LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington city councilmembers voted Thursday to move forward with a controversial plan that would expand the city’s urban service boundary for the first time since 1996.
In short, the boundary is a ring around the city that keeps development on the inside and protects farms on the outside.
Under the plan, which passed 10-3, the boundary would expand between 2,700 and 5,000 acres. The city’s planning staff would decide exactly how much would be expanded and where. The process would take years before anything new is built, and would still require individual zoning changes that have to be approved.
The plan is part of larger goals and objectives that still have to receive a final vote. The public could comment at council meetings on June 13th and June 15th, the latter of which being the day it would receive a final vote. The council can still make amendments up until that vote.
“The Urban Service Boundary is important for our economy, protecting the environment, and preserving the beauty of Fayette County,” said councilwoman Tayna Fogle.
She eventually voted in favor of expansion. Council members in favor of expansion said much of the space inside the boundary has filled in over the past 27 years, decreasing the availability and increasing the price of housing.
“Despite it’s best intentions, in practice our policies are doing us harm,” said Councilmember Preston Worley, who introduced the plan. “It’s been 27 years, it’s time.”
It’s part of the reason he said it was time to make a change. By expanding the boundary he hopes it will relieve pressure, making it easier for everyone to find a home.
Other councilmembers were skeptical about the plan, saying the expansion goes too far to fast.
They say a team has been working for years to create a data driven method that would definitively guide decisions about when and where to expand the boundary.
“I would really like to push for a process,” said Vice-Mayor Dan Wu. “A process where we can do growth in a smart and equitable way.”
Worley said they have waited too long for that process to be finalized, questioning if it was a delay tactic. People living in Lexington, he said, need relief now.
“It is time we do something for the people of Fayette County,” he said. “We cannot let process be the enemy of progress.
Opponents of the plan say a big goal won’t be met
“There is no guarantee that more affordable housing would result from the expansion,” said councilmember Hannah LeGris.
Opponents think the type of housing that would likely get built would be on the more expensive side.
At one point, councilmembers asked city planning staff about if they could require land only be used for affordable housing. The planning staff member said that wouldn't be possible. Council can encourage it, giving them reasons later on to turn down proposals.
Worley said all types of housing are needed. Right now he said, someone looking for an expensive home may have to move into a mid-range priced home, forcing those people to be an a lower-priced home.
The executive director of the Fayette Alliance, Brittany Roethemeier, which has been a major opponent of the plan, said the vote goes against the majority of what Lexington wants, as well as data, research and the recommendation of the planning commission. They say there is more than enough space inside the boundary and that infill should be the focus.
Councilmember Gray said during the meeting that she had been threatened with litigation over the issue. She confirmed to LEX18 that the Fayette Alliance made the threat.
“The threats of litigation I don’t take lightly whatsoever, Gray said. “We will do what’s best for all the citizens of Lexington no matter where they reside.”
Roethemeier told us after the meeting they aren't threatening litigation if the vote gets final approval. Instead, they said they raised questions about compliance with state law.
