around them. They should build bridges to, rather than walls around, nearby neighborhoods. Each individual new development should add a building block to the defined place, an incremental improvement that creates quality experiences and continues to improve Lexington as a highly desirable community overall. benefit from this development as well. The policies within Imagine Lexington direct applicants’ proposals to do just that. THE PLACEBUILDER The centerpiece of Imagine Lexington is a new concept for placemaking and contextsensitive development called “The Placebuilder.” This tool for evaluating development proposals offers clarity and certainty of process for all interested parties by succinctly demonstrating what it means to be “in agreement with the adopted comprehensive plan” (KRS 100.213). Using this method, applicants should be able to understand how the Comprehensive Plan applies to their proposal and neighbors should recognize what to expect out of development near them; ultimately, this will give the Urban County Council, the Planning Commission, and their staff the ability to apply all aspects of
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the plan consistently. Several concerns were raised throughout the two year Imagine Lexington process that the removal of the future land use map from the 2013 Comprehensive Plan left too much ambiguity and uncertainty; The Placebuilder was developed in response to those concerns. One of the primary purposes for moving away from the map, however, was to provide opportunities for innovation and creativity through flexibility, and that spirit still remains. In an environment where infill development becomes increasingly challenging, a menu of options is provided for developers, again recognizing that the use is of less importance than the form new development takes. A wide range of possibilities are available through each of the place-types shown, with the understanding that great places offer diversity and enhance the existing development
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The full body of the Placebuilder criteria is essentially a distillation of the externally focused policies from Imagine Lexington. The title of each criterion is coded to link back to the individual policy from which it came. This is important, as the policies will provide further guidance on how an applicant is expected to address an issue. It is also important because this provides the linkage to the Goals & Objectives that Council passed in 2017. Each of the policies
included in the plan further at least one goal or objective, though most further far more than that. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS URBAN SERVICE BOUNDARY PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE Lexington’s progressive planning history extends beyond the first comprehensive plan in 1931, and in fact the first urban service boundary in the nation was established in this city in 1958. This mechanism, more than any other, has helped shape Lexington’s physical development by directing growth in a fiscally responsible development pattern toward the city center. The wonderful result has been the preservation of Lexington’s Bluegrass identity as the Horse Capital of the World, by restricting growth in the rural area. Agriculture continues to be an important part of the economy through production and job creation, but also for the tourism draws that result as well. All of this is the byproduct of an intentional effort to manage growth through sustainable methods. Throughout the years, the Urban Service Boundary has undergone many evolutions, expanding and contracting, but for over 20 years the line has effectively remained static. This plan continues to
IMAGINE LEXINGTON