LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government recently released minutes from a June 5 Stormwater Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting highlighting presentations on street design standards and landscape restoration approaches aimed at managing stormwater runoff in the community.

At the June meeting, LFUCG Division of Planning staff presented an overview of the Complete Streets Manual, a technical guide developed by the city's Engineering and Traffic Engineering divisions in coordination with national design firms Toole Design and Tunnell, Spangler, Walsh & Associates. The manual emerged from multiple council policies adopted since 2022, including the Complete Streets Policy and the Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

The manual integrates stormwater management into street design by requiring green infrastructure elements such as planting strips, native vegetation and rain gardens. Presenters explained that the manual replaces Lexington's Roadway Design Manual last updated in 2005 and applies to new neighborhood development, infill projects, and LFUCG roadway improvement projects.

Committee members raised questions about how standards apply to infill and redevelopment projects in established urban areas. Division of Planning staff noted that applicants seeking waivers from prescribed standards must explain constraints preventing compliance, while the manual serves as a resource for achieving overall design goals.

The committee also heard a presentation from the University of Kentucky on riparian and landscape restoration for stormwater management, examining how natural ground cover systems manage water infiltration and runoff compared to impervious surfaces.

The Complete Streets initiative works alongside Lexington's broader Vision Zero commitment, which aims to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and fatalities by 2050. Council is expected to adopt the final Complete Streets Design Manual this summer.