What Kentucky’s nonprofit food markets learn from their communities and each other
In Kentucky’s dense cities and smallest towns, nonprofits are bridging the gap between those who grow food, those who have excess and those who need it.
Urban Service Area
Explainer: The Urban Service Area
The Urban Service Area contains almost all urban and suburban development in Lexington - leaving the remainder of the county as rural, natural, or agricultural land.
What is the Urban Service Area?
Lexington’s local government (LFUCG) governs a lot of different pieces of life in our city, from taxes to parks to snow plows. One of the most unique powers that LFUCG has is the control of something called the Urban Services Area, or USA for short. This boundary is a line around the city of Lexington that contains almost all new development of buildings inside of it - leaving the remainder of the county as rural, natural, or agricultural land.
The Urban Service Boundary controls the ability of land to be developed and receive city services like water and sewer. It is controlled via ordinance by the City of Lexington, and has been historically changed through the city’s Comprehensive Planning process.
If you have ever been driving along a major corridor like Versailles or Richmond Road and you suddenly start to see a lot more green, you have likely crossed to the other side of the USB.
Why does the Urban Service Area matter?
Many individuals and groups in Lexington have strong feelings about the Urban Services Boundary. Some feel it should be kept at the same size, some think it should be expanded a little or a lot, and some want to get rid of it entirely. It is hard to summarize everyone’s personal opinions, but here are a few of the biggest topics that are brought up in conversations about the USB.
Rural and Agricultural Land Preservation
The original concept of the USB was to preserve agricultural and rural land from new developments, and the land outside the boundary currently contains around 35,000 acres of conserved land. Some argue that this land is vital to Lexington’s cultural identity and tourism economy, while others argue that we are protecting this land over providing for our residents.
Population Growth
Lexington/ Fayette County’s population grows every year, and as more and more people live in the city or county, they will need more and more housing, amenities, jobs, and space. Some argue that we need to expand the footprint of the city to accommodate the city - while others say we can fit many more people inside our existing footprint
Density and Sprawl
One of the main conversations about growth in Lexington is about whether to grow “up or out”. Some people prefer less dense living situations, including single family housing and space between lots. Others prefer reducing sprawl and increasing density, mainly through more multi-unit housing and mixed-use development (like a building with a store on the ground floor and apartments above it).
Housing Prices
It’s no secret that Lexington, along with the rest of the United States, is experiencing a serious affordable housing crisis. Some advocate that expanding the USB would allow more houses to be built, increasing supply and reducing demand (and therefore, prices). However, some disagree, arguing that expansion won’t guarantee that new homes will be affordable or have the community amenities to make them desirable. Instead, they may support other options for increasing the amount of housing available in Lexington, like infill and redevelopment of vacant properties.
The Economy
Some who are in favor of expanding the USB point out that doing so would add new businesses, housing, and amenities to Lexington, which would grow the economy and increase revenue to LFUCG. However, others point out that the current land outside the USB already has a significant economic impact, in the equine, agricultural, and tourism industries.
How can you get involved in the Urban Service Area?
If you have thoughts about the Urban Service Area or want to learn more, here's what you can do:
- Reach out to the Division of Planning with any thoughts, questions, or ideas about Planning in Lexington!
- Reach out to your Councilmembers with any thoughts, questions, or ideas about Planning in Lexington!
- Remember, you have four Councilmembers who represent you: your District Councilmember, and your three At-Large Councilmembers (including the Vice Mayor).
- Share your thoughts on the Lexington Preservation and Growth Management Program!
- Get involved with organizations that share your view on the Urban Service Area!
What else do I need to know about the Urban Service Area?
The 2023 Urban Service Area Expansion
In 2023, the Urban County Council voted to expand the Urban Service Area for the first time since 1996. Their primarily goal in expanding the USA was to provide more land that could be developed into homes, apartments, and places to live in order to address Lexington's housing crisis.
After the USA expansion was passed by Council, LFUCG hired TSW* to lead the creation of an Urban Growth Master Plan that would set a vision for how the USA expansion areas could be developed.
TSW's approach to the Urban Growth Master Plan was to have each expansion area function as its own complete urban community – meaning that within each area, residents would have access to retail businesses, restaurants, schools, parks, community centers, and jobs within a short walking or biking distance.
- Each area has a Town Center and/or a Village Center as a focal point of the area. These areas will have higher density housing and mixed-use buildings that may hold retail, jobs, restaurants, and housing all on the same building or property. You can think of these as mini-downtowns or neighborhood centers like Euclid Avenue or Jefferson Street.
- Each area also has space identified for parks and natural areas, as well as "Civic" spaces such as schools or libraries. FCPS, the Lexington Public Library, or other entities would have to develop their own projects in these areas if they are interested in doing so, but TSW wanted to ensure they were considered in the planning process.
The Urban Growth Master Plan also prioritizes walkability and bikeability in the expansion areas.
- The street pattern for expansion areas is a street grid similar to most urban cities in the US – including downtown Lexington — that makes walking and biking shorter.
- Protected bike lanes are also required for certain street types in the expansion areas. Bike trails are also spread throughout the expansion areas.
- Connections between expansion area neighborhoods and existing neighborhoods are made where possible.
You can read the Urban Growth Master Plan in full here.
The Lexington Preservation and Growth Management Plan
As part of the USA expansion vote, Council also set a deadline of August 2026 to develop a new, more data-informed process for how future decisions are the USA should be made.
In early 2025, Vice Mayor Dan Wu announced the development of this process, which is being called the Lexington Preservation and Growth Management Program (LPGMP). The broad goals of the plan are for Council and the Planning Commission to receive information every five years that will tell them what Lexington's projected future housing and job needs are, and whether Lexington is on track to meet them. If Lexington is not on track specifically due to a lack of available land, then a discussion around changing the USA will be triggered.
The LPGMP is still being drafted, so we aren't 100% sure what it will look like yet! But we do know a little bit about what to expect as the LPGMP is developed.
- You can read about the first draft of the LPGMP here!
- Put these dates on your calendar:
- September 9th, 2025: A second draft of the LPGMP will be presented in the General Government and Planning (GGP) Committee.
- September 16th, 2025: The GGP Committee will hold a special public forum to hear public comment about the 2nd draft.
- December 2nd, 2025: A final draft of the LPGMP will be presented to the GGP Committee.
You can learn more about the LPGMP on the City's website here!
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