Mayor Linda Gorton said the new downtown park is only one of several projects serving this neighborhood.
"Affordable housing, a workforce development center, a new community center, new roads, new sewers, new playground - we've got it all going on here," said Gorton. "However, no neighborhood is complete without a beautiful park."
John D. Williams, Jr. lived near Davis Bottom growing up, on Pleasant Green Hill.
"This park always was a tradition to us. Everybody came," recalled Williams. "Before they tore all this down, we had a softball field. On the weekends, you couldn't get in here. People would park, picnic, party... Everybody loved each other. Everybody knew each other."
Jim Gray is the Kentucky Transportation Secretary and Lexington’s former mayor. He says transportation projects in the 21st century have to be about more than just building roads, highways, and bridges.
"It's about where people live and the impact of highways and roads on where people live," said Gray. "When I think about my role as mayor, for example, I learned a lot about urban planning. I learned a lot about the impact of traffic and cars and vehicles on neighborhoods.
The new Davis Park was funded by the transportation cabinet and the city. It was built with input from its neighbors and includes a playground, a picnic pavilion, a walking trail, and a green space.