Could a wastewater treatment pump open this storied Lexington farm to development?
A committee of the Lexington council voted Tuesday to direct city officials to explore putting a wastewater treatment pump on a farm outside of the city’s urban service boundary.
The city needs to replace the wastewater pump off Mint Lane, behind Dunbar High School, as part of its agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to improve the city’s wastewater treatment system.
Charlie Martin, the director of Water Quality, told the Lexington Fayette Urban County Council’s Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee Tuesday the city has always put key infrastructure -- such as pump stations -- inside the urban service boundary.
It makes sense. Placing expensive infrastructure outside the boundary encourages sprawl, Martin said.
“In my 26 years here, I have been told over and over again that it stays within the boundary,” Martin said.
The current waste water treatment pump is on the urban service boundary. The city has been looking at land adjacent to the pump station, which is owned by Fayette County Public Schools, as a possible site for the new, improved pump station.
But several council members questioned why the city did not look at placing the new pump station outside the urban service boundary on Mill Ridge Farm, where there is more land available for a larger pump station that could better accommodate growth in that area.
“I am concerned that we are not making decisions that are forward-thinking,” said Councilwoman Jennifer Reynolds.
The city has put sewer and water treatment pump stations outside the urban service boundary before, but only in very specific instances, Martin said. Some of those exceptions included a new pump station to serve the Kentucky Horse Park.
Blue Grass Stockyards also taps into that system, Martin said. However, the council passed a resolution OK’ing the placement of that infrastructure outside the growth boundary, he said.
Interim Commissioner of Law David Barberie said putting the new pump station on Mill Ridge Farm is different from what happened at the Kentucky Horse Park. Mill Ridge Farm was considered as part of the 2023 expansion area that ultimately added more than 2,800 acres to the growth boundary.
However, Mill Ridge Farm was not included in that expansion area, despite Mill Ridge Farm owners lobbying the city to do so.
“This one is a little bit different because of how it looks,” Barberie said.
The committee ultimately decided to order Martin to do an analysis of a site on Mill Ridge Farm near Bowman Lane and the Mint Lane site. The resolution will go to the full council for a final vote in a few weeks. Martin will return to the council with a report in March.
The city has set aside $2 million for a site analysis to move the pump station.
Lexington Councilwoman Hannah LeGris, who chairs the Environmental Quality and Public Works Committee, voted against the resolution. LeGris said she wanted the issue to return to the committee rather than the full council.
Mill Ridge Farm owners mum on future plans
Price Bell of Mill Ridge Farm declined to say if Mill Ridge Farm, located on Man O War and Bowman Mill Road, would develop if the city moved the pump station to the storied horse farm.
Bell also declined to say if Mill Ridge would put a condition it could develop the land if the farm sold or donated land for the pump station.
Yet, Mill Ridge Farm recently invited multiple people to an event to talk about possible plans for the farm at The Manchester, a local hotel, according to several people who were invited to the event.
Bell said the need for a new pump station in the area is hindering the farm and the entire area.
“We had 3 million gallons of sewage on our farm just last year,” Bell said, who also attended Tuesday’s meeting.
Bell said they are also trying to get a protected wetlands designation for parts of the property but can’t due to the stormwater overflows from Mint Lane.
Mill Ridge Farm was founded by Alice Chandler in 1962. It is run by Price Bell, her grandson, and Headley Bell, her son. Mill Ridge Farm has raised over 41 Grade 1 prize winners since 2000 according to its website.
Alice Chandler was the daughter of Hal Price Headley, one of the founders of Keeneland.
