LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The Lexington City Council is taking another look Thursday night at a ground lease for a solar farm on the Haley Pike landfill after tabling the item at its last meeting.
The Lexington Model Airplane Club, which sits on the Haley Pike landfill, could be kicked out by a 357-acre solar farm. Lexington’s City Council postponed a lease agreement to Edelen Renewables earlier this month, but it is back on the table.
A former member of the airplane club and STEM leader in Lexington is proposing sharing the land.
“It’s worth giving up a little bit of solar energy to keep this around,” said Keith Hollifield, chief toy maker for Newton’s Attic.
Hollifield created a plan for a smaller solar farm, which would allow the airfield to stay, while also partnering with Newton’s Attic to build a STEM park.
Newton’s Attic is a STEM education nonprofit that offers hands-on project-based learning. The organization has been providing STEM education resources in Lexington for 27 years, but is limited by ground and air space at its current location near Blue Grass Airport.
“This is the perfect place to do it because we can literally hit the ground running; it is ready to go today,” Hollifield said.
Hollifield said the 680-acre former landfill has room for more than just a solar farm.
“We need to be careful what we take away in advancing these other initiatives, and I think what we’re giving up here is simply too much. A slightly smaller solar farm, plus this is way better, infinitely better,” Hollifield said.
He hopes the council will at least find a solar company willing to compromise.
“No one has said that if you don’t figure it out, you can’t do the project. No one has really put their feet to the fire, that’s what I’m asking the council to do: essentially say that,” Hollifield said.
Leaders at Edelen Renewables state that they have been collaborating with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government on this proposal since July 2025. COO Amy Samples said when the city opened the request for proposal, they marked all 357 acres as available.
“With the proposal having been marked as ‘land available for solar development,’ our proposal did respond to that,” Samples said.
Samples said even with two weeks to reconsider a shared-use project after the council tabled the decision, she said it’s not feasible. She cited overall costs, insurance concerns, and optimal panel layout.
“Even if our project did scale based on our outstanding results from the Kentucky Utilities Project, this parcel remains pretty integral to the success of this project,” Samples said.
The LFUCG Council meeting starts at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Government Center.
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