Planning staff reports modest progress on Imagine Lexington, launches data center and neighborhood pilot

Kenzie Gleason, manager of the outreach and strategic planning section, told the Lexington City Planning Commission on Jan. 22 that staff have logged about 117 action items in the Imagine Lexington comprehensive plan and are tracking progress through a new data research hub.

"I'm Kenzie Gleason, the manager of our outreach and strategic planning section," Gleason said as she opened the annual implementation update, adding that about 14% of action items could be called complete, a little over half are in progress and roughly 30% show no activity.

The department has launched the ImagineLexington Analytic Research Center, or ILARC, to keep key datasets live and publish deeper "lab reports" that contextualize how policy changes affect land use and applications. Gleason said staff have produced two lab reports so far — one on accessory dwelling units and another on zoning and residential-use history in Fayette County — to help decision-makers and the public understand trends.

Gleason framed the ILARC work as a tool for periodic "checkpoints" between plan cycles. She said the office will produce a five‑year growth trends report to evaluate whether policies are having the intended effect and to recommend course corrections when needed.

On outreach, Gleason said planning staff averaged roughly one community event per week in 2025 and recorded direct face‑to‑face contact with about 3,600 people. The office also launched a monthly newsletter with about 1,000 subscribers and a high open rate, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization and Imagine Lexington pages produced widely viewed social posts.

Gleason described "Neighborhood Voices," a pilot aimed at proactively summarizing neighborhood priorities in places under development pressure. The staff report will be offered to developers who request it as a way to show what neighbors have said is important and to reduce friction during zone‑change and development reviews.

Commissioners asked how the city manages expectations when neighborhoods oppose projects. Gleason said the program aims to set limits at the outset and to document what neighborhoods value — and what legal or regulatory limitations may exist — so conversations are better informed.

Gleason also previewed several planning efforts for 2026, including a Winchester Road corridor plan and coordination on a parks master plan following a tax referendum that authorized $8 million annually for park improvements. She said staff expect a heavier regulatory agenda in 2026 to implement the urban growth master plan, complete streets action plan and related ordinances.

The presentation closed with staff noting the department is nearly fully staffed and plans to continue building out ILARC, lab reports and outreach curricula for various audiences.