LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a work session Wednesday to discuss three major planning initiatives that could shape Lexington’s future, including an update on the Blue Sky Small Area Plan and a progress report on the city’s Downtown Area Master Plan. The 1:30 p .m. meeting at the Phoenix Building will feature a presentation of the Blue Sky First Draft by Sam Castro of TSW Design, the lead consultant on the small area plan. The Blue Sky Works initiative aims to reimagine the Blue Sky Activity Center, an industrial park off Athens-Boonesboro Road near I-75 that is Lexington’s oldest industrial area and one of its newest growth zones. The plan includes a first formal attempt to define and regulate data centers in the zoning code. The Blue Sky Activity Center is home to approximately 150 businesses supporting over 1,000 jobs, with more than 60 percent paying at least $20 per hour in industries including manufacturing, construction, and warehousing. A public hearing on adding the plan to the comprehensive plan is scheduled for May 28. Boyd O. Sewe, principal planner for long-range planning, will provide a 15-minute update on the Downtown Area Master Plan, which is designed to establish an actionable vision and strategies for Downtown Lexington. The plan will address serious challenges including rising housing costs, shifting office space usage, and urban heat islands that threaten the health and momentum of the area. Community engagement is the foundation of the effort, which will work with residents, businesses, students, and visitors to accomplish improvements including mobility and connectivity. The agenda also includes a 15-minute update on the Solar Work Group, which presented recommendations to the General Government and Planning Committee in March. The committee voted to send the proposal to the Environmental Commission, Planning Commission, and Rural Land Management Board for feedback and review. The working group is addressing Lexington’s goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, a target outlined in the comprehensive plan. This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from LFUCG Meeting Agendas, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://lfucg.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=4event_id=4755. The post Planning Commission to hear Blue Sky updates, downtown master plan appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less