One of the hotter summer days in Lexington didn't keep down numbers for an urban growth open house

The high heat of a mid-July day didn’t keep a significant number of Fayette Countians from taking a look at urban expansion maps Monday.

Maps detailing the draft expansion of 28 hundred acres split into five areas were on easels at the Senior Center. A few Lexington City Council members like Kathy Plomin were there to hear public response.

“Some folks are still fighting it and other folks seem to be fine with it. It’s a mix,” said Plomin.

Rob McCarter was peering over the easel with the proposed Parkers Mill expansion area. His house backs up to the acreage up for development.

“We have quite a few families that live in there and the concern is with more traffic coming through the development, just the concern of safety for children and families that live in there” said McCarter.

In addition to homeowners living near the urban expansion areas, representatives of the business community also attended. Gina Greathouse with Commerce Lexington has been involved in business recruitment for years.

“We would like to see more light industrial and flex space. There’s lots of opportunities for housing too. We know we need it, but we have to find a blend,” said Greathouse.

A similar open house format will be held Thursday during the Planning Commission meeting. A final decision on expansion makeup is scheduled this fall.

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