The city’s new Comprehensive Plan, which includes a modest expansion of the land use boundary for homes and jobs, is just the first step in bringing more homes and jobs to Lexington.
The Planning Commission has a deadline of December 2025 to create a master plan for how that expansion will occur. Then it must create a process for future land expansion by 2026.
These processes are important because they will have an impact on how quickly new housing will be available. Delays and bureaucracy add to the cost of a new home and also mean that the price of existing homes and apartments will continue to skyrocket because there isn’t enough existing housing to meet the current demand.
Lexington for Everyone is focused on three priorities:
- Strong oversight of Comprehensive Plan implementation
- Expansion Area Master Plan: The deadline for the Planning Commission to complete the master plan for the land brought into the Urban Service Area is December 2024. Since the Commission disregarded important directives in the previous Comprehensive Plan, strong Council oversight is needed.
In addition, less than 4 percent of that land was initially identified to accommodate good-paying jobs. We urge flexibility in land use to support opportunities for job creation. - City vacant land analysis: This crucial analysis will identify land that could be given or sold at a reduced price for affordable housing.
- Expansion Area Master Plan: The deadline for the Planning Commission to complete the master plan for the land brought into the Urban Service Area is December 2024. Since the Commission disregarded important directives in the previous Comprehensive Plan, strong Council oversight is needed.
- 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. The city must work with stakeholders to cut down on bureaucracy and red tape, which increases the cost of building new homes and undertaking infill and redevelopment.
- A new housing study: Update the 2017 Fayette County Housing Demand Study, which was prepared for – among other groups – the city and Fayette Alliance. Lexington has built less than half of the homes that the report stated as necessary.