By Ray Daniels, Lexington For Everyone Board Chair
Hope. Growth. Opportunity. Those are the building blocks for a healthy and vibrant community. And thanks to the strong leadership of the Council, Lexington’s future is being planned with those goals in mind.
The Goals and Objectives for the Comprehensive Plan, which guides how Lexington will grow in the future, were strengthened in a 13-2 Council vote. It was the right decision because it will address the needs of all segments of our community. Among the goals was the mandate to make available 2,700 to 5,000 acres for homes and jobs.
A volunteer workgroup, along with support from the Planning Commission staff, now has the task of identifying which acres will be recommended to the Planning Commission to be included for development within the land use boundary (Urban Service Area). Lexington for Everyone urges the workgroup not to fall short of that goal by simply doing the minimum.
Currently, that workgroup has identified only one area for homes and jobs that meets the minimum acreage and wants to end its work. We ask them to consider other areas of land that would meet the criteria of not impacting horse farms and be located near the existing Urban Service Area, convenient to crucial infrastructure and capable of providing sewers. For example, there is an area near I-75 off Athens Boonesboro that makes sense for the community and is widely regarded as a common-sense area for inclusion.
All segments of our community would benefit by a review of all the land that the Planning Commission staff has identified as suitable for two key reasons:
Housing for All Incomes & Stages of Life
The median home price in Lexington is $322,000, which has risen 100 percent in 10 years, according to Bluegrass REALTORS. That puts home buying, which is the best way to build generational wealth, out of reach for a majority of Lexingtonians.
More than 67,000 households in Fayette County households earn the median income of $61,526 or less, according to U.S. Census data. For those making that amount, a maximum affordable home price is $240,000. In July, there were fewer than 50 homes listed for sale in the entire county that would be affordable, including condominiums, townhouses and single-family homes. One house, which doesn’t technically have any bedrooms, is listed for $160,000.
The simple law of supply and demand tells us that more land will ease the skyrocketing increases in costs and the rapid pace of gentrification.
Land For Jobs
Job growth is paramount to the stability and well-being of families. Because the majority of city services are funded through the payroll tax, it also is crucial to maintaining and improving quality of life and vital city services. For the first time in our lifetimes, Fayette County has lost population. Any further decline will exacerbate budget deficits that already are looming for the city in the coming years.
The new Comprehensive Plan will identify, provide and sustain readily available publicly controlled economic development land to meet Fayette County’s need for jobs. But that land must be included in the Urban Service Area.
Scarcity of resources pits people and groups against each other. Lexington is facing that today with land – and the result is gentrification, skyrocketing home prices that are out of reach for our essential workers and young professionals, and new jobs and expansion of jobs (along with the tax base they bring) are going to surrounding counties.
But it is an arbitrary scarcity because we have land available. Bringing in the maximum 5,000 acres is less than 4 percent of the land currently outside the boundary.
We can’t afford to wait. Delay is not a solution. We urge the workgroup to consider bringing in all the land that the Planning Commission staff has identified through a rigorous, data-informed analysis. Our community deserves it.
Ray Daniels serves as the chair of Lexington for Everyone, which promotes equitable and affordable living and working opportunities for all by advocating for sensible and inclusive land use policies that protect our scenic beauty, strengthen our workforce, foster economic vitality, and advance Lexington’s unique history and cultural diversity – so that it becomes a place where everybody belongs. He is president of Equity Solutions Group and a Thoroughbred horse owner. Visit https://lexingtonforeveryone.com/ for more information.