Stronger regulations on solar development in Lexington are being discussed in the city council.
The body’s General Government and Planning Committee heard recommendations by the city’s solar working group during a Tuesday meeting. A council vote would have those recommendations reviewed by Lexington’s planning commission, along with the city’s environment and rural land management boards.
Changes include allowing solar farms built solely on brownfields to be exempt from conditional use permits. Another recommendation would also create more specific language for the city’s community benefits plan, requiring developers to pay the city $750 per megawatt generated to benefit low-income residents.
It would also speed up how quickly projects are decommissioned and require the removal of all structures, equipment and foundations within six months, plus the recycling of materials whenever possible.
The proposal is part of a wider discussion within city government involving balancing solar development with agricultural preservation.
Currently, large-scale solar in Fayette County cannot span more than 1% of the county’s acreage. Each solar project must also include 85% vegetative cover, and a land management plan must be submitted to the urban-county government.
The committee narrowly voted to advance the proposal to council. Council member Chuck Ellinger had concerns there weren’t enough voices involved in the discussions.
“We did not include everybody in here,” he said. “I think the farm bureau needed to be included. I think the rural management land and soil experts, I know you did some of that, but I think it would be better if we did that in committee.”
Other council members, like Vice Mayor Dan Wu, argued moving the proposal forward would be the best way to start those discussions and get more public input.
“We're not taking a final vote on it,” he said. “I think the expectation and the whole point of putting it out to these three other groups for review is to see if they have particular issues, ways to improve this, changes that they want to see made.”
If passed by council, the planning commission would start a 60-day review of the recommendations before they’re finalized. They would then begin a period for taking public input.
