Candidate Questionnaire, Linda Gorton (incumbent)

Linda Gorton (incumbent)

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:

Across the nation this is a serious issue. As the Mayor who led this city through the pandemic and recovery, I am acutely aware of the need for Affordable Housing & Workforce Housing. Tackling housing issues requires sustained, intentional commitment. During my tenure as Mayor, I not only created the Department of Housing Advocacy and Community Development, I worked with my team to create a new ordinance, which the Council recently approved, to use Industrial Revenue Bonds, thereby using the LFUCG low interest rates, as an incentive for builders to build mixed-use developments which must include a percentage of Affordable Housing units. The most recent 2800 acre expansion of the Urban Service Boundary proposes that most of that land will be used for housing.

I continue to be a strong proponent of Infill/Redevelopment (I/R) inside our Urban Service Boundary. In my FY ’23 budget I first proposed $3M for loans (now forgivable) to pay for public infrastructure for I/R projects. This has been in my proposed budgets every year since then.

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:

Now that it has been approved, the Preservation and Growth Management Program has to be followed by the Council or future expansion consideration will not work well. I am committed to the process and we will insure that keeping the data is updated regularly.

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 have a long-standing, demonstrated commitment to balanced, sustainable growth, as well as preservation of our agricultural industries. Our working farms and Bluegrass landscape are critical to our economic health and quality of life. Not only is our farmland an agricultural economic engine, it also anchors an exploding travel and tourism industry. I continue to support the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program and its goal of 50,000 acres preserved for farming in perpetuity. I am committed to focus heavily on Infill/Redevelopment and use of vacant land inside the Urban Service Boundary. In short, I have and will continue to be a champion for our agriculture industries and farmland.

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:

Continue to build bike/ped trails through our community. I have had conversations w/LexTran leaders about the importance of building neighborhood connector routes. Continue building housing near LexTran routes.

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 especially am drawn to the “Growing Downtown” & “A Multimodal Downtown”. We are getting ready to unveil my Mayor’s Homeless Task Force plans, so that will help address those issues. I have already begun conversations w/LexTran leadership about more robust multimodal options & expanded transit. I like the continued downtown density & Infill/Redevelopment.

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: 

First, continue the moratorium beyond Oct 31 to gain full input & discussion by the public & within the Urban County Council. Study cities that have put tight controls on smaller data centers that mandate that the data center business pay all their own utilities and control the noise, water use, etc, to protect the public. Ban data centers from use on agricultural land.

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:

Continue our Solarize Lexington grants for solar on individual homes. Continue placing LFUCG’s solar on our own buildings. Continue conversations with property owners to explore potential solar over surface parking lots, at Bluegrass Airport, on barns in the ag area, etc.

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: 

In listening to people it is clear that they are frustrated by the destruction of current neighborhoods near UK to build multi-story student housing. Many of the houses that have been demolished were affordable to many people & they have been taken off the market to regular people. I encourage the Council to slow this down, have serious conversations about encouraging developers to repurpose current buildings near UK to redevelop into multiuse. Also, it seems not many are paying attention to the current downturn in population growth happening right now in the world. (Only India & S. America are replacing their populations.)

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: 

My mayoral veto of industrial solar in the agricultural zones was a first step to prohibiting future industrial uses on our economically productive ($2.6B annually) agriculture businesses. Because we are a merged city-county government, we have both a thriving urban area & a thriving agricultural area. Most cities don’t have an agricultural business base. I continue to support a thriving Infill/Redevelopment focus, including mixed uses downtown.