Downtown Master Plan at the 4th of July Parade
On Friday, July 4, 2025, The Downtown Master Plan team kicked off public engagement at Lexington’s 4th of July Parade and festival. While tabling at the Art Market for the 4th of July Celebration, the project team talked to hundreds festival goers about their vision for Downtown Lexington. The team also conducted a voting activity to get a feel for the most important things people want to see more of Downtown. The team received 1,383 votes in answer to the question “What would make Downtown Lexington feel more welcoming?” with the categories listed below:
More places to shop and dine
More jobs and employment opportunities
More things to do/destinations
More parks, plazas, and open spaces
More places to live
Better connectivity to neighborhoods
As shown in the chart below, the most popular category was more parks, plazas, and open spaces, with 375 total votes.
What would make Downtown Lexington more welcoming?
The voting activity also had a write in option to include topics not listed in the activity. In this section, and in conversation with participants, we heard a variety of priorities. These included:
Cars, Parking, and Streets: Several participants wrote in or mentioned that they would like to see more free or cheap parking downtown. Other participants mentioned they would like it to be easier to use the existing parking options, and talked about how many parking lots have frustrating apps or websites to pay for parking on their phone, instead of just feeding a meter. A handful or participants mentioned that they would like there to be less cars downtown in general.
Walking and Biking: Many participants wrote in that they would like to see more bike trails and running and biking paths Downtown.
Trees and Greenery: Several participants mentioned wanting to see more trees, greenery, pollinator gardens, and nature Downtown.
A grocery store: Several participants specifically mentioned that they would like there to be an accessible grocery store in Downtown Lexington.
Housing: In addition to the voting activity, several participants mentioned the need for more housing downtown, particularly affordable housing or housing for families. A handful of participants mentioned limiting Airbnbs to increase housing options.
Activities: Some participants mentioned specific activities they would like to see Downtown, including a rollerskating area, a zoo, music and art, and a museum.
