Planning Commission Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Planning Commission met on March 10, 2011, at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Urban County Government Building, 200 East Main Street, Lexington, Kentucky. Carolyn Richardson presided over the meeting, which included eight agenda items covering routine business and planning matters. The Commission took 15 votes during the session and heard 3 public comments from audience members. All substantive agenda items—including approval of minutes, postponements or withdrawals, land subdivision items, and commission items—were approved, while staff items, audience items, and next meeting dates were presented for informational purposes.

Attendance

Present: - Carolyn Richardson - Mike Cravens - Marie Copeland - Mike Owens - William Wilson - Carla Blanton - Ed Holmes

Absent: - Patrick Brewer - Derek Paulsen - Lynn Roche-Phillips - Eunice Beatty

Late: None reported.

Votes and Decisions

All motions during this meeting passed by voice vote with no opposition.

Approval of Minutes 5:06 The minutes from the February 10, 2011 meeting were approved. Motion by William Wilson, seconded by Mike Owens. Vote: 6 ayes, 0 nays.

Postponements to March 24, 2011 [timestamps: 00:06:42, 00:07:14, 00:08:20, 00:43:29] Four items were postponed to March 24, 2011: - Plan 2005-196F: Sharkey Property Unit 2-B (Motion by Mike Owens, seconded by Mike Cravens) - DP 2010-23: Sharkey Property Unit 2-B (Motion by Mike Owens, seconded by Mike Cravens) - DP 2011-18: James Motor Co. & Kathryn M. McBrazier Property (Motion by Mike Cravens, seconded by William Wilson) - Plan 2010-131P: Hillenmeyer Property & DWS Property (Motion by Mike Owens, seconded by William Wilson)

All four postponements passed 6-0.

Withdrawal and Additional Postponement [timestamps: 00:08:53, 01:10:59] DP 2006-65: Blackford Property, Phases 1 & 2 was withdrawn (Motion by Mike Owens, seconded by Mike Cravens). Vote: 6-0.

Plan 2011-26F: Forest Park Addition was postponed to March 24, 2011 (Motion by Mike Owens, seconded by William Wilson). Vote: 6-0.

Postponement to April 14, 2011 10:32 Plan 2011-22F: Denton Farms, Inc., Unit 1-F was postponed to April 14, 2011 (Motion by Mike Cravens, seconded by Mike Owens). Vote: 6-0.

Consent Agenda Approval 15:07 The following items were approved as a consent agenda: Plan 2011-23F, 2011-24F, 2011-25F, 2011-26F, 2011-33F, and DP 2011-17 (Motion by Ed Holmes, seconded by Mike Owens). Vote: 6-0.

Development Plan Approvals [timestamps: 03:19:48, 03:45:23] DP 2011-16: Mark Acre Properties, LLC was approved with 17 conditions (Motion by Ed Holmes, seconded by Mike Owens). Vote: 6-0.

DP 2011-19: Hamburg Place Office Park, Lot 12A was approved with 11 conditions (Motion by Mike Cravens, seconded by Ed Holmes). Vote: 6-0.

Design Guidelines Recommendation 3:22:03 NPE 2011-1: Amendment to Newtown Pike Design Guidelines was recommended for approval to Urban County Council with conditions (Motion by Marie Copeland, seconded by Mike Owens). Vote: 6-0.

Bond Release and Public Facilities Request [timestamps: 03:46:27, 04:04:11] Release and call of bonds for Chris King was approved (Motion by Mike Owens, seconded by Mike Cravens). Vote: 6-0.

PFR 2011-2: Fayette County Public Schools Renovation and Expansion was approved with three conditions (Motion by Mike Cravens, seconded by Ed Holmes). Vote: 6-0.

Administrative Action 4:05:20 The work session scheduled for March 31, 2011 was cancelled (Motion by Mike Cravens, seconded by Carla Blanton). Vote: 6-0.

Public Comment

Three speakers provided public comment during the meeting.

Opposition to Plan 2011-26F: Forest Park Addition

Harck Pickett 57:53 expressed opposition to Plan 2011-26F: Forest Park Addition. He raised concerns about increased stormwater runoff and strain on existing infrastructure. Pickett noted that the area already experiences frequent basement flooding and requested greater clarity regarding the proposed development, particularly regarding potential increased density and student housing in an already highly dense residential area.

Kirsten Bright 1:00:36 also opposed Plan 2011-26F: Forest Park Addition. As a homeowner, she voiced concerns about neighborhood degradation resulting from cheap student housing development. She cited infrastructure strain and frequent basement flooding as existing problems that would be exacerbated by the project, and expressed concern about increased density in the area.

Support for DP 2011-16: Mark Acre Properties

Richard V. Murphy 2:46:00 spoke in support of DP 2011-16: Mark Acre Properties as a representative of the applicant. He expressed gratitude to staff and the community for their collaboration throughout the process. Murphy emphasized that the project complies with applicable design standards and stated that it would have a positive impact on the neighborhood.

Contested Items

Three items generated significant disagreement during the March 10, 2011 meeting:

Plan 2010-131P: Hillenmeyer Property & DWS Property

Commission members engaged in heated discussion over this plan, raising concerns about cemetery impacts and excavation issues. A waiver to street geometrics was needed to move forward. Rather than reach a decision, the Commission postponed the plan to allow for further review and expert testimony on the contested matters.

Plan 2011-26F: Forest Park Addition

This lot split proposal faced strong community opposition. Residents expressed concerns about stormwater runoff, infrastructure strain, and increased density in the area. The plan encountered multiple failed votes before ultimately being postponed, indicating the Commission could not reach consensus on approval.

DP 2011-16: Mark Acre Properties

The Commission was divided on whether to approve this development plan. The disagreement centered on design standards and the potential for student housing at the site. Following a second postponement, the plan was ultimately approved, though the split vote reflected ongoing concerns among Commission members about the proposal's merits.

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 1:31 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Urban County Government Building. 0:00

Carolyn Richardson presided over the opening of the meeting.

Approval of Minutes

The meeting proceeded to approve the minutes from the February 10, 2011, meeting. 5:06

Key speakers on this agenda item included William Wilson and Mike Owens.

The minutes were approved by voice vote.

Postponements or Withdrawals

6:42

Several plans were postponed or withdrawn at the request of applicants during this agenda item. The key speakers addressing this matter were Mike Owens, Mike Cravens, William Wilson, and Rory Kahly.

All motions related to the postponements or withdrawals were approved by voice vote.

Land Subdivision Items

The Commission reviewed and approved several consent agenda items related to land subdivisions during this portion of the meeting. 11:43

Key Participants

The discussion involved Commission members Bill Sallee, Tom Martin, Rory Kahly, Howard Cruse, Harck Pickett, and Kirsten Bright.

Items Reviewed

Two major subdivision plans were the focus of discussion:

• Plan 2010-131P — postponed following public and commission discussion
• Plan 2011-26F — postponed following public and commission discussion

Concerns Raised

The postponement of these two plans resulted from substantive concerns raised during the meeting:

• Cemetery impacts were identified as a key issue requiring further consideration
• Neighborhood concerns were also presented and discussed by the Commission

Outcome

While several consent agenda items were approved, the two major plans (2010-131P and 2011-26F) were postponed rather than approved, indicating the Commission determined additional review and discussion of the cemetery and neighborhood impact issues was necessary before moving forward with these subdivisions.

Commission Items

The Commission reviewed and approved a Public Facility Review for the renovation and expansion of three Fayette County Public Schools. 3:47:30

Key participants in this discussion included Barb Rackers, Maureen Peters, Kevin Warner, Katie Pentecoff, Jason Dunn, and Paul Ochenkoski.

The Commission also addressed a motion to cancel a scheduled work session.

The agenda item concluded with an approval outcome.

Staff Items

Staff announced an upcoming APA training session focused on mitigating hazards through planning. Bill Sallee presented this informational item 4:05:51.

The session was presented as an educational opportunity for staff development in the area of hazard mitigation planning strategies.

Audience Items

During this portion of the meeting, citizens were invited to speak on matters of interest to the public. However, no formal items were presented for discussion during this time.

Next Meeting Dates

Next meeting dates were announced during this agenda item. The announcement included information about an upcoming work session, a zoning public hearing, and a technical committee meeting. 0:00

This was an informational item with no debate or concerns raised.