Council Vote on Thursday – Expand the Boundary!

Dear Neighbors,

Please find below part of a communication from the Fayette Alliance. Note that the Urban County Council will be voting on the Goals and Objectives for Lexington’s Comprehensive Plan this Thursday, June 1. Under consideration is a proposal to expand the Urban Services Boundary along Winchester Road and Richmond Road in the amount of 5,000 acres.

This is your opportunity to comment. Please email the Council at councilmembers@lexingtonky.gov. I’m not sure what the exact language of the changes in the Goals and Objectives will be. The language could change up until voting time. But I think the Council needs to consider cost data, sewers, the environment, affordable housing, the value of our rural area, and any number of factors before deciding where to expand and by how much.

Sewering is especially important to neighborhoods because we do not want overdevelopment to exceed Lexington’s sewer capacity. The EPA Consent Decree with Lexington was enacted years ago to fight widespread residential problems with sewage in basements, yards, and streams, and no new expansion should put the city in danger of similar problems of that nature. Sewage capacity is a must in any new development.

Again, part of the statement from the Alliance follows immediately. To read the entire Fayette Alliance statement, please access https://mailchi.mp/fayettealliance.com/lexingtons-history-will-be-written-this-week?e=1d266eb3dd.

Thanks!

Walt Gaffield, President
Fayette County Neighborhood Council, Inc.

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Our Councilmembers Will Decide Our Future

A historic vote is taking place this week as our Councilmembers decide whether to expand Lexington’s Urban Service Boundary or, instead, put in place a data-driven process for smart growth decisions.

The vote will take place on Thurs., June 1 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Council Chambers during a Committee of the Whole meeting.

The meeting is open to the public, but no public comment will be accepted.