William Wells Brown

The team got to meet with the William Wells Brown neighborhood, a historically black neighborhood in the East End. They raised concerns with us about the potential encroachment, gentrification, displacement, and erosion of cultural identity. We wanted to meet with them to have an open dialogue about the concerns. We discussed how we can preserve the historical and cultural heritage of Lexington’s African American History. We want to maintain housing stability and affordability by preventing market pressures from overwhelming long-time residents. Continue to meet with the William Wells Brown community and build trust by respecting neighborhood boundaries, and empowering residents in decision making. We want to promote equity in investment by channeling resources into neighborhood improvements rather than speculative expansion. And as the process moves forward, continuing to listen to residents' concerns and further address their desire not to be included in the downtown area.