LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted 10-5 on April 28 to upgrade the troubled Mint Lane wastewater pump station at its current location behind Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School, rejecting a proposal to relocate the infrastructure outside the city's urban service boundary.

The decision settles a contentious development debate that pitted horse farm owners and agricultural preservationists against a family seeking to develop property on their Mill Ridge Farm. Cost proved the decisive factor, with projections showing the Mint Lane location at $19.6 million compared to $27.3 million to $29.3 million for the Bowman Mill site.

The pump station must be upgraded to comply with an EPA Consent Decree requiring the city to address long-standing problems with its sanitary and stormwater sewer systems. The compliance deadline was extended to December 2030 from the original deadline of December 2026. The Mint Lane station has experienced overflows during rain events, and the city will need to negotiate with Fayette County Public Schools for the additional acreage needed to expand the facilities.

Mayor Linda Gorton championed the Mint Lane option, citing fiscal responsibility during a period of increasing costs for residents. "When our residents continue to feel the strain of increasing costs for basic needs, for me the decision is clear," she said.

The debate highlighted broader tensions over Lexington's Urban Service Boundary, a geographic boundary that controls where development can occur and where city services like sewer and water are provided. Opponents of the Bowman Mill proposal raised concerns that relocating the pump station would circumvent Lexington's established process for expanding the boundary and could pave the way for residential development on the farm property.

John Phillips, a Darby Dan Farm owner speaking on behalf of the Lexington-Frankfort Scenic Corridor board, warned that the Bowman Mill option would reduce sewer infrastructure costs that developers would otherwise bear, representing "a private benefit at public expense."

Mill Ridge Farm owners had argued the relocation would enable a state-funded wetland restoration project along Cave Creek and address environmental damage from years of sewage overflows. The farm has reported more than 13.1 million gallons in sanitary sewer overflows since January 2015.

The Mint Lane option does not allocate capacity for future expansion beyond already-planned development, while the Bowman Mill site would have provided additional capacity, according to city projections.