City of Auburn purchases nearly 106 acres of land along US 68/80

AUBURN, Ky. – Some big changes are coming to the city of Auburn, as they’re in the finishing stages of purchasing nearly 106 acres along Highway 68/80.

29 acres on the south side of the highway is currently planned for park property as well as a fill for construction companies that have projects in the area.

The remaining land on the north side, which was formerly known as Hall’s Prairie, was owned by the University of Kentucky, and was a research site for tall grass environments. The university found the land was difficult to keep, so they made the decision to sell.

Mayor Mike Hughes says that land will be used for a variety of commercial, industrial and retail properties that will help the city of Auburn continue to grow.

“For us to grow like that, we need rooftops, we need residential growth, but we also need commercial… and we need retail growth and industrial growth as well, and that’s a difficult balance. So for us to try to stimulate some of that along with creating a sense of place, which is what cities do, they create a place where people want to live… and for us to do that, we need to create some retail here as well,” Hughes says.

The mayor adds he plans to meet with the city council for a budget workshop in April, where they will discuss a timeline for the project.

He says different portions of this project will have to be done separately because the site the land is on is easily susceptible to flooding.

News 40 will keep you updated as we learn more.