As you know, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council recently mandated an unprecedented expansion of Lexington’s historic Urban Services Boundary by between 2,700-5,000 acres.

Throughout the Goals & Objectives process, Fayette Alliance advocated for a data-driven process and objective criteria to guide growth decisions - we were not advocating for no growth. The Council’s mandate was made despite the Planning Commission’s recommendation for that data-driven process before expansion, a significant amount of public comment against expansion, and more. 

Fayette Alliance and other concerned community members have since filed a lawsuit against the Urban County Council on the basis that the way in which the decision was made to mandate expansion of the USB was against the law, not in compliance with state statutes, and against historical precedent. While that suit moves through the court system, the work for expansion has continued. 

The Urban Growth Management Advisory Committee has spent the last four weeks discussing where they believe Lexington should grow and has identified seven different areas for potential expansion.

The committee is now requesting community feedback - and it’s critical as many voices are heard as possible.

Please join the Fayette Alliance on Tuesday, September 12th at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers to learn more and request that the Urban Services Boundary be expanded by no more than 2,700 acres, the minimum amount required by Council. This will be the only opportunity for public input before a recommendation is made to the Planning Commission. 

Limiting expansion to 2,700 acres - the minimum amount required by Council - will help mitigate the destruction of prime farmland and allow for continued focus on infill and redevelopment within our urban core. We must plan in a way that protects our prime soils and agricultural industries, minimizes costs to taxpayers, and provides a way for our community to move forward as responsibly as possible to accommodate future growth. 

The community has still not been provided with how much this expansion will cost taxpayers, updated information on housing supply-and-demand, or how much land we actually need to meet our community’s needs. Despite this missing information, we’re being asked to make decisions with long lasting impact. Minimizing expansion is the only way to attempt to expand responsibly. 

If you can’t attend the meeting, consider emailing the committee at imagine@lexingtonky.gov.

Please reach out to us with any questions, and we appreciate your support and engagement.