Members of the Lexington Fayette Urban County Council discussed a proposal meant to accommodate the city’s growth during a Tuesday committee meeting.
The Lexington Preservation and Growth Management Program would create a new process on how the city manages and expands what’s known as the city’s “Urban Service Area.”
The city created an urban boundary in the 1950s to accommodate its nearby agricultural zones.
It comes as the city is figuring out how to accommodate a growing population as part of its “Comprehensive Plan.” In 2023, Lexington’s Planning Commission recommended expanding Lexington’s urban service boundary by 2,800 acres.
“This is designed to be a data-driven process, as called for in our comp plan, and the point of that is to establish consistency in our decision making and transparency for the community when it comes to our land-use decisions,” District 5 Councilmember Liz Sheehan said.
The proposal includes plans on how to review vacant land, and studies that would chart Lexington’s population growth over the next 20 years. It would also offer public comment periods for landowners who want their property added to the urban service area.
Sheehan says discussions have involved using more vacant land within Lexington’s urban boundary, and preserving the city’s more historic areas.
“We often hear talk about preservation of our rural land, but we have seen in recent zone change hearings and community conversations that preserving our history and culture are also important to our community,” she said.
A presentation on the current proposal says it currently doesn’t account for the state’s ongoing housing backlog, and residential units in zones meant for commercial or mixed-use development.
The council plans to hold a public forum next Tuesday to discuss the proposal further. The final draft will be discussed during a December 2 hearing.
The urban county council plans to vote on the final proposal in 2026.
