After six months of meetings, Lexington's Solar Working Group is recommending new protections for farmland, stronger decommissioning rules, and a new pathway for solar on brownfield properties.
In Tuesday, March 10th’s General Government and Planning Committee, Councilmembers will hear a presentation from Department of Planning and Preservation Commissioner Keith Horn reviewing the results of a 2023 study aimed at examining efficiency improvements to the city’s development process.
Among the study’s 10 recommendations: a new development liaison position for the city that will serve as a point person for developers and help streamline the application and approval process.
Supporters of the new position hope that it will create more accountability and transparency in the process and reduce delays for affordable housing projects, which often have tight financing schedules and funding deadlines.
The proposed position and review of the 2023 planning and development study comes as city planners continue adjusting to House Bill 443. That new state law, passed in 2024 and in effect as of July 2025, requires Lexington’s planning regulations and development process to be more objective.
According to a presentation of the study that Department of Planning and Preservation Commissioner Keith Horn will give during Tuesday’s committee meeting, the impact of HB 443 has “reduced uncertainty in the development process by requiring ministerial review of development and subdivision plans using objective standards.”
The city’s approach to complying with HB 443 has included adopting new Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments, adding a new Senior Planner position to help implement House Bill 443, and creating more specific criteria for developers to comply with. HB443’s implementation in Lexington has also led to fewer opportunities for public engagement in the development process.
As a result, plans that comply with regulations quickly move through the process. Since implementation of House Bill 443, approvals generally occur within 30 days, according to the presentation.
The advocacy group Lexington for Everyone, which has publicly advocated for the creation of a development liaison position, is also pushing the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to clear the way for more housing, with the goal of building 30,000 new housing units here by 2030, the Lexington Herald-Leader previously reported.
What is the development liaison’s job?
According to presentation materials for the committee, the development liaison would be independent from the city’s Department of Planning and Preservation.
It will instead be part of the Chief Administrative Office and serve as the “cross-departmental coordinator for land development, permitting, infrastructure review, and final sign-off processes within the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government,” according to meeting materials.
The development liaison’s proposed job duties generally include:
Education about the development process
Assisting applicants in the application process
Shepherding applications through the process and monitoring them
Keeping the development community informed on changes and regulations
Along with serving as a coordinator, the development liaison will also help make reforms to the city’s development process, including by helping to improve “lock in” for approved requirements.
According to meeting materials, certification “lock in” means that, once a development plan is approved, city staff generally cannot add new requirements or increase standards during the final sign-off.
The goal is to make project certification a compliance check — not a chance to reopen negotiated conditions at the final step in the process.
That will limit how much spending the city can do, and will make creating recurring expenses like new positions more challenging. Creating a development liaison position was one of Council’s priorities in its annual budget retreat.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton is expected to present her budget proposal in April, and Council must finalize a budget by June 30, when the fiscal year officially ends.
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Watch the meeting: Council’s General Government and Planning Committee will disciss this position during its Tuesday, March 10th meeting at 1:00pm in Council Chambers. You can attend in-person or watch live on LexTV.
Aaron covers the Lexington Fayette Urban County Council as a City Hall Reporter for CivicLex. His background is in Service Journalism, and he’s passionate about helping Lexington residents stay informed about happenings in local government.
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