The Goal 4 Workgroup Is Finished!

For the past few months, the Goal 4 Workgroup has worked to create a new process for expanding Lexington's Urban Service Boundary. The current draft of their report is receiving touch-ups from Planning Division staff, but it is more or less in its final form.

• The Goal 4 Workgroup Report, once finalized, will be sent simultaneously to Council and to the Planning Commission.

• The two bodies will revise the Report as they see fit and eventually adopt a joint version of the Report that will be the official guide to future potential Urban Service Boundary (USB) expansion.

What does the Goal 4 Workgroup Report recommend?

Essentially, the Goal 4 Workgroup is recommending a new process to expand the Urban Service Boundary.

In this new process, every five yearsin between Comprehensive Plancycles, Council and the Planning Commission will use annually updated data from the Sustainable Growth Report to determine potential new development land needs (land for housing, commerce, industry, etc.) in Lexington over the following twenty years.

• If the bodies determine that future needs cannot be met by developing solely within the USB, then Council will have the ability to decide to expand the USB via a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) from property owners outside the boundary.

• Proposals must be inside one of the potential future expansion areas on the map below and contiguous with the existing USB.

In response to the RFP, developers and property owners would submit Masterplans or Small Area Plans and would have to state how they fill a need for housing, industry, or commerce, and fulfill the broader Goals and Objectives of the Comprehensive Plan.

• If multiple proposals are submitted in response to the RFP, then the proposals would be judged against each other competitively.

• If one or more proposals are approved, Council will vote to expand the USB around the accepted proposals. This means that the USB would be expanded to incorporate only parcels of land used by the accepted proposals in any given area.

• Developers and property owners with accepted proposals would be required to sign an agreement that would cause the land to be removed from the USB if there are significant delays in development.

What happens next for the Goal 4 Workgroup Report?

The final draft will be released to the public soon. In the meantime, you can read the most recent digitally-available draft here — just keep in mind that some details have changed since this draft was written.

Council will hold a Special Committee of the Whole Meeting on November 10th at 6pm to hear a presentation on the Report, take public comment, and move toward adopting resolutions around the Report.