Clark Coalition Foundation

By guest con­trib­u­tor Will Mayer, exec­u­tive director

This is our 2^nd year par­tic­i­pat­ing in the GoodGiving Challenge and we couldn’t be more excited!

Clark Coalition Foundation was estab­lished near­ly three years ago to bring high-qual­i­ty research and data to com­mu­ni­ty dis­cus­sions around land-use, and to engage local cit­i­zens in the process­es that impact how we grow, func­tion and thrive.

Our Mission & Vision

We seek to advance smart growth, sus­tain­able eco­nom­ic devel­op­ment and gov­ern­ment trans­paren­cy in Winchester-Clark County. Our vision is to build a thriv­ing com­mu­ni­ty root­ed in the heart of our icon­ic and dynam­ic Bluegrass landscape.

What does smart growth look like in prac­tice? It’s a revi­tal­ized down­town char­ac­ter­ized by vibrant local busi­ness­es and acces­si­ble ameni­ties. It’s heathy neigh­bor­hoods with a focus on walk­a­bil­i­ty and a range of hous­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties for local res­i­dents. It’s preser­va­tion of farm­land, open space and crit­i­cal envi­ron­men­tal areas. And it’s respon­si­ble use of tax­pay­er funds for long-term eco­nom­ic viability.

To make this a real­i­ty, and secure a vibrant future for our chil­dren and grand­chil­dren, we must make informed deci­sions about how we grow.

Our Work

Over the past year, Clark Coalition Foundation has tak­en an active role in the Winchester-Clark County Comprehensive Plan Update. We have con­tributed research that we have com­mis­sioned – includ­ing stud­ies on under-uti­lized and vacant land, and cost of com­mu­ni­ty services.

Taken togeth­er, these stud­ies reveal impor­tant details about oppor­tu­ni­ties for infill and con­tigu­ous devel­op­ment, and the costs of sprawl. For exam­ple, Clark County has over 14,000 acres of under-uti­lized land inside our cur­rent plan­ning bound­ary. Adding more land to this mas­sive inven­to­ry is fis­cal­ly irre­spon­si­ble, as res­i­den­tial devel­op­ment costs tax­pay­ers more than it pro­duces in rev­enue: $1.28 spent on com­mu­ni­ty ser­vices for every $1 gen­er­at­ed in revenue.

We have also worked to encour­age pub­lic par­tic­i­pa­tion in the devel­op­ment of the Comprehensive Plan. Through announce­ments in the Winchester Sun, email blasts and an exten­sive social media cam­paign hun­dreds of cit­i­zens were able to take part in this vital process. We believe that engaged cit­i­zens are the cor­ner­stone of strong communities.

Our Goal

Over the next 4 days of the GoodGiving Challenge, we are seek­ing to raise $20,000 to sup­port new pro­gram­ming and research in 2024.

We are so grate­ful for the sup­port of our fel­low com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers. Without you, Clark Coalition Foundation wouldn’t be able to pro­mote good growth, good jobs and good government.

To donate, please go to: https://www.bggives.org/organization/clarkcoalitionfoundation

Thank you!