Rezoning for first development in Lexington’s boundary expansion gets planning OK
The first development in Lexington’s new urban service boundary expansion area is one step closer to becoming reality.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission unanimously approved a zone change from agricultural rural to mid-density residential and light industrial zones at 200, 201, 250, 251 and 301 Canebrake Drive, between I-75 and Blue Sky industrial park.
The properties, 73 acres all together, were included in the 2023 urban service boundary expansion adopted by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council. While council itself expanded the boundary, the specific areas of expansion were chosen by the planning commission.
The council will likely vote on final approval of the zoning in January.
If it gets the final OK, the development would be the first in the 2,833 acres included in the most recent expansion. It features 168 apartment units across five buildings, 50 single-family, detached houses, five duplexes and eight four-plexes.
The development also has 21 planned buildings that could be used for industrial purposes.
“I’m excited … to bring forward a plan that directly addresses the two biggest reasons why the council pointed to an expansion: for job growth and for housing growth,” Nick Nicholson, a land-use attorney who represents the property owner, told the planning commission.
Nicholson told the planning commission there is no developer currently lined up for the project. But getting the zoning change not only makes it easier for the future developer, it also gives attorneys and engineering firms like EA Partners, who designed the development plan, a chance to learn how to create projects in compliance with the Urban Growth Master Plan.
The properties are owned by former Lexington Mayor Scotty Baesler.
The Urban Growth Master Plan, adopted in 2024, sets guidelines for what developments should look like in the new expansion areas. The regulations prioritize dense, walkable housing and mixed-uses throughout developments.
In accordance with that plan, the development features a street grid network for easy traffic flow for cars, pedestrians and bicyclists between the different areas. The portion of Canebrake Drive that runs through the properties will be improved to include sidewalks, bike lanes separated from car traffic by a concrete buffer and a roundabout at major intersections, all of which are required.
Another factor up for consideration is how developers and the city will share infrastructure costs in the new expansion areas. City staff have been working on a program that will outline how the government and developers will split the cost of infrastructure such as roads, sewers, sidewalks and more in new developments.
A draft of that is expected to be presented to the council in the coming months, director of planning Jim Duncan told the planning commission Thursday.
The Urban Growth Master Plan estimates new infrastructure across all five expansion areas will cost at least $570 million. The plan states 90% of those costs will be paid by developers, although the infrastructure plan adopted by council could alter that.
