Protecting the Environment
The environment is part of our everyday life. It is the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the open spaces where we entertain, and the land on which we live. Undoubtedly, the health of the environment has great impact on health and quality of life. Due to this tremendous influence, Lexington is mounting a growing effort to implement and maintain sustainability practices that will enhance the natural environment that our people fiercely depend on, while also serving to accommodate projected growth.
This theme of Imagine Lexington assesses the impacts of development on the environment, and recommends policies and practices that minimize the negative impacts of land use and development. The policies focus on protecting valuable natural resources, taking a sustainable approach to development activities, and restoring the environment within the urban fabric.
Where are we now?
For Lexington to adequately support its natural environment, it is critical to understand the current status of our ecosystem’s fundamental parts and the conditions they face as a consequence of continued growth and development in our community. These fundamental parts, which include water, air, and land, play significantly into our quality of life and are the basis for a healthy ecological network that extends far beyond our county limits.
When thinking of environmental concerns in Lexington, water quality is often the first to come up. In response to this, Lexington has been strategic in its approach to improving water quality in the city and mitigating the past consequences of ignoring impacts of development. Stormwater management is now an integral part of the development process and the LFUCG Division of Water Quality continues to undertake improvements, monitoring, and mitigation.
Clean air has also been a firm objective in the city’s pursuit to enhance public and environmental health. Close monitoring of local air quality conditions has been a priority of the Lexington Area MPO, who pair these metrics with methods to reduce air pollution, such as alternative forms of transportation.
With regard to land, it is clear that our natural resources are changing with development over time. With the presence of the Urban Service Boundary, the community’s rural land has been largely protected, yet the boundary has placed additional pressure on urban land within. Proper policies to protect our urban environmental network will prevent this land from becoming a fractured system, thus supporting its ability to provide the ecological, economic, and social benefits that we have come to value.
Vision for Environment
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Protection -
Sustainability -
Restoration
The natural environment of Lexington is what we all have in common. It is incumbent upon each to do their part to protect it, and it is crucial that the Comprehensive Plan lay out actionable strategies for safeguarding these valuable resources. As the city continues to grow and develop, it becomes even more important to be cognizant of the effects land use decisions will have on the environment.
One of the vital components of environmental protection and a historic lynch-pin of the growth management strategy for Lexington is the Urban Service Boundary. There are numerous environmental benefits gained by retaining a compact urban form, and emphasizing the protection of Lexington’s bluegrass landscape continues to be a priority for environmental protections.
These valuable greenspaces within Lexington should be protected, but, it is also critical to optimize their effectiveness and encourage new and innovative spaces throughout the Urban Service Area. Imagine Lexington makes it clear throughout the plan that safeguarding greenspace for health, social and environmental benefits is paramount to the success and sustainability of the city.
Protection Policy #1 - Stormwater Incentive Grant & CAP
LFUCG Division of Water Quality oversees the storm sewer system of over 800 miles of underground pipelines; 50,000 structures; and over 1,000 wet ponds and detention basins; the sanitary sewer system of over 1,400 miles of underground pipelines; and 28,000 manholes, with nearly 80 pumping stations conveying sewage throughout the Urban Service Area.
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Protection Policy #2 - Conserve Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Protecting significant natural habitats, within the Rural Service Area and within the Urban Service Area where feasible, maintains biodiversity and protects habitat, native biota, and wildlife corridors.
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Protection Policy #3 - PDR Program to Safeguard Rural Land
As outlined in the 2017 Rural Land Management Plan, Lexington has had a long history of taking positive action to ensure the community’s rural heritage is preserved from unmanaged suburban sprawl. In 1958, the Urban Service Area Boundary was created to manage development, and has become a pioneering landmark for planning across the nation.
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Protection Policy #4 - Conserve Active Agriculture
In 2012, Fayette County had 718 farm operations on 114,857 acres, which represented 63.3% of the total land within the county. In comparison, Kentucky’s farm operations made up 51.6% of the state’s total land area, and U.S. farm operations made up 40.5% of total land area in the country.
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Protection Policy #5 - Connect Farms to Community
Bluegrass Farm-to-Table was founded in 2015 with a mission to promote the development of a more vibrant local food economy by supporting food-related agricultural development. It has 21 partners including the government, universities, schools, farms, private entities throughout the community.
READ MORE >>Protection Policy #6 - Rural Service Area Agritourism
The 2017 Rural Land Management Plan has a thorough summary of the recent tourism developments in the rural service area. Year after year, visitors surveyed by VisitLEX say that they come to the Bluegrass for the horses, landscape and bourbon. The two major attractions, which draw more than a million visitors a year to the Rural Service Area, are the Kentucky Horse Park and Keeneland.
READ MORE >>Protection Policy #7 - Protect Natural Urban Areas
Enhancing and strengthening the current Planning process to increase protection and responsible development when environmentally sensitive areas and/or trees are involved would help increase protection of tree stands, rare trees, natural habitats and wildlife within the urban service area in appropriate areas.
READ MORE >>Protection Policy #8 - Greenspace Plan
Availability and accessibility of greenspace is essential for human growth and development. As suggested in the 1994 Greenspace Plan, the benefits of creating a comprehensive greenspace system go far beyond leisure and aesthetics, and are fundamental to the future economy and quality of the environment of this community and the entire Bluegrass Region.
READ MORE >>Protection Policy #9 - Natural Land Geographic Context
Lexington’s Zoning Ordinance (Subdivision Regulations Section 6-11) requires developers to evaluate a site’s geographic and topographic characteristics, including steep slopes and sinkholes, as part of the development planning process. New development is recommended to study the site’s geographic context in contours and watershed distributions before making master plans.
READ MORE >>Protection Policy #10 - Iconic Rural Fencelines
As Horse Capital of the World, horse farm style plank fences have become part of the cultural landscape of the Lexington Bluegrass region. Large portions of the major greenways are owned and maintained by LFUCG, and efforts should be expanded to incorporate horse farm style plank fences.
READ MORE >>The spirit of sustainability is often captured in the idea of meeting the needs of the present while also supporting the needs of future generations. As Lexington continues to attract more residents, a concerted effort must be made by current residents to be stewards of their natural resources. This also requires strong leadership with foresight to champion good development and to disapprove development patterns that are counter to the city’s long-range vision. Through solid decision-making and a strong policy framework, Lexington can continue to provide for the generations that follow.
Sustainable principles can be applied in a number of ways, from providing a healthy multi-modal transportation network to encouraging the use of green infrastructure principles and environmentally-friendly site design. These methods, along with many others, each represent a small piece of the puzzle when figuring out how to establish the overall success and environmental health of the community, and an intentional strategy is required to ensure future generations can enjoy the fullness of all Lexington has to offer.
Sustainability Policy #1 - Regional multimodal Transportation
When people decide how to get from one point to another, it is very important to provide them safe and competitive options.
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Sustainability Policy #2 - Promote Transit Connectivity
Development is encouraged to locate near high connectivity areas with connected street networks and diverse community uses (Infill and Redevelopment Area), so that the adjacent amenities can be fully utilized and supported by customers. Within developments, projects should be designed and built such that internal connectivity is maximized, balancing the geographic terrain.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #3 - Transit-Oriented Development
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) refers to communities with high quality public transit services, good walkability, and compact, mixed land use.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #4 - Accessible Greenspace
Development should provide greenspace or other community gathering spaces within walking distance of residents, especially if these amenities are not otherwise provided.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #5 - Reduce Vehicle Oriented Development
Vehicle idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more CO2 compared to restarting the engine. Countries around the world are concerned with the impact of transportation on the environment and human health. Messages to reduce unnecessary idling are therefore a key component of many national sustainability programs.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #6 - Telecommuting & Flexible Work
Traffic creates headaches for commuters. At the same time, it generates more air pollution than drivers may realize. However, improving available technology and sustainable initiatives by corporations, such as telecommuting and flexible work schedules away from rush hour, have come into play in many areas.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #7 - Promote Energy Efficiency
LFUCG Energy Initiatives work closely with divisions across government to implement the city’s Energy Management Plan, which was established in 2004 to reduce consumption of utility and fuel resources, promote conservation, and realize cost savings. Energy efficiency criteria is used to guide purchasing decisions in new buildings, repairs and retrofits.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #8 - STAR Community Rating Program
STAR Communities is a nonprofit organization that works to evaluate, improve, and certify sustainable communities. They administer the STAR Community Rating System (STAR), the nation’s first framework and certification program for local sustainability. Cities and counties use STAR to measure their progress across social, economic and environmental performance areas.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #9 - Increase Awareness of Energy Efficiency
"Materials should provide a consistent message about sustainable practices and be tailored to each individual audience’s needs, such as school students, workplaces, realtors, appraisers, contractors, designers, architects, engineers, etc. The bottom line is emphasizing the cost-saving effects for energy efficiency in a life-cycle scheme, which also puts less pressure to the environment.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #10 - Recycling & Waste Management
Some environmental benefits of recycling include:
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #11 - Green Infrastructure
Since 2016, the stormwater manual has required the use of green infrastructure for stormwater management for both volume and water quality control. Below is a list of green infrastructure practices approved for use in Fayette County for volume control.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #12 - Encourage Green Building Practices
Incentives should be explored to encourage new development or redevelopment to achieve green building standards. New development is encouraged to locate building structures at optimum conditions for the use of solar energy, and to consider sunlight impacts to adjacent dwelling units at preliminary development stage.
READ MORE >>Sustainability Policy #13 - Sustainability Programs & Implementation
Lexington’s neighboring cities have excellent examples for sustainability partnerships.
READ MORE >>“Restoration” is the third pillar strategically, as it should be seen as the last resort. When the first two pillars, “Protection” and “Sustainability” are properly executed, the need to restore the environment should be minimal. However, opportunities exist to restore environmental damage caused by historic development practices and patterns. Measures should be taken to reestablish the environment where degradation has taken place, but must be paired with strong new policies that combat the root of the issues.
Restoration efforts are characterized by healing and renewal. From an environmental perspective, this can mean planting more trees in canopy-deficient areas, reducing air pollutants through efficient land use patterns and transit options, and mending gaps in our green space network.
Whether it be for the benefit of the air, water, or land, any efforts to restore or improve the condition of Lexington’s environment is encouraged, but Imagine Lexington prioritizes proactive protection and sustainable development. This policy-driven approach to environmental protection is vastly superior to a reactionary strategy and will benefit all residents, current and future.
Restoration Policy #1 - Urban Forestry Management Plan
The urban forest plays an important role in supporting and improving the quality of life in urban areas. A tree’s shade and beauty contributes to the community’s health and softens the often hard appearance of urban landscapes and streetscapes.
READ MORE >>Restoration Policy #2 - Greenspace Infrastructure & Network
Green infrastructure provides numerous environmental benefits, such as stormwater management, with limited disruption to natural land. It can serve as an urban oasis in the regional ecological system and create linkages within the greenspace network.
READ MORE >>Restoration Policy #3 - Community Gardens & Urban Agriculture
Lexington allows community gardens on public property such as parks and greenways, in areas where appropriate. Seedleaf was founded in 2007 with a mission to nourish communities by growing and sharing food in Lexington. The nonprofit grew three gardens in 2008, 10 gardens in 2009, and has grown steadily since then.
READ MORE >>Restoration Policy #4 - Reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
Reduction of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is an official goal of the U.S. Government policy, as stated in sections of the Clean Air Act (CAA). Vehicles (or mobile sources) are a major contributor to urban air pollution. Technology (cleaner vehicles and cleaner fuels) will continue to reduce vehicle pollution, but more people living in an area generally equates to more vehicles on the road.
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