Dear Neighbors,
Don’t forget the in-person Fayette County Neighborhood Council (FCNC) meeting (Tates Creek Christian Church) at which we will offer a forum for Council-Member-At-Large candidates on Monday, October 10 at 6:30 p.m. Lexington needs good At-Large members on its Council and an informed Vice Mayor. We will have a good set of questions prepared for the candidates so that we can know their views on important issues. Please plan to attend.
Per usual, there are a lot of things going on regarding Planning and Zoning in Lexington. Here is a brief list:
1. Whether to allow a professional soccer stadium in the Economic Development (ED) Zone with lights, sound, concessions, and outdoor concerts. This proposal is likely to come up in the Planning Commission meeting on September 22. I think approval is a bad idea with those uses in the proposed location.
2. The Commission in its late August meeting approved a Parking Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment (ZOTA 22-00014) that would virtually eliminate maximum and minimum parking requirements at new developments. FCNC asked for language that would protect neighborhoods with parking and groundwater problems and university neighborhoods, and we were critical of the idea that the provision of public transit would solve these problems. We lost the argument, and the ZOTA will be moving on to the Urban County Council, likely through its Planning and Public Safety Committee first. Planning staff assured FCNC that it would be attentive to neighborhood issues and could ask for studies.
3. The Commission postponed a so-called “Intent Statement” ZOTA (PLN-ZOTA-22-00015) following criticism from FCNC and development attorneys. The issue is complicated. My inclination is to argue that “Intents” should change at the same time as individual zones change, not before, and should be less specific than drafted.
4. The Commission approved another drive-thru facility in the extended Palomar area–likely a restaurant–on Harrodsburg Road near the Jessamine County line. It could be a bank, a drive-thru restaurant, or something else.
5. The Board of Adjustment will be considering a petition from a college fraternity on Lexington Avenue apparently to combine a couple of houses and probably add parking.
6. An upcoming ZOTA proposes to expand the ability of developers to add hotels in the expansion area.
Brevity prevents further explanation of the above ZOTAs in this message. Further detail on any or all of the above ZOTAs can be seen by Googling “Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments, Lexington, KY”, which will take you to https://www.lexingtonky.gov/current-text-amendment-applications.
Walt Gaffield, President
Fayette County Neighborhood Council, Inc.