Urban Growth Boundary
As known, Lexington is a city surrounded by horse farms, which gives a rare challenge that it has to keep a balance between an increasing population and the identity of a garden city. In 1958, Lexington enacted the nation’s first Urban Growth Boundary, where new development could only occur in the Urban Service Area. It set a strict minimum area requirement, currently 40 acres, to maintain open space in the Rural Service Area. [6] In 1967, the Urban Service Area was decrease in area; various zoning regulations were also amended from the original 1958 issue. This attempt to control the urban sprawl has a profound influence on Lexington’s future development. According to 2012 US Census Estimate, Lexington’s population was 305,498, catching up with a metropolitan area of 472,099 people. Lexington including the Fayette County has 285.5 square miles. Lexington accomplished the dream of garden city relying on this important policy. |