Not long ago, it might’ve been hard to imagine a neglected row of tobacco warehouses along the railroad tracks on the west side of Lexington could become the city’s newest entertainment district.
Heavy construction is taking place all around the center of what will be The Commons, a mixed-use development on Leestown Road west of downtown Lexington.
A few things are open already, including an ice cream shop and a bourbon bar. In the coming weeks, a high-end restaurant will welcome customers, and next to it, Country Boy Brewing’s newest location.
Pete Weiss, Country Boy’s marketing manager, said the opening will be in mid-October. Inside the unfinished space, it doesn’t look quite ready for that.
Workers are finishing up plumbing and electrical. Next, drywall will go up. Then, a buildout of the bar and seating areas.
“It'll be a little bit more similar to our Georgetown location, so it'll be a full-service, sit-down restaurant,” Weiss said. “Of course, the bar is the main feature in here.
There is a second level, but it won’t be used for now.
“So initially, we're just going to open up on this first level, get our feet underneath us, and then we've got some ideas for the second story here,” Weiss said. “Just haven't really put anything into motion yet until we get fully operational on this first floor.”
Country Boy will be directly across from the complex’s centerpiece: a 2,000-seat entertainment venue called The Rail. It is scheduled to open in November, with shows in January.
Daren Turner, The Commons founder and CEO, said he envisioned the 42-acre site as a place where people could come to dine, shop, see a show, take a walk, hit a pickleball or throw an ax.
“I think it's just a great place for the community,” Turner said. “It's something a little different, and you know, most of the places you go to, you shop and then you leave. Here, we're wanting them to stay.”
The Rail, Turner says, fills a need in Lexington. It will seat slightly more people than the Singletary Center, but far less than Rupp Arena.
“The the seating's fantastic,” he said. “We spent a lot of time on the vision. Any seat, every seat in it's got a great view. And and again, I want it to be an experience. So you may even come to this venue to listen to a concert that you're not crazy about the concert, but you had a great experience.”
The venue is working on booking national artists. Until then, Turner says local bands will take the stage.
“Come mid-January, they'll start having a lot of the bigger concerts and that kind of stuff happening,” he said. “Talking to a lot of cool local bands and artists right now about playing meanwhile, and then also we'll blend them in throughout the year as well.”
The Rail will also include a professional recording studio. Music students from the University of Kentucky will be able to learn how the music industry works.
A longtime Lexington developer, Turner typically builds office and industrial sites. He declined to disclose the amount of the investment.
“So this project's been totally different than any of my other developments, because, again, it's a mixed use, it's a little bit of everything,” Turner said. “It's also allowed me to put my personality into it.”
One unique aspect of the complex is it borders a very active Norfolk Southern rail line. When Turner purchased the property, it was zoned industrial.
Turner has also embraced the site’s two historic water towers, which are illuminated at night.
A long walking trail connects both ends of the complex. It is friendly for dogs and bikes.
Inside the finished spaces, including the RD1 distillery and Turner’s office, are galleries of works by local artists. Turner said he can’t reveal everything that’s planned, but more Kentucky artists will have their work displayed on site.
“One's a huge mural that will be done back on the backside of here that's got a thoroughbred theme. It's place that I believe that people will come and want to take pictures.” he said. “Two, having an art walk with a bunch of different sculptures, and we're also catering to local artists for the new Airbnbs that are about to open up.”
Though the complex does not include residential or traditional hotels, short-term stays are available. It has a pick-up and drop-off point for ridesharing. There is also a Lextran bus stop nearby on Leestown Road.
However, the biking and walking infrastructure connecting The Commons to downtown, the University of Kentucky and other attractions such as the Distillery District has yet to be built.
Lexington’s bicycle and pedestrian master plan, which dates to 2017, includes improvements to Main Street and Leestown Road, and Forbes Road.
In the meantime, Turner said 900 parking spaces will be available.
Along with Country Boy, OBC Kitchen will open its new restaurant next month.
Turner said he’s looking for more dining options.
“We're looking for a good coffee group that serves breakfast, because we do need a breakfast place down here,” he said. “We've got a couple really good possibilities, so we're working through that right now.”
