Advocacy Update: 5.5.25

This advocacy update is in regards to a meeting taking place on Tuesday, May 6 at 1 p.m. at City Hall.

The General Government & Planning Committee (GG&PC) will be hearing updates about three different growth and development policies taking shape in our community:

• Lexington’s Preservation & Growth Management Program

• A ZOTA regarding House Bill 443, which changes the way local governments evaluate Final Development Plans

• A solar energy systems Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment (ZOTA)

Each of these topics has the potential to dramatically alter both our rural and urban landscape here in Lexington-Fayette County.

Use the button below to watch the meeting live with the LexTV livestream. ⬇️

Lexington Preservation & Growth Management Program

We updated you earlier this month on the topic — but below is a refresher. ⬇️

On Tuesday, the GG&PCl will hear a presentation on the first proposed draft of the details regarding Lexington’s Preservation & Growth Management Program

• Details: This program is proposed to be a formalized, objective process to guide future decisions about growth and expansion around the Urban Service Boundary.

• Important: This process must be established and adopted by August 31, 2026.

Click the button below to learn more about this process. ⬇️

House Bill 443

The second item on Tuesday’s agenda is a discussion of House Bill 443, which requires local zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations to be in the form of objective standards and applied ministerially.

• To put it simply: Bill 443 eliminates discretionary approval by the Planning Commission, instead creating a checklist of objective criteria by which a developer may have their Final Development Plan approved by the Commission.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the Planning Staff will provide the GG&PC with an overview of the policies recommended to comply with House BIll 443.

• Details: The ZOTA includes changes to the process by which development plans happen, how they are ultimately approved, and where/if the public can engage on developer proposed plans.

• Additionally: The Planning Commission is recommending the Council consider ways to re-incorporate public input, which was removed from the process by the Planning Staff’s version of the ZOTA in order to comply with HB 443.

Fayette Alliance + House Bill 443

Fayette Alliance believes it is necessary to make zoning policy updates to comply with HB 443.

• However: Public input must remain a part of the development plan process.

Removing public comment undermines the intent of community planning, the hard work of our Comprehensive Plan, and the legal right and democratic process of enabling community members to make their voices heard.

• Important: We urge the Council to re-incorporate public input in a meaningful way into the ZOTA.

Get Involved

If you’d like to reach out to the Councilmembers on the General Government & Planning Committee prior to their May 6, 2025 meeting on the above issues, you can click on their name to send an email below:

• Council District 5, Liz Sheehan – Chair

• Council District 2, Shayla Lynch, JD – Vice Chair

• Council At-Large and Vice Mayor, Dan Wu

• Council At-Large, James Brown

• Council At-Large, Chuck Ellinger

• Council District 3, Hannah LeGris

• Council District 4, Emma Curtis

• Council District 9, Whitney Elliott Baxter

• Council District 10, Dave Sevigny

• Council District 11, Jennifer Reynolds

Solar Energy Systems

The third item on Tuesday’s agenda is an overview of the Solar Energy Systems ZOTA, approved by the Planning Commission in September of 2024.

Let’s rewind. ⏪

May, 2024

Silicon Ranch — a Nashville-based and privately-owned industrial solar development company — proposed a ZOTA that would allow for large-scale solar development throughout our rural lands.

• More info: They did this in hopes of constructing an 800-acre solar farm off Haley Road in the Agricultural-Rural Zone.

September, 2024

Lexington’s Planning Commission voted unanimously not to approve the ZOTA proposed by Silicon Ranch.

• Instead: After significant deliberations and extensive public comment, the Planning Commission voted to adopt these regulations for solar energy systems, based upon best practices, public engagement and Planning Staff recommendations.

• More details: This proposed ZOTA permits rooftop solar in Agricultural zones, but prohibits industrial-scale, ground mounted solar development in those zones. It also permits small, intermediate, and industrial-scale solar development in appropriate areas in residential, business, professional, and industrial zones.

May, 2025

At Tuesday’s meeting, the General Government & Planning Committee will hear an overview of this proposed ZOTA from the Planning Staff.

• Next Steps: The General Government and Planning Committee will consider and discuss the issue and decide what action to take — whether to recommend the ZOTA as is, or make changes to it.

• After that: The committee will send the ZOTA on to be considered by the full Council, who vote to approve the final text of the ZOTA.

We will keep you updated on when voting will take place and additional public input opportunities.

Fayette Alliance + Solar Energy Systems

Fayette Alliance supports renewable energy development in Lexington-Fayette County, particularly on rooftops, brownfields, industrial areas, and already built environments.

• We do not support: Changing our county-wide zoning ordinance to permit industrial uses in our agricultural areas to accommodate a single business user.

• Consider: The ZOTA proposed by Silicon Ranch would set a precedent for other industrial uses in our agricultural zones far beyond one business.

Resources

• Learn about the land proposed for development by clicking on the image below.

• Watch a synopsis about our Position Statement for this project. ⬇️

• Learn about one example of smart solar being utilized by locally-owned business Hallway Feeds.