Lexington For Everyone advocates for balanced, common-sense land use policies. We want to reverse the decades-long trend of regulations that make it more difficult for people to find affordable homes and more difficult for businesses to create jobs. Those same policies accelerate gentrification and inequity in our neighborhoods.

We are in danger of losing an entire generation of young people who will not be able to afford to live here. 

That means a loss of talent and our future workforce to other cities, as well as declining city revenue caused by the loss of payroll taxes when people decide to work elsewhere. 

Together, we have already taken meaningful action:

• Comprehensive Plan Improvements: 
  • More balanced debate across the community about land use policies and their impact on the community.
  • A plan to expand the land use boundary for homes and jobs by December 2024.
  • A deadline to develop a process for future land expansion by 2026.   
  • Emphasis affordable housing in development policies.
• Affordable Housing Development: Several local banks invested $3 million in a fund that provided interest-free money to purchase 12.5 acres of land along Radcliffe Road and Haggard Lane from Transylvania University at a reduced cost. Local affordable housing developers will build a combination of housing types, including rental and homeownership opportunities. Once the money is repaid, it will be invested again in other affordable housing projects.

What’s Next:

But more work must be done. Lexington needs:

1. Strong oversight of the Comprehensive Plan implementation
   • Expansion Area Master Plan: The Planning Commission must complete the master plan for the land brought into the Urban Service Area by December 2024. Since the Commission disregarded important directives in the previous Comprehensive Plan, strong Council oversight is needed.
   • City vacant land analysis: This crucial analysis will identify land that could be given or sold at a reduced price for affordable housing. 
2. Continued improvement of development process: It takes an average of 283 days to get through the zoning process in Lexington. In Louisville, it’s only 218 days. Most cities across the country are under 100. 
3. Ongoing process of land evaluation: By regularly evaluating the land use boundary to ensure adequate and appropriate growth, we can ensure timeliness in meeting community needs for homes and the next business park land for jobs. City leaders in Portland, Oregon, review their land use boundary and add more land each year to meet community needs. If we wait for a generation for each update, then we’ll always be playing catch up.