2045 Comprehensive Plan moves to final vote
By state law, Lexington is required to have a Comprehensive Plan - a set of land use regulation policies, that is updated every 5 years. This year’s update is called Imagine Lexington 2045.
Last year, LFUCG’s Division of Planning initiated a city-wide public engagement processes to gather the opinion of Lexington residents on land use policy in Lexington. CivicLex designed and lead the largest scale public input, On the Table.
In February of this year, LFUCG’s Division of Planning completed their review of the 2018 Comp Plan and public input data. They then presented the Planning Commission with recommended changes to the Goals & Objectives based on how the city is changing and growing.
The Planning Commission then made their own changes and then sent their Goals & Objectives on to the City Council.
A reminder - public input is gathered throughout this process, but the Urban County Council ultimately can change the Goals & Objectives to reflect their priorities, overriding the Planning Commission’s recommendations.
This year, the Comprehensive Plan’s Goals & Objectives have changed significantly from the last time they were updated. Some of the most significant changes include:
More specific language around increasing racial equity
Increased emphasis on prioritizing affordable housing and economic opportunities for low-income and marginalized communities
Ambitious sustainability targets and goals to address climate change
The development of an Expansion Area Master Plan which will lead to an expansion of the Urban Service Boundary by 2,700-5,000 acres for the first time since 1996
This Thursday, Council will vote for a final time to adopt the new Goals & Objectives of the Imagine Lexington 2045 Comprehensive Plan. To read more about this process and all the changes that have been made, visit our website. If you have thoughts or opinions on the Comprehensive Plan’s Goals & Objectives, you can email council to let them know.
Council will meet this week to hear these items read for the first time on Tuesday June 13th at 5pm in Council Chambers. The second reading will be on Thursday, June 15th at 6pm in Council Chambers, where Council will vote on whether or not to adopt these items as amended. You can attend both meetings in-person or watch live on LexTV.
