Fayette Alliance Celebrates 15 Years of Service

LEXINGTON, Ky.- Fayette Alliance, a Lexington land use non-profit, is proud to celebrate its 15th year advocating for sustainable growth in Lexington-Fayette County. Founded May 2, 2006 to address community issues like urban sprawl, a need for focused infill and redevelopment, overflowing sewers, and the protection of our productive rural farmland, Fayette Alliance continues to promote smart growth through advocacy, education, and research.

“Fayette Alliance was the original collective voice for Lexington community members that saw a need to monitor growth and land-use policy,” said Fayette Alliance Board Chair and original founding Board member Don Robinson. “In 2006, the World Monument Fund identified the Bluegrass as one of the most culturally important and top endangered landscapes in the world. Since then, Fayette Alliance has led the way to promote the balance between our unique, beautiful land and the growth of our city in a way that makes best use of the resources we have available.”

To commemorate this milestone, Fayette Alliance will profile their impact with 15 accomplishments from the past 15 years, videos from community and Board members, and a special 15th anniversary logo. In addition, they will be releasing a celebratory bourbon, launching this fall.

“Over the past 15 years, Fayette Alliance has transformed the conversation around growth and development,” said Fayette Alliance Executive Director Brittany Roethemeier. “We will proudly continue to bring the voices of our community together to advance smart and equitable growth policies in Lexington. There’s still hard work to be done, but Lexington is an extraordinary place and it’s worth fighting for.”

As Fayette Alliance celebrates this important anniversary, it also commits to work toward an equitable future in both land-use policy and agriculture. Fayette Alliance has pledged to support Black Soil KY, a local organization working to reconnect black Kentuckians to their legacy and heritage in agriculture, with a $15,000 grant over three years. Fayette Alliance is proud to support Black Soil’s work to bring the farm to our vibrant city in new and diverse ways. Their work highlights the importance of equitable representation in Lexington’s local agricultural sector, which has a $2.3 billion impact on our city’s economy.

“We are thrilled and honored to receive this grant, to move forward with strength in celebrating our shared history and collective hope for the future,” said Ashley C. Smith, COO and co-founder of Black Soil KY. “This grant will help Black Soil expand our mission and our vision, specifically, to reach college students through our UK Cornerstone Exchange work, extend access to seasonal produce through Julietta Market, and promote our historic hamlets across Fayette County.”

Find out more at FayetteAlliance.com/15years.

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ABOUT FAYETTE ALLIANCE

Growing our City, Promoting our Farms

Fayette Alliance is celebrating 15 years as a non-profit dedicated to achieving sustainable, equitable growth in Lexington-Fayette County through land-use advocacy, education, and research. Fayette Alliance believes that preserving our unique and productive Bluegrass farmland, advancing innovative development, and improving our infrastructure are essential to our collective success. Through efforts at government and beyond, Fayette Alliance positively impacts countywide planning and zoning laws and policies – which are the building blocks of a better quality of life, economy, and environment for Lexington.

www.FayetteAlliance.com/15years