Council OK's large-scale solar in agricultural zones. What's next?

During its September 10th meeting, Council voted 8-7 to approve zoning ordinance updates creating a pathway for intermediate and large-scale solar projects in Lexington's agricultural zones.

Lexington is seeing more solar development, and the question of whether to allow large-scale solar energy projects – defined as bigger than 5 acres – has sparked debate among Councilmembers and local residents in recent years. After previously voting against allowing large-scale farms in rural Fayette County, a Council Work Group proposed new requirements for the projects earlier this year.

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Download:
You can read the ordinance here.

Supporters say rooftop solar alone isn't enough to meet Lexington's stated goal of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and the new requirements balance development with built-in protections for local farmland and soil quality. Opponents, on the other hand, say that Lexington's unique farmland is worth preserving, given its importance to the city's identity, local tourism and economy.

What do the changes allow?

Under the changes, large-scale solar projects are allowed as a conditional use within Lexington's Agricultural-Rural (A-R) and Agricultural-Urban (A-U) zones.

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What is a conditional use?
Under Lexington's Zoning Ordinance, a conditional use is an approved exception to the regular rules of the zone a property is in. The Board of Adjustment reviews and grants requests for conditional use permits.

For any large-scale solar energy system located in an A-R or A-U zone, the ordinance requires:

Vegetative ground cover and a land management plan.
Compliance with the local Stormwater Manual.
Maintain agricultural production on the site, subject to annual review.
A land conservation and/or water quality plan approved by the Fayette County Conservation District.

The changes also introduce optional Community Benefits Plans for low-income energy bill relief, along with stricter clean-up requirements when solar energy systems are decommissioned. Ground-mounted solar energy systems are also allowed within any zone if they are entirely within "brownfields," such as contaminated land, landfills and mine sites.

The ordinance also includes a provision that no more than 1% of the land in Fayette County can be used for large-scale ground-mounted solar projects in agricultural zones. That's a development cap of about 1,800 acres.

When it came up for a second reading and final vote at Council's September 10th meeting, the body narrowly approved the ordinance with an 8-7 vote margin.

Vice Mayor Dan Wu joined Councilmembers Emma Curtis, Joseph Hale, Shayla Lynch, Tyler Morton, Dave Sevigny, Liz Sheehan, and Amy Beasley in supporting the changes.

At-Large Councilmembers James Brown and Chuck Ellinger II voted against them, along with Councilmembers Tom Eblen, Whitney Elliott Baxter, Lisa Higgins-Hord, Jennifer Reynolds and Hil Boone.

What happens next?

According to Lexington's Charter, the Mayor has 10 days after receiving an ordinance or resolution to either approve or disapprove it. If the Mayor fails to act within that period, the ordinance or resolution is adopted.

It's unclear at this time if Mayor Linda Gorton plans to issue a veto, which would require a three-fifths vote of the entire 15-member Council to overcome.

Asked by CivicLex immediately following the September 10th Council meeting, Gorton did not indicate whether she would veto the zoning updates. The Mayor has previously opposed large solar projects on Lexington's farmland, speaking before Kentucky's Public Service Commission in 2024 to oppose an East Kentucky Power Cooperative project in Fayette County.