of the Bluegrass. As new development continues to encroach on the region, concern is growing to preserve land, calling for the revitalization of Lexington’s downtown through an increase in economic opportunities. Already, Town Branch’s location provides the potential for urban infill opportunities and economic development. Although Town Branch within the Urban Service Area has been neglected, ignored and abused, its relationship to the downtown causes it to be a vital lifeline to the city. On the surface, the Town Branch corridor within the Urban Service Area appears to be an underutilized sector, scattered with abandoned buildings, industrial uses and a leaky landfill. If you peel back a few layers, a city rich in culture and history that grew on the banks of the Town Branch will be revealed. Historical opportunities abound. Evidence of Lexington’s past still remain, providing potential nodes of interest along the corridor. Such as the Historic Western Suburb, the Mary Todd Lincoln house, the Lexington Cemetery, James E. Pepper and Co. distillery, the Francis and William McConnell houses, McConnell Springs and some of the most comprehensive concentration of dry stone masonry within Fayette County. Other potential nodes of interest include recreational opportunities such as Masterson Station Park, The Players’ Club of Lexington, and other green open spaces. |
