Evelyn Reece presents her suggestions on the Lexington master plan at the March 12 public input session. Reece emphasized a need to emphasize historic preservation, funding and public outreach from the city council. (Photo/Adriana Cascio)
The Lexington City Council will push back its final vote on the master plan to its May meeting after a robust second public input session.
The master plan is a vision laid out by the Lexington Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and Lexington City Council for the city’s future development. The document has been in the works since November 2023 and has had two public input sessions since its creation.
“We want to be able to take the time to invest in Miss (Evelyn) Reece’s edits, or any others,” Lexington City Council member Jennifer Whitlock said. “They have to be given collective thought and implementation.”
There will be no further public input sessions.
“I think we are at a good juncture after (March 12’s) meeting to move forward,” city council member Jill Severn said. “We have to get to a point, ultimately, where we go ahead and say ‘OK, I think we’ve got enough input.’”
The first public input session, held on Jan. 8, had little public turnout. Two stakeholders present at the meeting made several suggestions and comments. But eight members of the public were present at the second session, resulting in plenty of comments, especially regarding historic preservation and funding.
The former Lexington Presbyterian Church and Manse located at Meson and Church Streets closed in 2015 and had been acquired by the city. Reece said she hopes the Lexington Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) can restore and use the building as a landmark historical site.
“What’s been on the back burner has been the Presbyterian church,” said Reece, a former member of the HPC. “It’s been on the back burner, not because it’s not important, but because the city didn’t qualify for the type of grant that the building needs.”
Reece said the HPC wasn’t able to qualify for the fund because Lexington didn’t have a finalized master plan.
The buildings are noted in the master plan, and the renovations mentioned will be under further review with the DDA and city council before a final draft is announced.
“If we’re not super careful how we update these documents and enforce them, we could risk damage or loss to beautiful spaces,” Whitlock said. “It’s not just something that we’re willing to take lightly and address hastily, because it’s not fair to the public. That’s not fair to the community, and most importantly, it’s not fair to the bones and life that these beautiful buildings and structures have.”
Reece also noted a lack of initial public input for the master plan’s first draft, noting the importance of the Georgia Planning Act, which invites and wants public input according to Reece.
“It’s an opportunity to put the community’s vision on paper, and I think the community wasn’t given that opportunity,” Reece said.
Whitlock and Reece agreed to update the city council’s website and enhance social media efforts. Whitlock said she has been working on increasing community outreach since her involvement with the city council and will continue to work toward this goal.
Whitlock and the city council hope to revisit the subject of website cost and capabilities at the May meeting.
“We’re doing the best we can to implement new community outreach endeavors, but they take time,” Whitlock said. “If we rush, then we’re not being good stewards of the community’s resources, which is taxpayers’ dollars and allotted funding.”