Latest step in Lexington Sporting Club stadium saga is public hearing to decide zone change
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The ongoing saga of where Lexington Sporting Club will build its soccer stadium continues this week.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday and either accept or reject a recommendation for a zone change that would allow LSC, the city’s newest professional sports franchise, to build a proposed 6,500-seat stadium and a training and medical complex near Interstate 75 at Athens Boonesboro Road in Lexington.
Also this week: A separate proposal for a stadium and multi-use development in Jessamine County will be heard by the Nicholasville Planning Commission on Monday night. That proposal also includes a zone change for property just over the Fayette County line on Nicholasville Road.
Initial approval for the stadium complex in Fayette County came in January, when the Urban County Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve a zone change that would allow for the stadium and a training and medical complex to be built.
That unanimous vote came after a more than three-hour hearing during which a dozen people spoke against a conditional use permit and the zone change.
LSC is currently building youth sports fields on Athens Boonesboro Road that it plans to have fully open by the end of spring.
Tuesday’s public hearing will begin at 5 p.m. in the council chamber on the second floor of 200 E. Main Street.
Hearing centers on zone change to allow for soccer stadium
Lexington Sporting Club arrived at the Athens Boonesboro Road site as a potential location for a stadium after other possible locations, including in downtown Lexington and off Newtown Pike, never materialized.
Neighbors and residents opposed to the proposed stadium complex on Athens Boonesboro Road have a list of concerns and complaints about how the process has unfolded.
This includes potential traffic problems, frustration with communication from LSC, the effect on the environment for nearby agricultural land owners and a lack of equitable access to the stadium for community members.
There’s also concerns about LSC’s proposal to change the zone from a business zone (B-5) to a highway service business zone (B-3).
A soccer stadium is allowed within a B-3 zone with a conditional use permit, which was approved in January by the Urban County Planning Commission.
Concern also exists about the precedent that could be set for future developments in Lexington if the proposed zone change from a B-5 to a B-3 zone moves forward.
Officials with Lexington Soccer Club have said the site is ideal because it is away from nearly all residential areas. It’s close to a major interstate, where fans can easily access the site without causing major traffic headaches in other parts of Lexington.
The property has had little or no development as a B-5 zone, they have argued.
LSC exploring options for stadium in Jessamine County
In March, Lexington Sporting Club majority owner Bill Shively told the Herald-Leader he couldn’t commit to building a stadium at the proposed Athens Boonesboro Road location.
“It’s going to be difficult to build at Athens. It’s not a commitment right now that we can make,” Shively said March 7. “There are places that are extremely interested in having us.”
One of those places isn’t in Fayette County.
LSC is looking at a possible tax increment financing district in northern Jessamine County near Brannon Crossing. A public hearing on the proposal for property at 4615 Nicholasville Road was held two weeks ago.
Tax increment financing allows developers to receive some new taxes generated from the project to pay for infrastructure costs.
Nicholasville Mayor Alex Carter told the Herald-Leader the public hearing was just the first step in a long process, and the city commission would have to approve the TIF district.
A date for the Nicholasville City Commission to vote on the TIF has not been set, Nicholasville city officials have said.
A zone change for the property at 4615 Nicholasville Road was scheduled for Monday night in front of the Nicholasville Planning Commission.
Nicholasville has never had a tax increment financing district, and Fayette County no longer creates TIF districts.
According to LSC’s proposal for the Nicholasville site, a 5,000-seat stadium, a 160-room hotel, a restaurant and retail complex and 360 apartments or townhouse units would cost $224 million. It would generate $356 million in state, local and school taxes over the next 30 years, according to an analysis paid for by Lexington Sporting Club.
The maximum amount in local tax dollars developers could get back or rebated for building roads, installing sewer and water lines and other public infrastructure is $52 million over 30 years. The total amount the group projects in state and local rebates is $327 million.
Those figures, however, have not been approved by Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development officials, who must sign off on all TIF districts. The majority of the $327 million in tax rebates is state tax money.
Economic development officials do their own tax analysis when approving TIF projects.
Carter also said the 146-acre site is not part of the Nicholasville city limits. For the project to move forward, the city would have to annex the area and approve the creation of the TIF district. The planning commission hearing on Monday night also includes the annexation petition.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said city officials have spoken with Shively during recent months and want the stadium in Fayette County. Gorton also said the city has already set aside $1 million to help with LSC’s youth sports complex.
LSC has not asked for that money yet, she said.
“We’re constantly working on the stadium plans, and where we can put it, and how we can do it financially,” Shively said last month. “We didn’t look for public support. But when it’s offered, you have to consider it. We didn’t go out saying, ‘Hey, how much can you give us to build a stadium?’”
“If you look at all the USL teams, it seems to me, every one of them has the support of the city, and has some financial assistance from the city,” Shively added. “That’s not necessarily money. It’s like tax breaks or things like that. So yeah, you have to consider that. ... We continue to meet with Lexington, we continue to meet with other places. Whatever it is, we want to do it right. We want it to be someplace that you want to go and take your kids.”
Lexington Sporting Club finishes first homestand in Georgetown
Lexington Sporting Club recently completed its first homestand in club history, playing three consecutive matches at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown.
The 5,000-seat venue also hosts Georgetown College’s football, soccer and lacrosse teams.
Lexington Sporting Club’s agreement with Georgetown College for the use of Toyota Stadium was announced as a “multi-year partnership” by the club, although Shively told the Herald-Leader that LSC structured a five-year deal with Georgetown for use of the facility.
“I’m very interested in safety and being secure. So I like the environment up there,” Shively said about Toyota Stadium. “I think it’s going to be a great place to bring the family and feel safe.”
A crowd of 3,029 fans flocked to the stadium for LSC’s first-ever home match, a 0-0 draw against Forward Madison on April 8.
That crowd dipped slightly to 2,621 fans on April 15. Those people watched LSC record the first win in franchise history.
On Saturday, 2,260 fans showed up as LSC suffered a 2-0 loss to Greenville Triumph.
In March, Shively said he expects to have a firm commitment in place for a permanent stadium site within the next six months.
Lexington Sporting Club currently has a 1-3-1 (W-L-D) record after five matches this season, and sits 10th in the 12-team USL League One standings, just outside of a playoff spot.
Next match
Lexington Sporting Club at Chattanooga Red Wolves
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: CHI Memorial Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee
TV: ESPN Plus (online only)
This story was originally published April 24, 2023 at 11:08 AM.
