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Planning staff present Imagine Lexington 'ARC' updates; vacant‑land methodology pending publication
Summary
Lexington planning staff presented changes to the Imagine Lexington analytic research center on Aug. 21, including a filterable vacant‑land map and a pending publication of the ARC’s vacant‑land methodology.
Lexington planning staff on Aug. 21 presented updates to the Imagine Lexington analytic research center (branded ARC) and described new public tools, including a vacant‑land map that can be filtered by zoning.
Espy Stroff, digital content administrator for Imagine Lexington/Office of Growth Management, said the county renamed the resource from “data research center” to “analytic research center” to avoid confusion with the Data Hub and to emphasize the ARC’s planning focus. Stroff said the ARC’s vacant‑land map now allows users to filter parcels by zoning and that the site will be updated when the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS) releases are available.
Why it matters: The ARC is intended as a public‑facing, planning‑context tool — different from the Data Hub, which provides raw GIS datasets — and staff said transparency about definitions (for example what counts as “vacant” or “available”) is a priority.
Methodology and transparency: Commissioners asked whether the ARC defines “vacant” and whether it or the comprehensive‑plan process will publish the methodology. Planning staff replied that the county uses a defined methodology and that staff will publish the metadata and methodology on the site; they said discussion continues about whether the methodology will also be codified in ordinance or guidance tied to the comprehensive plan. One staff speaker summarized: “The vacant land number is a hotly debated — how much is available? How much is actually vacant? Vacant is very well defined, but what's available is not.”
Data governance and related maps: Commissioners asked about brownfields and whether environmental services maintains a map of contaminated or otherwise constrained parcels; staff said they would check with environmental services and aim to add relevant layers or links while being judicious about updating frequency and data quality. Staff also emphasized the ARC is meant to be more explanatory and contextual than the Data Hub’s raw dataset downloads.
Next steps: Stroff said the team will continue to add datasets, publish the ACS updates when available, and keep commissioners informed when new data sources and tools are added to the ARC. No formal action or vote occurred during the presentation.
