Planning Commission Meeting

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Planning Commission met on June 9, 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. The Commission considered 10 agenda items, taking 9 motions and votes, and heard 4 public comments during the session. Of the items presented, 8 were approved and 1 was postponed to a later date. The approved projects included Kirklevington North (AMD), three units of Meadow Oaks (Ashford Oaks), Ingleside Apartments (Red Mile Village), South Farm Marketplace (AMD #5), Professional Park (formerly General Mills/Shoney's Property), and Manchester Development (AMD). The Lederer Property (AMD) was postponed for further consideration.

Attendance

Present: - Carolyn Richardson - Mike Cravens - Lynn Roche-Phillips - Marie Copeland - Mike Owens - William Wilson - Eunice Beatty - Carla Blanton - Patrick Brewer

Absent: - Ed Holmes - Derek Paulsen

Late: - Marie Copeland

Votes and Decisions

Postponement of DP 2011-40: Gess Property, Unit 1 10:01 Motion by Mike Cravens, seconded by Eunice Beatty. The board voted by voice to postpone this item to June 23, 2011. All nine board members voted in favor.

Postponement of DP 2011-41: Blackford Property, Phase 1, Unit 5 & Phase 3 11:35 Motion by William Wilson, seconded by Mike Cravens. The board voted by voice to postpone this item to June 23, 2011. All nine board members voted in favor.

Postponement of DP 2011-52: Beaumont Farm, Unit 1 Sec. 4, Lot 4 12:42 Motion by Mike Cravens, seconded by William Wilson. The board voted by voice to postpone this item to July 14, 2011. All nine board members voted in favor.

Approval of Consent Agenda 17:05 Motion by Mike Owens, seconded by Lynn Roche-Phillips. The board voted by voice to approve consent agenda items, excluding Beaumont Farm and Lederer Property. All nine board members voted in favor.

Reapproval of PLAN 2008-13F and PLAN 2008-14F: Denton Farm, Inc., Units 3A and 3B 22:54 Motion by Mike Cravens, seconded by Eunice Beatty. The board voted by voice to reapprove these plans, contingent upon Urban Forester's approval of required street tree information. All nine board members voted in favor.

Approval of DP 2011-53: Professional Park 49:43 Motion by Lynn Roche-Phillips, seconded by Patrick Brewer. The board voted by voice to approve this development plan with 14 conditions. All nine board members voted in favor.

Approval of DP 2011-49: Manchester Development (AMD) 57:32 Motion by Patrick Brewer, seconded by Mike Owens. The board voted by voice to approve this development plan with multiple conditions. All nine board members voted in favor.

Postponement of DP 2011-56: Lederer Property (AMD) 1:29:57 Motion by Lynn Roche-Phillips, seconded by Mike Owens. The board voted by voice to postpone this item to resolve issues with dumpster location and construction. All nine board members voted in favor.

Approval of Bond Release and Call 1:30:30 Motion by Carla Blanton, seconded by Mike Cravens. The board voted by voice to approve release and call of bonds as per memorandum. All nine board members voted in favor.

Public Comment

Four members of the public provided comments on the proposed project during the meeting.

Marie Copeland 1:10:10 expressed concern about the rear-facing exit of the Lederer Property, noting that headlights from vehicles would shine into nearby homes, particularly during night events. She suggested repositioning the exit to serve as an entrance instead, citing neighborly considerations.

Jim Gallimore 1:12:34 raised a traffic safety issue regarding the proposed exit-only access on East 3rd Street. He identified a sight triangle problem created by columns at the location and recommended converting the access to an entrance only to improve visibility and safety.

Lynn Roche-Phillips 1:21:15 raised a procedural concern, noting that the applicant had proceeded with construction before obtaining Planning Commission approval for square footage increases. She characterized this as a major amendment that requires prior review and approval.

Carla Blanton 1:27:48 addressed the proposed placement of a dumpster in a public alley, stating that this would set a problematic precedent. She advocated for keeping trash on private property and urged the Commission to reject the current dumpster location.

Appointments

Matt Wilson was appointed to the Planning Commission.

Contested Items

The June 9, 2011 meeting included three significant areas of disagreement:

Dumpster Location in Public Alley

Commission members raised concerns about allowing a dumpster to be placed in a public right-of-way. The core dispute centered on procedural grounds—commissioners worried that approving this encroachment would set an unwanted precedent. The applicant had not obtained prior approval for this placement, and members questioned whether unapproved construction should be permitted to proceed under these conditions.

Unapproved Construction and Square Footage Increase

A procedural dispute emerged regarding the applicant's decision to move forward with construction and increase the project's square footage without first securing Planning Commission approval. Commission members emphasized that major amendments to a project require prior approval, and questioned why the applicant had proceeded without following this required process. This represented a fundamental disagreement over whether the applicant had properly followed established procedures before beginning work.

Exit-Only Access on East 3rd Street

The most heated discussion involved a rear-facing exit on East 3rd Street. The disagreement centered on both safety and neighborhood impact concerns. Specifically, commissioners and staff debated whether vehicle headlights from the exit would negatively affect nearby homes. The dispute also involved a fundamental question about the access point's function: whether it should serve as an entrance, an exit, or both. Staff and commissioners were divided on the appropriate configuration, with concerns raised about the neighborly implications of directing vehicle traffic in a particular direction.

Kirklevington North (AMD) (7/31/11)

Plan Identifier: PLAN 2011-56F

Overview

The meeting addressed a proposal to subdivide one lot into two parcels at Kirklevington North. 13:45

Key Speakers

• Chris Taylor
• Bill Sallee

Outcome

The plan was approved via consent agenda, subject to the following conditions:

• Approval from the Urban County Engineer
• Approval from the Traffic Engineer
• Approval from Building Inspection
• Approval from e911
• Approval from the Urban Forester
• Approval from the Department of Environmental Quality

Meadow Oaks, Unit 1-A (Ashford Oaks) (8/31/11)

Project Identifier: PLAN 2008-138F

Overview

The applicant requested a one-year extension for the remaining portion of the plat for Meadow Oaks, Unit 1-A (Ashford Oaks). 14:16

Key Speaker

Bill Sallee presented on this matter.

Staff Recommendation and Outcome

Staff recommended approval of the extension request with an additional condition: the Urban Forester's approval of required street tree information must be obtained.

The request was approved.

Meadow Oaks, Unit 1-B (Ashford Oaks) (8/31/11)

Project Identifier: PLAN 2008-139F

Overview

The applicant requested a one-year extension for the remaining portion of the plat for Meadow Oaks, Unit 1-B (Ashford Oaks). 14:46

Key Speaker

Bill Sallee presented on this agenda item.

Staff Recommendation

Staff recommended approval of the extension request with an additional condition: the Urban Forester's approval of required street tree information must be obtained.

Outcome

The request was approved.

Meadow Oaks, Unit 1-C (Ashford Oaks) (8/31/11)

Identifier: PLAN 2008-140F

The applicant requested a one-year extension for the plat on this project. 15:22

Staff recommended approval of the extension with an additional condition requiring Urban Forester's approval of required street tree information.

The item was approved.

Ingleside Apartments (Red Mile Village) (AMD) (7/31/11)

Identifier: DP 2011-48

Overview

This agenda item addressed an amendment to the Ingleside Apartments project at Red Mile Village. The proposal involved reducing open space and adding 6 parking spaces to the development.

Presentation and Discussion

Chris Taylor presented this item to the body 15:56.

Outcome

The plan was approved via consent agenda. The approval included conditions requiring approvals from multiple departments and officials:

• Urban County Engineer
• Traffic Engineer
• Building Inspection
• Additional specified parties

The amendment was granted with these departmental conditions in place to ensure compliance with relevant engineering, traffic, and building standards.

South Farm Marketplace (AMD #5) (7/31/11)

Overview

This agenda item (DP 2011-50) addressed a plan to revise use and parking for Lot 4 at South Farm Marketplace. 16:34

Presentation and Approval

Chris Taylor presented the item. The plan was approved via consent agenda with the following conditions:

• Approval from the Urban County Engineer
• Approval from the Traffic Engineer
• Approval from Building Inspection
• Additional approvals from other relevant departments as required

Outcome

The revision was approved.

Kirklevington North (AMD) (7/31/11)

Proposal: DP 2011-51

Outcome: Approved

Chris Taylor presented the discussion on the Kirklevington North rezoning proposal. 17:05

The plan involved rezoning the property to P-1 classification. The approval was granted subject to conditions, including rezoning approval from the Urban County Council and approvals from multiple departments.

Lederer Property (AMD) (8/9/11)

Identifier: DP 2011-56

Discussion Summary

The board discussed a proposed amendment to the Lederer Property development plan. The project included several modifications: adding an access point, increasing the building size, revising the parking layout, and relocating the dumpster.

Key Speakers

Tom Martin and Roger Ladenberger participated in the discussion of this agenda item.

Concerns Raised

The proposal faced significant concerns that prevented approval. The primary issue centered on the proposed dumpster location, which would be positioned in a public alley. Additionally, unapproved construction work was identified as a concern during the review process.

Outcome

The agenda item was postponed. The board did not approve the amendment at this time, deferring further consideration to allow the applicant to address the raised concerns.

Transcript Reference

1:29:57

Professional Park (Formerly General Mills/Shoney's Property) (AMD) (7/31/11)

Agenda Item: DP 2011-53

The board discussed a development plan for Professional Park, the formerly General Mills/Shoney's property, which proposed to increase building size and revise parking circulation 25:10.

Key Speakers

Bill Sallee and Brody Glenn presented and discussed the proposal.

Proposal Details

The plan included modifications to increase the building size and reconfigure the parking circulation pattern for the site.

Conditions of Approval

The plan was approved with 14 conditions, which addressed:

• Tree protection measures
• Access easement documentation
• Signage for rear orientation

Outcome

The proposal was approved by the board.

Manchester Development (AMD) (7/31/11)

Identifier: DP 2011-49

Overview

The board discussed a proposal to add property 948 Manchester Street to an adaptive reuse project. 51:07

Key Speaker

Chris Evans presented on this agenda item.

Outcome

The plan was approved with 11 conditions. The conditions included requirements for parking and zoning compliance, among other specifications.