Soccer stadium proposal in ED Zone threatens farms and agriculture businesses

Fourteen years ago, I purchased the former Gracefield Farm property on the corner of Newtown Pike and Ironworks Pike to relocate Spy Coast Farm, a sport horse breeding and training operation, to the Horse Capital of the World. I chose the property because it is adjacent to the Kentucky Horse Park, a short drive from two world renowned veterinary clinics, its close proximity to other equine support services, downtown Lexington and two main highways. Today, our access to the amenities that drew me to the area is at risk due to irresponsible land-use decisions.

Spy Coast Farm has grown into a thriving business; making significant capital investments over the years, adding many barns, fences, riding rings, an equine rehabilitation and fitness center, the Equine Education Center and much more. Those expenditures, beyond land purchases, have totaled more than $32 million dollars. According to a recent economic and social impact study of the farm completed by Ernst and Young, our capital investment between 2018 and 2021 — just 3 years — resulted in a $22 million economic impact on the Lexington-Fayette County economy. The economic output for 2021 alone was $11.7 million. Spy Coast Farm also supported $5.9 million in wages and benefits in 2021 and its annual operations support an estimated 95 total jobs.

These figures represent the economic contributions of Spy Coast Farm — but we are not alone. The farms you admire while driving down the roads of Lexington are major businesses that employ thousands and contribute millions to our tax base. They provide needed services and support innumerable other local businesses, like feed companies, veterinary clinics, farriers, transport companies, farm suppliers, truck and tractor sales, tack shops, and hay, straw and shavings farms, to name a few.

These economic engines are increasingly coming under threat. The recent recommendations of approval of the 12 soccer fields and 750 space parking lot, in addition to the soccer stadium and thousands of parking spaces to be heard on Thursday, show that the Planning staff members are cavalier about protecting that which makes Lexington and Fayette County not only unique, but financially productive.

Lights, loudspeakers, concert noise and traffic would significantly disrupt the operations of nearby farms to the detriment of the animals themselves. Traffic would impact Brook Ledge Horse Transport and others conducting their business on roads ill-equipped to handle the large number of drivers attending proposed entertainment events. Delays and difficulties getting to equine vet hospitals like Rood + Riddle for emergencies threaten the well being of the animals, the transport companies, and any other nearby farm needing to use their services. Amazon, FedEx, and others would also be affected by traffic which would clog the entrances, exits, and lanes of Routes 64 and 75 on game and concert days. Nearby residential neighborhoods and dozens of other farms on mostly narrow, scenic by-ways already experience multiple vehicle accidents and fatalities per year.

These concerns beg the question: why would Planning Staff, Planning Commission or the Urban County Council consider an ED zoning use for a facility offering temporary, sporadic employment and thousands of non-tax-producing parking spaces? Why would Planning Staff not require traffic and environmental impact studies before approval of the soccer field complex by the Board of Adjustment, or the ED ZOTA coming before the Planning Commission on Thursday? These are the questions we must ask in a community where our signature industries are unique and the land that supports them is finite.

This is an inflection point in our ability to preserve and protect precious agricultural land, our farm owners’ ability to conduct their businesses and the very nature of our ED Zones as centers for job creation. Please let the Planning Commission and your elected officials know that you value the agricultural businesses that make Lexington attractive and prosperous and ask them to disapprove the change in ED zoning for the stadium and parking proposal.

Lisa Lourie is the owner of Spy Coast Farm.