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| Bluegrass Tomorrow | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bluegrass Tomorrow |
| Formation | 2002 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Lexington, Kentucky |
| Region served | Bluegrass region |
| Focus | Land use, urban planning, conservation, community development |
| Leader title | Executive Director |
Bluegrass Tomorrow is a nonprofit civic organization based in Lexington, Kentucky, focused on regional land use planning, urban planning advocacy, historic preservation, and community development in the Bluegrass region. The organization engages municipal governments, county agencies, nonprofit groups, academic institutions, civic leaders, and private stakeholders to address growth management, transportation, natural resources, and cultural heritage issues. It acts as a convenor, researcher, and communicator to influence public policy and local decision-making across the Bluegrass counties.
Bluegrass Tomorrow operates at the intersection of municipal decision-making and regional stewardship, promoting sustainable development patterns and preservation of agricultural landscapes such as horse farm districts and turfgrass-dominated pastures. The group interacts with elected bodies like the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, county planning commissions, and regional entities including the Bluegrass Area Development District. It synthesizes input from academic partners such as the University of Kentucky, private landowners, and nonprofit advocates like The Nature Conservancy and National Trust for Historic Preservation to craft recommendations on growth scenarios, transportation corridors, and conservation easements.
Founded in the early 21st century, the organization emerged amid public debates over suburban expansion, interstate highway projects, and the protection of equine and vernacular landscapes recognized by entities such as the National Register of Historic Places. Its creation followed regional initiatives and commissions that had involved civic leaders from Lexington, Bourbon County, Scott County, Fayette County, Kentucky, and neighboring jurisdictions. Over successive planning cycles, the organization has responded to policy milestones including local comprehensive plan updates, zoning code reforms, and high-profile infrastructure proposals like Highway 60 improvements and commuter rail feasibility studies associated with metropolitan growth.
Programming includes scenario planning workshops, community charrettes, and technical assistance for local governments and civic groups. Staff and volunteers organize forums that bring together officials from municipal councils, county judge-executives, and metropolitan planning organizations, alongside academic researchers from institutions such as Transylvania University and Bluegrass Community and Technical College. The group also runs outreach on conservation easement best practices, farmland protection, and equine industry stewardship, engaging stakeholders including Thoroughbred farm owners, the Jockey Club, and agricultural extension agents from the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service.
Bluegrass Tomorrow produces reports, maps, and scenario analyses intended for planners, elected officials, and the public. Publications have addressed topics comparable to studies by organizations such as the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Brookings Institution, including growth scenarios, land-use data, and visualizations of impervious surface trends. The organization uses multimedia channels to disseminate findings, staging symposia attended by participants from entities like the Lexington Herald-Leader, regional broadcasters, and civic organizations such as Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.
Advocacy and research outputs have influenced comprehensive plan amendments, conservation policy adoptions, and public awareness of landscape-scale preservation. Local officials, members of planning commissions, and civic activists have credited the organization with elevating dialogue on transportation alternatives and farmland protection, alongside criticism from developer associations and property-rights advocates who align with groups such as the Home Builders Association of Kentucky. The organization’s work has been cited in public testimony, planning commission hearings, and media coverage involving controversies over subdivision approvals, growth boundaries, and preservation of equestrian landscapes linked to the Horse Capital of the World identity.
Operating as a nonprofit, revenue streams include foundation grants, individual donations, program fees, and project-specific contracts. Funders have included family foundations, regional philanthropic organizations, and national funders that support land-use and conservation work similar to grants made by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or environmental funders like the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Governance comprises a board drawn from civic leaders, planners, academics, and business figures, with staff positions covering planning, communications, and outreach. The organizational model mirrors other regional advocacy nonprofits that combine convening, research, and technical assistance.
Strategic collaborations extend to municipal planning departments, county fiscal courts, regional transportation planning agencies, and conservation organizations such as Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund-affiliated groups. Academic partnerships include faculty and students from the University of Kentucky College of Architecture, Art, and Design and public policy centers. The organization has worked with heritage and tourism stakeholders including the Kentucky Horse Park and historic preservation entities like the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation on projects that connect cultural resources to planning outcomes. Cross-sector initiatives often involve coordination with state agencies, agricultural interests, and civic coalitions concerned with the Bluegrass region’s land-use trajectory.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in Kentucky Category:Organizations established in 2002 Category:Lexington, Kentucky