Rupp Arena Town Hall Meeting

Coming up with ideas for an arena and arts and entertainment district for downtown Lexington is a give-and-take process, architect Gary Bates told about 200 people gathered at Buster's Tuesday night.

ideas presented Tuesday included:

 Converting the Cox Street parking lot into a park with Town Branch creek running through it.

 Building a 4,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, perhaps in the Cox Street area.

 Taking down the Jefferson Street viaduct that is a visual barrier and makes the Cox Street parking lot seem like it is in a "gully."

 Allowing two-way traffic on Main and Vine streets. "Maybe it will never happen," Bates said. "But the speed on one-way streets is too high. It's hurting downtown."

 Finding ways to more closely link the University of Kentucky to downtown. It's a 12-minute walk from the UK campus to Rupp Arena, "but the distance seems much greater," Bates said. A challenge will be to find ways "to pull UK and downtown physically and intellectually closer together."

 Separating Rupp Arena from the Lexington Center. Rupp might stay where it is, but its walls and roof would have transparent coverings to let light into the arena, while allowing people on the outside to see in. Bates said building a new arena and and a new convention center would not be feasible unless the economy changes.

 Building a new Lexington Center, perhaps underground on a portion of the High Street parking lot, with a roof garden and large skylights.

 Finding ways to "free Rupp" visually and physically, since it is hemmed in by streets, parking lots and the Lexington Center.