IMAGINE LEXINGTON 2045
IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE
KENZIE GLEASON, MANAGER, OUTREACH & STRATEGIC PLANNING
Implementation Items Comprehensive Plan in Action
Imagine Lexington Action Items
# Implementation Tasks = 117 Status After Year 1:
50% in progress 11% complete 38% yet to begin
Imagine Lexington Action Items
• Regulatory changes
• Studies & plans
• Education & outreach
• Government-wide initiatives
• New programs
• Other agencies
Studies + Plans
Urban Growth Master Plan
• Addition of 2840 acres of urban land
• Focus on mixed use, walkable, and connected neighborhoods
• Minimum of Approx. 16,000 dwelling units
• Adopted October 31, 2024
• Still to come: Blue Sky Activity Center
Metropolitan Transportation Plan
• Updated every 5 years
• Prioritize long-range transportation projects through 2050
• Emphasis on Complete Streets, Safety & Equity (not capacity)
• Adopted by TPC: April 24, 2024
Transportation Improvement Program
• 4 year Program of Projects
• Initial update included continuation of funding for local & state projects already substantially underway
• Adopted by TPC: October 23, 2024
• Upcoming Major Amendment
• MPO call for projects for suballocated funding
• Emphasis on Complete Street projects and Design phases
• Adoption (planned) by TPC: February 26, 2025
• New: Complete Street Policy Compliance
• No project phases programmed until design is reviewed / approved by MPO
Campus to Commons Plan / Study
• Needed due to limited cross-town connections between five radial arterials from Leestown Rd to Nicholasville Rd
• Virginia Ave / Red Mile Rd / Forbes Rd corridor
• UK 'Campus' to Turner 'Commons'
• Safe & comfortable bike/ped/transit routes
• Preliminary concepts and estimates for phased improvements
Connect East Lexington Trail Plan / Study
Accepted by Transportation Policy Committee August 2023
• Connect Downtown to east rural Fayette County
• Brighton Trail extended (4+ miles existing)
• Trail extension from Liberty Rd to Town Branch Commons at 3rd Street / Midland Ave
• Henry Clay / Menifee / Cramer Walton
• National Ave "Warehouse District"
• Phased improvements
Imagine Nicholasville Road Feasibility Study
• Critical for INR implementation
• LFUCG, MPO, KYTC & Lextran
• Model infill / density scenariosstatus quo, moderate & higher intensity
• Complete Street Improvementsfeasibility, phasing, cost
• Enhanced transit / Bus Rapid Transit – ridership estimates, capital & operating costs
• Completion in 2025
Complete Streets Action Plan
• Government-wide actions to institutionalize Complete Streets & coordinate opportunities for CS improvements across departments
• Focus Areas (39 tasks)
• Plan, Prioritize & Measure Progress
• Design & Construction
• Operations & Maintenance
• Safety
• Planning lead on 15 tasks
• Complete Streets Design Manual
Policy Approved by Council: December 2022
Action Plan Accepted: January 2024
Comprehensive Climate Action Plan
• Lexington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) - Fayette and adjacent counties (less Madison Co.)
• EPA grant – Led by LFUCG Environmental Service w/ multiple partners / stakeholders
• Greenhouse gas emissions inventory
• GHG reduction measures & targets
• ClimateView dashboard
• Completion in 2025
Greenway Master Plan
• Environmental Service, Planning, Parks
• Long Range Planning will lead going forward
• Create usable and connected system of parks, trails, and green spaces
• Identify areas for protection, conservation & recreational uses
• Develop a suitability map for new greenway areas
• Develop a guidebook on best management practices for greenways for residents, neighborhood and homeowner associations
Regulation Changes
Urban Growth Management ZOTA
• Provide more housing opportunities
• Allow a mixture of housing types
• Enable more walkable neighborhoods
• Utilize land more efficiently
• Modernize Commercial Zones
• Update Neighborhood Business (B-1) zone to remove non-neighborhood land uses
• Update Corridor Business (B-3) to allow residential use and more intensive uses
• Encourage Transit Oriented Development
• Provide flexibility for affordable and workforce housing development throughout Lexington
• June 27, 2024: Approved by Urban County Council
Landscape & Tree Protection ZOTA
Align zoning ordinance with best practices for green and sustainable infrastructure
• Updated landscaping regulations
• Updated tree protection requirements
• Consolidated enforcement and citation regulations
• Adopted by Council: September 9, 2024
Lighting ZOTA
Improve safety, sustainability and quality of place through outdoor lighting reforms
• Improve lighting design and maintenance standards for parking areas
• Restrict lighting from reflecting into adjacent residential zones
• Provide more pedestrian scale lighting and limit free-standing lighting to twelve feet
Updated ADU Regulation Outcomes
• Accessory dwellings are smaller, secondary housing units on the same lot as a principal dwelling
• ADUs were approved by Urban County Council: October 28, 2021
• 7 units in 25 months
• Regulations revised by Urban County Council: December 7, 2023
• Removed owner occupancy and deed restriction requirements
• 21 units constructed/in process in the subsequent 14 months
Public Outreach
Public Engagement
• Planning attended or hosted 44 public engagement events in 2024 (just under 1 per week)
• Urban Growth Master Plan (4 hosted events)
• Other Plans (approx. 34 events*) not all reported in LRP overall stats
• ZOTAs (12 events)
• General public interactions
• Neighborhood meetings, youth / schools, non-profits, guest speakers & lectures, Council members & other city boards & commissions
Focus Area: Youth & Neighborhoods
• Engage with young people and introduce them to Urban Planning
• Civic Lex Expos at 4 High Schools
• FCPS College and Career Fair
• Hosted four interns (3 high school, 1 college)
• Engagement with FCPS teachers & curriculum
• Civic Lex externships
• PIE environmental educators
• Developing 'Neighborhood snapshots'
• Research & host community conversations to engage residents, discover and highlight the history & diversity of Lexington's neighborhoods
Outreach & Strategic Planning
Established a new section to focus on community outreach & plan implementation
• Increase understanding and awareness of Urban Planning & Design Principles
• Keep people informed of planning- related activities
• Reach a broader range of stakeholder & residents
• Engage people in new and unique ways
• Advance implementation tasks in the Comprehensive Plan & supporting community plans
• Work began January 1 – 2 of 4 positions filled
Looking Ahead
Plans in Progress
• Greenway Master Plan
• Nicholasville Road Feasibility Study
• Climate Action Plan
New Plans in 2025
Blue Sky Small Area Plan
• Issue RFP January 24
• How can Blue Sky help Lexington meet its current and future industrial land use needs.
• What infrastructure improvements are needed to support changes in land uses or intensity
• How can Blue Sky be better integrated and connected to other portions of the USA - including what roadway improvements are needed.
• Contact: Eve Miller, Planner Senior, Long Range
New Plans in 2025
Downtown Area Master Plan
• Issue RFP February13
• Guide the future of Lexington’s urban core
• What short-term and long-term strategies are needed for sustainable growth and redevelopment
• How can we create a distinct urban identity for downtown and better connect it to other distinct districts (Distillery District, Warehouse District, etc)
• Conceptual designs and recommendations to guide infill development and create a vibrant, cohesive downtown area.
• Contact: Boyd O. Sewe, Planner Senior, Long Range Winchester Rd Corridor Plan
• Transportation & land use plan from Midland Ave/3rd St to Man o War Blvd
• Begin mid 2025 (pending funding in FY 26)
Regulatory Changes
• HB 443 - ZOTA
• Urban Growth Master Plan - ZOTAs
• Parkland Dedication Ordinance
• Complete Streets Design Manual - SRA
Implementation Focus Areas
• Urban Growth Master Plan (& ZOTAs)
• Infrastructure Funding Plan
• Complete Streets
• Design Manual adoption & Implement the CS Action Plan
• Vision Zero & safety initiatives
• Net Zero & Sustainability Initiatives
• Reimagining Public Spaces
• Reimagining the Civic Commons
• Asphalt Art
• Demonstration projects
• Increase & Diversify Community Engagement
KENZIE GLEASON, MANAGER, OUTREACH & STRATEGIC PLANNING, CITY OF LEXINGTON