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Council committee hears plan for Blue Sky Small Area Study, $500,000 set aside
Summary
Long-range planning staff outlined a consultant-led Blue Sky Small Area Plan for a 301-acre industrial activity center; the council committee was briefed on scope, timeline and funding but took no formal action.
Long-range planning staff on Jan. 14 told the General Government and Planning Committee that the city will commission a Blue Sky Small Area Plan to analyze existing conditions, infrastructure needs and future industrial opportunities for a 301-acre activity center near the I-75/Athens Boonsboro Road interchange.
The plan, funded with $500,000 allocated for fiscal year 2025, is intended to guide development in the Blue Sky Activity Center, a site primarily zoned I-1 (industrial). Senior planner Eve Miller said the plan will include an existing-conditions inventory, market analysis, infrastructure evaluation (sanitary sewer, stormwater and public facilities), and recommendations for land use and sustainable site and building strategies.
Miller said an RFP was released Jan. 24 and proposals are due Feb. 14. Pending contract approval, staff expect to issue a notice to proceed on April 24 and complete the consultant work within about one year, with periodic updates to the Planning Commission and city council.
“The goal of the Small Area Plan is to provide an analysis of existing conditions and to identify opportunities for Blue Sky to help Lexington meet its current and future industrial land use needs and economic development plans for the city for the next 30 years,” Miller said during the committee meeting.
Committee members asked staff to clarify the amount of vacant land and how infrastructure and remediation costs might be allocated. Miller said roughly 10 acres within the 301-acre study area are currently vacant. Jim Duncan, director of planning, said reviewing Blue Sky to determine its potential and opportunities has been a recurring recommendation in prior comprehensive planning work and added, “we do believe it will be money well spent.”
Hal Bailey, manager for long-range planning, told the committee the study will be informed by an infrastructure funding plan already under way, and that recommended zone or regulatory changes could follow the consultant’s land-use conclusions.
Committee members asked whether the small area plan will work with Lexington’s Urban Growth Master Plan (UGMP). Miller said the small area plan is intended to work in tandem with the UGMP, particularly given the site’s proximity to the highway interchange, and to identify multimodal access opportunities. The site includes a mix of nearby zoning (B-3 Corridor Business, B-5P Interchange Service Business and P-1 Professional Office) but is primarily I-1.
No formal vote or policy decision on Blue Sky was taken by the committee; the item was presented for information and the committee invited questions and feedback for the planning team.
Looking ahead, staff will evaluate proposals submitted by Feb. 14, present contract recommendations as required, and return periodic project updates to the Planning Commission and council while the consultant completes the one-year study.
