Let’s get to work solving our Fayette land problems before it’s too late
For more than a year, Lexington for Everyone has been educating people on how land use policies impact homes, the workforce and equity. And we have listened to the struggles and concerns that young people, families and nonprofits are having as a result.
Lexington must act now while the community creates the next Comprehensive Plan, which sets policies for development in our community.
The original intent of the Urban Service Boundary when it was created in 1958 was to allow incremental growth as needed. In reality, from 1960 to 2020, our population grew 145 percent, but our acreage only grew 27 percent. And, it has been more than a generation since the Urban Service Boundary was last expanded.
Is it any wonder that the median home price in recent months has hovered around $300,000, or that Lexington ranks seventh in the country for largest increases in rent? There are many reasons why costs are going up, but a primary factor is that Lexington has arbitrarily banned some land from being used for homes and workforce. The basic law of supply and demand can’t be overlooked.
But it has been ignored – to the detriment of the community and contrary to the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. That plan mandated that by July 1, 2020, a study would be completed that “designates rural land for long-term preservation, identifies land for potential future urban development and specifies triggers, thresholds and timing for the addition of the identified urban land into the Urban Service Boundary, keeping infill and land use efficiency as the continued primary objectives.”
More than two years too late, those actions have just now been undertaken by a task force called the Goal 4 Workgroup. It has done admirable work in creating a process that would begin to look at possible locations for homes and workforce.
However, disappointingly, the proposal before the Planning Commission and the Council would create another delay – this time until 2026. And what that really means, is that in the best-case scenario, it would be more like 2032 before any new homes and workforce land is developed.
Building homes and workforce developments often takes 5 to 10 years after a location has been identified because new infrastructure (such as roads and sewers) needs to be in place, plans must be approved by the government, and homes and buildings must be built. That’s why we need to act now to create policies that will benefit families in the future.
In addition, because of neighborhood opposition, costly and cumbersome regulations, and unwilling sellers, Lexington’s current growth strategy to focus only on infill and redevelopment ensures that we are not meeting the housing and employment needs of the city. Current policies are supersizing sprawl by sending it to neighboring counties and creating longer – rather than shorter – commutes.
There are negative consequences to inaction: Affordability will dissolve even further, putting a strain on the budgets of families, businesses, nonprofits and government.
We will be sending investment, resources, people and jobs away from our community. The city already has repeatedly admitted that soon there won’t be enough revenue to keep up with the cost of services. That means tax increases and/or cuts to important services such as public safety, parks, garbage collection and roads – unless we increase the revenue base by creating more jobs and homes.
Our future won’t wait. And neither should we.
Ray Daniels serves as the chair of Lexington for Everyone, which promotes equitable and affordable living and working opportunities for all by advocating for sensible and inclusive land use policies that protect our scenic beauty, strengthen our workforce, foster economic vitality, and advance Lexington’s unique history and cultural diversity – so that it becomes a place where everybody belongs. He is president of Equity Solutions Group and a Thoroughbred horse owner. Visit https://lexingtonforeveryone.com/ for more information.
