Lexington, Sc (WLTX) -- The town of Lexington is looking to the future by beginning to implement the first phase of what it is calling "The Vision Plan," a twenty year road map for the future of the community.
After it was approved in May by town council, "The Vision Plan's" ultimate purpose is to provide a road map for the Town of Lexington over the next 20 years by prioritizing public investments.
The cosy community of Lexington, one of the fastest growing areas in the state, is planning for tomorrow. Town of Lexington Mayor Randy Halfacre says the town's Vision Plan will help manage growth, placing a renewed focus on downtown.
"Our objective is to bring people back downtown so they can connect, socialize, and so they can enjoy themselves with their friends."
Halfacre says the five phase project, spread out over the next twenty years, will be funded through grants and public investments instead of raising taxes. Phase I is underway which includes beautifying the Lexington Square, and offering a $25,000 grant for businesses for façade improvements.
"The old saying that a first impression is a lasting impression, well some of the facade's on main street are dated and we want to help them spruce up their front," said Halfacre.
But what about traffic? Over the next eighteen months, the mayor hopes to use about 1.3 million dollars to purchase a new traffic light system called an adaptive signaling program.
"Where the traffic lights will actually be adjusted and changed based on the flow of traffic. So they can be changed instantly as a result of what is fed into the computer. I think people are going to be amazed at the traffic flow in this town."
One of the more ambitious parts of the vision plan is connectivity. The plan hopes to add thousands of feet of bike trails all across Lexington. Eventually connecting dozens of neighborhoods with paths and biking trails like Berkshire on Old Cherokee Road.
While that phase of the plan may be years down the path, it hasn't stopped young entrepreneur Jeremy Addy, owner of the apparel store Craig Reagin in downtown Lexington, from dreaming of it's advantages.
"So we're thinking, anything to get people to walk around downtown and maybe say 'oh, we've never been in there before, lets check it out.' We think it will help us out some," said Addy.
The mayor agrees.
"We are improving the opportunity for people to come downtown and spend money at their businesses," said Halfacre.
A multi-phase, multi-year vision plan, that hopes to improve quality of live, while keeping the character of the Lexington community intact.
The Vision Plan will also look to reorganize the Town's Christmas events, Christmas tree lighting and caroling, the Christmas Parade and concerts in the Old Courthouse.
If you would like to read more about the Town of Lexington Vision Plan and the individual phases, you can find more info on their website: http://www.lexsc.com/vp_index.htm