LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The committee tasked with coming up with recommendations about expanding Lexington's Urban Service Boundary has significantly reduced their proposal, which included removing properties that include historically significant horse farms or farms where the owners would not like to develop their properties.
Instead of a proposal that would have expanded the area by nearly 5,000 acres, the committee has settled on a bid close to 3,000 acres, a few hundred above the minimum additional acreage city council required.
The map now goes to the city's planning commission for approval. Director of Planning Jim Duncan said he's almost certain the planning commission will approve the committee's recommendations.
The committee voted to cancel their meeting scheduled for next week because they had finalized their recommended map.
During the meeting on Tuesday, heavy emphasis was placed on whether or not the owners of properties in areas where the boundary could expand would want their properties to be developed.
Most notably, the owner of a large property between Winchester Road and Royster Road said during the recent public comment session that they did not want to be in the expanded Urban Service Boundary, so the committee took them out.
As one committee member noted, there was no canvass of each property owner in the proposed expanded zone, and they relied on who showed up, spoke at the meeting, and provided the address of their property, as not all speakers did.
The finalized proposal sees an expanded urban service area in 4 areas. One area would be bounded by Winchester Road to the south, 75 to the west, and 64 to the north. It would extend east to roughly where Royster Road meets 64 and equidistant between Polo Club and Man O' War Blvd on Winchester Road.
A second area would roughly extend the current boundary of the Urban Service Area to the intersection of Royster Road and North Cleveland Road.
A third area straddles I-75, between Todds Road and Athens Boonesboro Road, filling in the entire space between Athens Boonesboro and the highway.
Deciding on the fourth area appeared to be the most controversial. The committee considered hundreds of acres west of the Beaumont and Harrods Hill neighborhoods.
The committee settled on including a space between Man 'O War and Wellesley Heights. They had been looking at a large area south of Man O' War, bordered by Parker's Mill and Bowman's Mill to the west.
Virtually this entire stretch of land is owned by a single person who wants to develop the land, Duncan said. Multiple committee members expressed concerns that allowing this property into the urban service area would be a grave mistake because of the area's prime soil's historical significance and potential impact on neighboring properties.
"That area is almost sacred in my mind," said councilmember Plomin.
Multiple members said the prospect of expanding the USB in this area gives them "heartburn.”
It's
in the heart of horse country, and developing it could lead to a domino effect down the line where other neighboring farms are developed, said committee member John Phillips.
"I don't think we should develop simply because a landowner wants to develop here," Phillips said, saying they need to act as a balance. "We have a community that surrounds (the area) that basically has their hair on fire - they're very upset with it.”
Zach Worsham, who develops affordable housing, disagreed, saying he didn't
feel like it was the committee's job to tell the owners of a property looking to establish that they don't have the right to do what they wish to do with their property.
In the end, the motion that would have included a piece of the controversial land failed on a tied vote
