Candidate Questionnaire, Christopher Shafer

Christopher Shafer

Housing

Studies show Lexington needs about 22,500 new housing units across all types to fill the housing gap in our city, but 75% of the needed units are at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

What strategies and locations do you believe Lexington should prioritize for housing growth in order to address these needs?

• Answer: I believe we should and I support looking into infill development, we have a lot of property in Fayette county that could be utilized, without expanding outward to quickly.

Expansion

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council recently adopted the Preservation and Growth Management Program, which created a data-driven method for considering future expansions of the Urban Service Boundary (USB).

What factors do you believe are most important to consider if an expansion of the Urban Service Boundary was proposed to the Council during your term?

• Answer:

I believe that we have a lot of areas in Lexington where infill development could occur. An outward expansion of the USB would cause infrastructure concerns, and by this I mean traffic, roads, utility, waste collection, etc. and the long term financial impact it would cause. I am also for the protection of our neighborhoods and farmland. Smart growth, sustainable growth.. not sprawl.

Agricultural Preservation

Agricultural industries, and the farmland that supports them, have an economic impact of $2.6 billion every year on Lexington-Fayette County’s economy and support more than 16,000 jobs across all twelve council districts.

What policies do you support that promote Lexington’s iconic and productive farmland and protect it from irresponsible future development?

• Answer:

I support preservation and growth management. I also do not support the expansion of the USB at this time. Lexington and Fayette County is unique and a place I love and I believe we should protect it.

Transit

Land use policy and public transit are closely linked. How do you think Lexington can prioritize transit oriented development moving forward and what strategies do you support to improve our city’s public transit system? 

• Answer:

I think we have to encourage mixed use development near transit routes, if we want people to use transit it must be efficient, safe and dependable so they will.

Downtown Area Master Plan

LFUCG recently adopted a new Downtown Area Master Plan. As the community works to increase the vibrancy of our downtown while also creating new housing opportunities, which implementation items from the Plan would you like to see prioritized and why?

• Answer:

I would like to see our downtown be cleaner, safer and more welcoming. We need to bring more people downtown to work live and enjoy themselves. I was downtown back in June and the people I had in town visiting made several comments to me that stood out, it is kind of spooky down here, I think we need more lighting , and safety measures in place. There are some retired buildings downtown that could be used, there aren’t a ton but there are some for use as redevelopment uses. There were also at some point some shuttle services to take people to the distillery district, that seemed to be popular and worked well, we should look into this permanently.

Data Centers

Lexington currently has a moratorium on data centers until October 31, 2026. How do you think Lexington should address the growing demand for data centers? 

• Answer:

I do not support large data centers in Lexington at this time. The unknowns about our utility costs outweigh the benefits I see at this time, also I have received numerous emails and calls about residents being against this. My job as a council member would be  to listen and also hear what our residents say and want before making decisions

Renewable Energy

What policies would you support to increase urban renewable energy development, like commercial and industrial rooftop solar, in Lexington-Fayette County’s built environment?

• Answer:

I would support rooftop solar, I do not support using our greenspace (farmland for this purpose. There are numerous locations across Fayette county where this could be utilized without wasting our greenspace and precious farmland. I’d much rather see us make use of acres of rooftops and already developed property before looking at productive farmland.. We already have some solar on rooftops on Lexington Fire Stations and some city buildings and I would like to see more of this.

Student Housing

As enrollment at the University of Kentucky expands, Lexington neighborhoods are feeling the pressure of increased demand for student housing. What growth strategies would you support to balance the need for student housing with the concerns of longtime residents?

• Answer:

I have heard from dozens and dozens of residents in Lexington’s  downtown and campus areas. They all have one thing in common, we do not want this happening to our neighborhood. UK must grow and I understand that but neighborhoods should not be expected to agree with it and expected to  have their lives disrupted. I Support redevelopment and appropriate density where infrastructure can support it.

Urban Service Boundary

Lexington’s historic and productive agricultural lands feel more pressure each year for development of all kinds. Why do you think it is important to protect our Rural Service Area, and what policies do you support (in addition to the PDR program, vital for conservation) or would you like to see implemented to continue safeguarding it?

• Answer: