Nic Hutchinson Came to Plan And to Stay

by Stephanie Watson

Amanda, Edwin and Nic Hutchison

HE CAME. HE SAW. He Came Back to STAY!

Nic Hutchison visited Paducah as a city planner from Missouri, fell in love with the river city, then jumped at the chance to plan this community’s future based on its historic past

WHEN NIC HUTCHISON FIRST became acquainted with Paducah, it wasn’t because he was hoping to work for the city, but rather to learn from it.

In 2018 while working as the City Planner for St. Joseph,

Missouri, Nic brought a team of stakeholders to Paducah to learn about the success of the Lowertown initiative,

Fountain Avenue affordable housing programs, and the general framework that helped Paducah become an accredited Main Street Community. “I instantly loved it,” he says. “It’s a small-town community, but the downtown is so vibrant. Over the years, involved citizens and city leadership have done such a good job with restoration and building the arts and cultural community. My love of the city started by wanting to figure out how it had been so successful.”

H

Nic Hutchison City Planner

Nic took what he learned here and applied it to St. Joseph’s goal of restoring a major historic corridor while also providing affordable housing to residents in that area, but Paducah was never far from his mind. When an opportunity to transfer here became available, he jumped on it. “I told my wife that the only reason I would leave St. Joseph was for Paducah,” he states. “When the opportunity came, I couldn’t pass it up.” Nic was hired as the Director of City Planning for Paducah in May 2021, joining an already strong department that covers the variety of planning disciplines and aspects of the profession. His work involves supporting projects both big and small, tackling large-scale community goals like the revitalization of Paducah’s southside as well as helping individuals and business achieve their own objectives while they build life in Paducah. And while there is no typical day as a city planner, according to Nic, that’s where the value is. “You never know who is going to walk through the door or call because the needs are always changing,” he explains. “The heart of city planning is the relationships we build. We engage with residents, answering questions about zoning, permitting, and anything else they are hoping to achieve with their project. We also work a lot with large scale developers, community groups, and neighborhood organizations about potential projects or logistics for current ones. This work is a balance between the very concrete details of the built environment and the more abstract goals of who a community wants to be and how that environment supports quality of life.” According to Nic, what he loves most about his job is that, at its core, it is a position steeped in relationships: the connection between individual and society, between municipal and private sectors, between economic goals and goals for improving quality of life. “Paducah is a community that is open, warm, and receptive,” he explains. “It’s citizens and municipal leadership are forward-thinking and dynamic, but they place the most value on bettering the lives of residents and improving the experience of visitors. Relationships matter here, and I feel lucky to be a part of preserving parts of our past while helping to build a vibrant future.”

HISTORICAL PRESERVATION AT HOME

Nic, who is a native of Springfield, Missouri, has a degree in Community Regional Planning from Missouri State, but he didn’t start his academic path with the intention of planning cities. A fascination with buildings and the cities that house them first led him to study architecture, but the more he experienced the academic aspects of that field, he realized his true passion wasn’t the buildings themselves. It was the relationships and lives that develop within them. “After studying architecture for a while, I realized that I was really more interested in the functionality of cities and places,” he notes. “I wanted to understand and facilitate the ability of people to connect, grow, and function within these spaces. I love working to help communities tell their own story while helping to create an environment that is reflective of who they are.” His love of buildings and historic restoration never quite left him, however, and when he

This work is a balance between the very concrete details of the built environment and the more abstract goals of who a community wants to be and how that environment supports quality of life.

-Nic HutcHisoN

moved to Paducah his family purchased the well-known Wallace LaBelle house, taking on a historic preservation project all their own. Built in 1858, the Wallace LaBelle house is a one-story Greek Revival home that originally sat on 75 acres in Paducah’s west end. The original residents of the home can trace their lineage back to the first claimant of Paducah’s land, George Rogers Clark. The property is best known, however, for its time as LaBelle Park, a recreational getaway for Paducah’s citizens. At one point, the estate included a 1,000-seat theater, dance hall, petting zoo,

MAPPING

THE FUTURE

WHILE HELPING TO CHART THE COURSE OF PUBLIC LIFE IS A complex task, it is also a job that starts very simply: with a map. “This is what we’re calling the spine,” Nic states as he traces a line on a table-sized map over Walter Jetton, through Coleman Park, and down the stretch of Irvin Cobb leading to the southside Paducah city line. “That used to be a major arterial vein that went through the south side, but the interstate created a bypass for all the business and industry that existed here, which contributed to the disinvestment. The greatest value in this area is the people that live here, and we are working to support reinvestment in this area in a way that will beautify the region, improve quality of life for its residents, and connect it to the rest of the city in a vibrant way.” True to his nature, Nic’s view of city initiatives start with his care for the people who live here, and the southside Paducah revitalization project stands as a prime example of that philosophy in action. “We want to help the people in this part of the city tell their story and shape their community in the way that is meaningful to them,” he explains. “This project will have to be an incremental approach, but it will be one that prioritizes equitable distribution and access to the resources and spaces that support quality of life.” This includes improving access to affordable housing, safe park spaces and other recreational amenities, as well as access to

racetrack, golf course, playgrounds, and more. In the 1920s, the property was eventually sold and subdivided, making the Wallace house just one of many in the neighborhood formerly known as Wallace Park. Nic’s family is gladly embracing the charge that many generations of the home’s caretakers have upheld over the years. “It’s pretty amazing because I love historic preservation and architecture,” he states. “Understanding the evolution of the property in relation to how the city of Paducah has developed has made it even more special.”

employment and retail comparable to other areas of the city. The Southside Steering Committee, a subcommittee of the planning department and other community stakeholders, views the recently revealed Dunlap Project as the starting point for these improvements and as the first link between southside, midtown, and downtown. The project is a $14 million investment in renovating the historic Walter Jetton school into a “live, learn, and work space” that will house a community service facility operated by the Paducah Symphony Orchestra while also providing affordable housing. The department hopes this is the starting point for future development and reinvestments in the area. The committee is also looking to strengthen the connection between the southside and other areas by looking at alternative modes of transportation to make sure people can run, walk, bike, and drive the entire corridor and make it to other areas of the city. Another effort headlining the planning department’s work includes resolving the housing crisis that exists across the country. “We are working on a comprehensive plan to consult and engage with the community and see what the people of Paducah want to see in 25 years,” Nic states. “We want to understand the housing choices residents want and how that compares to what we have now.” Access to housing options include planning for helping an aging population to be able to “age in place” rather than leave their neighborhoods. Of course, maintaining the growth of the historic heartbeat of our city is a cause never far from his mind. “Having the distinction of being a Great American Mainstreet Community is the highest recognition we can get for a main street area,” Nic notes. “We continue to work with the Main Street Board, artists, investors, entrepreneurs, and residents of the downtown area to maintain and expand the work that’s already been done.” Part of that effort includes expanding the revitalization work that’s occurred on the 100-400 blocks of Broadway down through the 900 block. This means working with merchants, business owners, and historic resources like the Columbia Theater to continue telling the story of Paducah while writing its future. “At the end of the day, we’re working to support through the built environment how people’s lives will intertwine, develop, interact, and grow,” Nic notes. “In doing that, we try to pull from the past and look toward the future.”