Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton has vetoed a newly revised ordinance allowing industrial solar development on Fayette County's agricultural land.
“For me, this is not about solar at all,” she said following a Friday news conference announcing the move. “This is 100% about approving an industrial use on our agricultural zone. It has never been done because we have other places for industry, and this really opens the door and sets a precedent for manufacturing, other industrial uses, if a future council would want to approve those."
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council passed the ordinance in a split, 8-7, vote Sept. 10. It permits industrial-level solar development on 1% of Fayette County land, or about 1,800 acres.
Industrial solar has been the subject of debate for months among council members following a 2024 ban on such development. Earlier this year, the city’s planning commission recommended upholding that ban.
Proponents of industrial solar argue rooftop solar and similar developments aren’t enough to meet Lexington’s net-zero carbon emissions goals, while opponents say such installments could degrade the area’s prime soils and streams, and infringe on Fayette County’s farmland.
Gorton said she was optimistic the city could reach its net-zero goals with developments inside the city.
“I don't think any of us have done a study on that,” she said. “And there are a lot of potential places for rooftop solar here that have never been explored.”
The council has the ability to override the veto, which it could do as early as its next meeting.
If the veto holds, Gorton said she’s open to creating a work group to study how more solar installments could be implemented within the city’s urban service boundary.
This is the second time Gorton has issued a veto since she took office in 2019. In 2024, Gorton vetoed the addition of 10 job positions to the city budget, a decision that was overridden by council.
