🌎 Resumen en español · traducción automática
La alcaldesa Linda Gorton vetó una ordenanza de zonificación aprobada por el Consejo el 10 de septiembre que permitiría instalaciones solares a gran escala en zonas agrícolas de Lexington, argumentando que establecería un precedente peligroso para las tierras de cultivo de la ciudad. El Concejal Dave Sevigny, quien apoyó los cambios, expresó su decepción y señaló que la industria agrícola ha experimentado una innovación significativa en los últimos 40 años. La ordenanza habría permitido proyectos solares de más de 5 acres como uso condicional en las zonas Agrícola-Rural y Agrícola-Urbana, sujeto a varios requisitos operativos y de conservación de tierras.
Traducción y resumen generados por IA a partir del artículo en inglés. Puede contener errores; consulte el texto original.
During a September 18th news conference, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said she will veto zoning ordinance updates recently approved by Council that create a pathway for large-scale solar installations in the city's agricultural zones.
Gorton said she was compelled to veto the zoning ordinance text amendment – which narrowly passed Council on September 10th – because of the precedent it would set for Lexington's farmland.
"I am concerned about the precedent the Council's actions set," Gorton said. "It might seem like a small step today to allow an industrial solar operation on land that is zoned agriculture, but once that door is opened, it will be hard to close."
The question of whether to allow large-scale solar energy projects (over 5 acres) on agricultural land has been a topic of debate among Councilmembers and Lexington residents in recent years. After previously voting against allowing them, a Council Work Group proposed new requirements for the projects earlier this year.
10th District Councilmember Dave Sevigny, who supported the zoning updates and worked to develop them, told CivicLex in a statement that he was disappointed in the Mayor's decision. He said that he has seen firsthand the "unbelievable innovation" the farming industry has undergone in the last 40 years.
"There seems to be so much desire in Fayette County to keep things in the status quo," Sevigny's statement reads in part. "I will continue to support any way to get cleaner air, maintain good soils, improve our city's climate posture and quality of life, and try to lead versus accept mediocrity."
The changes in the zoning ordinance text amendment passed by Council would allow large-scale solar as a conditional use within Lexington's Agricultural-Rural (A-R) and Agricultural-Urban (A-U) zones, subject to several requirements related to their operation and land conservation.
Under Lexington's Zoning Ordinance, a conditional use is an approved exception to the regular rules of the zone a property is in. The Board of Adjustment reviews and grants requests for conditional use permits.
The ordinance also includes a provision that no more than 1% of the land in Fayette County can be used for large-scale ground-mounted solar projects in agricultural zones, which is about 1,800 acres.
However, in announcing her veto, Gorton said she was concerned about opening the door for development beyond that cap.
"I support solar projects in the appropriate areas, at the appropriate scale," Gorton said. "Projects that do not threaten one of the strong foundations of our economy, our quality of life, and our identity."
It is only the second veto she's issued during her eight years as mayor.
"The power to veto is not something I take lightly," Gorton said. "With all due respect to the Council, in this case, it is the right thing to do."
Will Council vote to override the Mayor's veto?
According to Lexington's Charter, the Council can successfully override a veto from the Mayor when three-fifths of all members vote to do so. For the Council's 15-member body, that threshold is 9. When the decision came before Council for a second reading and final vote at its September 10th meeting, it narrowly passed on an 8-7 vote.
Vice Mayor Dan Wu joined Councilmembers Emma Curtis, Joseph Hale, Shayla Lynch, Tyler Morton, Dave Sevigny, Liz Sheehan, and Amy Beasley in supporting the changes.
At-Large Councilmembers James Brown and Chuck Ellinger II voted against them, along with Councilmembers Tom Eblen, Whitney Elliott Baxter, Lisa Higgins-Hord, Jennifer Reynolds and Hil Boone.
Asked by CivicLex about the timeframe Council has to take that vote, Mayor Gorton said the city’s Charter provides that it must occur within a “reasonable” amount of time. If they decide to, the city’s Law Department will recommend Council take that vote immediately after returning from recess, Gorton said.
Council is heading into its fall recess, with regular meetings set to resume October 6th.
