Southern Heights welcomes change, provided it’s good for the neighborhood

Over the last few months, several Opinion pieces and Letters to the Editor have wrestled with various development proposals before the Planning Commission. Linda Blackford’s Opinion piece last weekend framed the issues succinctly for my neighborhood, the Southern Heights Neighborhood, and came closest to capturing what’s at stake for the proposed Edgemoor Drive Development project. But let me offer what some would say is the threat to a neighborhood’s esprit-de-corps.

It all began some three decades ago when many of us in the neighborhood opposed the extension of Bellefonte Drive north across the then retired UK farm to intersect with Alumni Drive. The city’s intention then was to provide relief from congestion along the main thoroughfares into and from downtown. Some had even argued for the development of an industrial research park on the retired UK farm to spur economic development, while others opposed the idea based on possible degradation of an established southern Lexington neighborhood. Both sides worked in earnest and ultimately came up with an alternative plan. Dare I suggest that no one will now question the value of the Arboretum and green space to the quality-of-life quotient of Lexington?

But the neighborhood was not finished. Next up was support for the evolution of the Glendover Elementary School about 20 years ago. The overarching issue back then was relevance and academic standards. Given these challenges, the school along with real support from the neighborhood came up with the “Global Studies” theme. This included neighbors volunteering to assist the teachers and staff, as well as contributing to upgrades of the playground and the creation of the inner courtyard dedicated to reflecting plants, food crops and societies around the world.

Within the last 10 years, the neighborhood has welcomed the expansion of the southern bikeway. A bike path connecting the southern neighborhoods of Lexington to the UK campus and onto downtown while minimizing bike riders’ risks to the very busy thoroughfares into and out of downtown Lexington. Of course there were controversies and concerns, but again the neighborhood worked with everyone involved, including the Mayor’s office, to find acceptable alternatives and arrive at a cost-benefit analysis everyone could embrace.

These are NOT examples of a neighborhood not welcoming change. They are, however, examples of a caring neighborhood planning for its own destiny over the course of many years by the many interested and committed generations of residents. Yes, many of us now have our children purchasing homes in our midst because of their sense of OUR community.

I also suspect that the area Neighborhood Associations as well as the residents may not have fully understood the potential ramifications of the Planning Commission’s commercial corridor overlay plans for neighborhoods. As well intentioned as that planning effort might have been, it has yet to embrace the slow, methodical, and deliberate planning by our local communities and dedicated residents, and the exuberant enjoyment of life in our neighborhoods.

Joe Chappell is a University of Kentucky faculty member and Lexington resident since 1985.