Land Use Analysis

A comprehensive land use analysis includes an evaluation of how the land is presently used, whether it is residential neighborhoods, businesses and offices, or farms; how those land uses relate to each other; how the land is designated in the 2007 Comprehensive Plan for future use; and how zoning categories relate to existing and future land uses. These land uses and relationships can then be evaluated against other community goals and needs to create a clearer picture of how the land should be treated in the future.

Existing Land Use

The present land in for the South Nicholasville Road Small Area Plan boundary is a combination of farmland, commercial uses (mostly locally owned), religious institutions, and single family detached homes. In the 2005 Existing Land Use Inventory, conducted as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Plan, 63 percent of the land in the South Nicholasville Road Small Area Plan area was farmland or vacant (VAC/FARM), with 16 percent Commercial (COM), 11 percent Public/Semi-Public (PSP)/Religious Affiliated (REL), nine percent Single Family Detached (SF), and a small amount identified as either greenspace, parking lot, or utility.

If the UK Horticulture Farm is counted as a PSP use since it is a classroom and research farm for the College of Agriculture, then the amount of land existing as PSP and/or REL is about the same as the amount of land existing as VAC/FARM. If the acres of land related to agriculture and horticulture are added together, which would include the garden centers counted in Commercial (COM) category, the UK Horticulture Research Farm, and the general farmland, the total land within the Plan area related to agriculture and horticulture is 302 acres, or approximately 67 percent of the Plan area.

See Appendix page 74 for a complete list of existing land uses by parcel address.

Zoning Analysis

Small Area Plan Boundary

Most of the land in the Plan area is zoned A-U Agriculture Urban (57 percent). This includes the UK Horticulture Research Farm, Country Place Garden Center, two farms on both sides of Man o’ War Boulevard, Nicholasville Road Animal Hospital, Lexington Universal Academy, Redmond’s Garden Center, Giuseppe’s Restaurant, Pax Christi Catholic Church, and Waveland State Historic Site. Approximately 29 percent of the area has commercial zoning, with the majority being B-4 Wholesale/Warehouse, which is south of Waveland in two large farm parcels. The remaining 14 percent of the zoning is for single family houses and ranges from R-1C to the more dense R-1E zoning.

Small Area Plan Boundary and 1/2 Mile Buffer Combined

The zoning mix changes greatly when combining the zoning within the Plan area with the zoning within a ½ mile buffer. Single family detached zoning, R-1C, R-1D, and R-1E, comprises 41 percent of the zoning. R-3 (at 20 percent) primarily for multi-family dwelling and R-4 (at four percent) for high density apartments rounds out the residential zoning. Adding together all the residential zoning acres leads to a total of 65 percent. The A-U zoning makes up 19 percent and the commercial zoning makes up 14 percent, with one percent being LI Light Industrial. While a small portion of the residentially zoned land remains vacant, a large portion of commercially zoned land (106 acres of B-4) is currently vacant or used as farm land. For detailed zoning data, see the zoning table in the Appendix page 74.

Current Zoning in the Plan Boundary and ½ Mile Buffer Combined, Fayette County Only

City of Nicholasville and Small Area Plan with Buffer

Within the ½ mile buffer of the Plan boundary is a portion of Jessamine County and the city of Nicholasville near the county line. Adding the Jessamine county acreage to the total mix within ½ mile buffer shows 59 percent of the land is zoned residential, 16 percent is zoned commercial (B-1, B-3, B6P, or B-4), one percent is zoned Light Industrial, and one percent is zoned Professional Office.