Lexington’s Preservation & Growth Management Program

The Lexington Preservation and Growth Management Program will guide growth decisions around the Urban Service Boundary and must be formalized by August 31, 2026 — 16 months from now.

• Keep reading to learn how you can get involved below.

How Did We Get Here?

In June of 2023, the LFUCG Urban County Council adopted the Goals and Objectives of the city’s comprehensive plan known as Imagine Lexington 2045.

• Within the Goals and Objectives, an expansion of the Urban Service Boundary (USB) was mandated by Council, which resulted in 2,800-acre expansion for housing and jobs.

• Remember: The Urban Growth Master Plan was adopted to guide development in those 2,800 acres.

• Additionally: Council mandated a formalized process be established by August 31, 2026 to guide future decisions about growth and expansion of the Urban Service Boundary.

Lexington’s Preservation and Growth Management Program (LP&GMP)

The formalized expansion process has come to be known as Lexington’s Preservation and Growth Management Program (LP&GMP) — placed into committee by Councilmember Liz Sheehan in January of 2025.

• Consider: Fayette Alliance has been advocating for a data-driven decision-making process like the LP&GMP since our organization was founded in 2006.

• We are excited to be part of this conversation and look forward to seeing how a formalized process can ensure better decision-making and responsible, sustainable, and equitable growth moving forward.

Goals and Priorities:

• Creating a data-driven process to inform decisions around expansion of the USB

• Developing a formalized decision-making process

• Ensuring community input

• Preserving significant agricultural areas

• Growing in appropriate areas

As we mentioned, this program must be finalized by August 31, 2026 — 16 months from now.

• Below is a timeline for the 2025 LP&GMP in the General Government and Planning Committee.

Dates to Remember:

• Tues., April 15 — Deadline to Fill Out the Public Input Survey
• Thurs., May 22 — Public Input Session
• Tues., Sept. 9 — Summary of Public Input

70 Years in the Making

Lexington was the first city in the United States to formally adopt an Urban Service Boundary in 1958.

• We believe this forward-thinking decision demonstrates our community’s historical commitment to being good stewards of our finite land.

Since 1958, other cities have followed our lead and adopted Urban Growth Boundaries to balance urban growth with their natural landscapes — Portland, OR; Boulder, CO; and Fresno, CA to name just a few.

• However: While we initially set the standard for stewardship, other cities have implemented formalized data-driven decision-making processes for guiding growth.

• Factors that guide expansion decisions for other cities include population and economic growth; land supply analysis, including examining the density of existing development and identifying potential infill and redevelopment opportunities; environmental impacts of expansion; and more.

While Lexington’s USB has changed, expanded, and shrunk throughout the years, we have not formalized an expansion process since the USB was established in 1958.

• That means our community has 16 months to adopt a process that is nearly 70 years in the making.

We have to get this decision right.

Get Involved

An online survey is available for all residents of Lexington-Fayette County to complete

until Tuesday, April 15.

• This is the easiest and quickest way to make your voice heard about this historically important issue.

• More info: We will be providing additional details about our recommendations for this process in the coming weeks.

• In the meantime: Read more about our advocacy on this process during the last Comprehensive Plan, or learn about where Fayette County residents stood on these important issues.

After the survey closes, a community-wide public input session will be held on Thurs., May 22.

• A time and location for the public input session are still forthcoming.