In 2008, the City Commission created the Paducah Riverfront Development Authority (PRDA).  The mission of the agency is to assist and advise the City Commission in the development of civic projects and development plans which are intended to generate, revitalize, improve and generally enhance community areas, including but not limited to Downtown, LowerTown, the Renaissance Area Master Plan (RAMP), and the Paducah riverfront.  Specific projects include (1) the development of a tax increment financing district; (2) the preparation of a Request for Proposals for the property formerly known as the Executive Inn, including assisting in the selection of the best proposal and oversight of the project until completion; and (3) assisting in the on-going planning and implementation of the Renaissance Area Master Plan and the Paducah Riverfront Project.  PRDA's efforts are complemented by the work of Paducah Renaissance Alliance.

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Paducah Riverfront Development Authority

Steve Doolittle, Executive Director

300 South 5th Street

Paducah, KY  42003

(270) 444-5166

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PRDA Board of Commissioners

Renaissance Area Master Plan

In 2010, the PRDA engaged a multi-disciplinary planning, design, and market assessment team to develop the Renaissance Area Master Plan (RAMP) for downtown Paducah.  The RAMP was funded by a 2009 Preserve America grant through the National Park Service that included a match from the City of Paducah.  This initiative - covering the historic downtown core, the riverfront, and LowerTown - was designed with its primary mission to better link these three areas, in order to improve the market for each. The PRDA stressed this in its major outcome of the RAMP:

"It is important to the City to create a way for cultural and natural heritage tourists to be able to reach these three areas without interruption in order to be able to have a pleasant experience viewing and interacting with Paducah’s cultural and natural localities."

The RAMP is a comprehensive document that will be used as guidance for years to come.  It was adopted by PRDA on March 20, 2012.  The Paducah City Commission adopted a resolution accepting the plan on April 23, 2013.  As stated in the resolution, the plan shall be used to guide development and make capital improvements.  Every action item within the plan will require separate and specific implementation strategies by the City of Paducah, its agencies, and others.  Approval of the resolution does not obligate the city to implement every action item proposed in the document.  The city should remain opportunistic and react to proposals as resources become available. 

To read the entire RAMP, click Renaissance Area Master Plan.  After input from the Paducah Planning Commission and Paducah Renaissance Alliance, seven pages of RAMP Amendments have been compiled.  

Riverfront Redevelopment Project

On November 2, 2012, a ceremony was held to kick off the Riverfront Redevelopment Project.  Instead of a groundbreaking ceremony, the City held an infill ceremony with the tossing of colored sand to represent the building of a new land mass.  The first step of the project is to build in 2013 an approximate 3-acre land mass into the Ohio River just downstream of the existing Schultz Park.  The project had to be moved downstream due to a high concentration of mussels.  The mussels in the new project area have been relocated.  The land mass will need to settle for about a year before walkways and other amenities can be built.  The project also includes the construction of a marina services building, 400 feet of transient dock, and a new boat launch facility (6th and Burnett Streets).  A marina will be a future project, more than likely a public-private partnership.  Speakers at the ceremony include Mayor Bill Paxton, Parks Services Director Mark Thompson, PRDA Board Member Joe Framptom, and Engineering-Public Works Director Rick Murphy.  Photos from Ceremony >>     Video of Ceremony >>

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