BOA decision on soccer complex is like dominoes falling in the wrong direction

To whom may be concerned about our beautiful Bluegrass:

Ever play dominoes? Ever set it up where you could get them falling in two different directions at the same time? I feel like that is exactly what I watched as the Board of Adjusters made the poorest decision concerning land use I have seen in many years. They approved land located between Russell Cave Road and Newtown Pike that is currently zoned for agricultural use to be turned into a mega-soccer complex, with a stadium structure hot on its heels. I am sure the hotels and restaurants are soon to follow. This complex will go right beside equine operations, some of which are the oldest in the country. This is one direction of the dominoes. And believe me, from where I am sitting, as well as countless others involved in the equine industry that came to testify against this zoning change, this is not a good direction. As surely as this development of precious farmland is a devastating loss, it also sets a terrible precedent and another chain of dominoes in motion, where any ag-zoned land will now be susceptible to the same fate.

Never mind that we are the Horse Capital of the World. What Lexington sells now is what it has always sold…… horses. And we just keep pushing them further and further out. LFUCG has made a commitment for decades to protect its agricultural spaces, because we realize the vital role agriculture plays to our economy as well as the importance it is to Lexington’s brand. Fayette County is #2 in the Commonwealth in total ag receipts because of our horses.

Never mind the fact that it takes hundreds of years to make even one inch of our precious Maury B Silt Loam soil and other valuable soil types that are in this area. It is some of the best on the planet, and it needs to be spared for agricultural use.

Never mind how inappropriate the project is for this section of rural industry. There are more horses than people where this soccer complex is proposed to go….. high dollar horses that generate a lot of direct and trickle down income for this region. These horses and operations do NOT need the noise, light, pollution, or traffic this proposal would generate in their backyard. It would jeopardize their operations and livelihoods.

Never mind that one Board member lectured the agricultural community on how insulted she was at the suggestion that the Board had not done its due diligence investigating this land use proposal. Besides not even knowing a 300 horse training track was on the property in question, the Board didn’t seem concerned that the traffic division hadn’t even been consulted on this entire project among other negligent oversights.

This is a rush job. Unintended consequences have not been researched. We need to slow down and really look at impacts before we do irreparable and irrevocable damage to this space.

If you care about any of this….. the direct impact this will have on existing agricultural operations around this land OR the future ramifications of such zoning changes, then please make your voice heard by emailing the planning commission, the board of adjusters, the mayor, and the council members. If your schedule permits, please attend the meeting on Thursday, July 28, at 1:30 pm at City Hall 200 East Main Street Lexington, KY.

Carrie Davis is a Fayette County rural land owner and high school agriculture teacher.