Council Planning and Public Works Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Planning & Public Works Committee met on November 12, 2013, at 1:00 p.m., with Farmer presiding as Chair. The committee addressed five agenda items during the session, approving two items and deferring three others. The committee approved the October 8, 2013 Committee Summary and Items Referred, while deferring action on Capital & Maintenance of LFUCG Major Roadways, Elm Tree Lane Sidewalk, and Design Excellence Task Force. The committee took three motions and votes during the meeting and heard five public comments.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on November 12, 2013:

• Bill Farmer Jr.
• Linda Gorton
• Jennifer Mossotti
• Charles Ellinger
• Steve Kay
• Chris Ford
• Diane Lawless
• Julian Beard
• Harry Clarke
• Peggy Henson
• Shevawn Akers
• Kevin Stinnett

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

The committee held three votes during the November 12, 2013 meeting, all of which passed by voice vote.

October 8, 2013 Committee Summary 3:00 A motion to approve the October 8, 2013 Committee Summary was made by Beard and seconded by Clarke. The motion passed by voice vote with no abstentions.

MAP Funds for Sidewalk Repair on Elm Tree Lane 19:33 A motion to authorize the administration to use MAP funds for sidewalk repair on Elm Tree Lane was made by Ford. The motion passed by voice vote with no abstentions. This approval is pending a final cost estimate for lighting improvements.

B1 ZODA Update Amendments 1:41:27 A motion to combine B1 ZODA update amendments and forward them to Council for action was made by Farmer and seconded by Clark. The motion passed by voice vote with no abstentions.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed the following financial items:

Capital and Maintenance Appropriation

The council appropriated $13,000,000 for capital and maintenance of LFUCG major roadways. This appropriation supports ongoing infrastructure work on the city's primary road network.

Sidewalk and Tree Work Contract

A contract valued at $4,800 was approved for sidewalk replacement and tree trimming on Elm Tree Lane.

Public Comment

The meeting included comments from five speakers addressing the Design Excellence Task Force proposal.

Bill Lear 35:39 expressed support for the Design Excellence Task Force concept but raised concerns about the lack of incentives and the reliance on a board-driven process composed of design professionals. He worried this approach could result in subjective decisions and project delays.

Vice Mayor Gorton 46:02 advocated for broader public representation on the board. He recommended including a non-downtown, non-design citizen as a member and suggested that the city council approve all board nominees to ensure the board reflects wider community interests.

Council Member Lawless 58:57 supported using TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds to support the initiative. He emphasized the importance of reducing barriers to development, specifically citing high parking costs and inefficient permitting processes as obstacles that need to be addressed.

Knox 57:10 suggested forming a community stakeholder group to identify feasible incentives for downtown development. He proposed specific mechanisms including TIF districts, public-private parking partnerships, and infrastructure assistance to support projects.

Council Member Akers 1:02:58 highlighted the need for tangible incentives to make the task force effective. He recommended establishing a task force to evaluate what the city can realistically do to promote infill and redevelopment, characterizing current efforts as largely symbolic without substantive support.

A common theme across the comments was concern that the Design Excellence Task Force alone would be insufficient without accompanying financial incentives and removal of development barriers. Speakers emphasized the need for concrete tools such as TIF funding, parking solutions, and streamlined permitting to complement design review efforts.

Contested Items

The November 12, 2013 meeting included three significant areas of disagreement among participants:

Design Excellence Task Force Board Composition

A split vote occurred regarding the makeup of the Design Excellence Task Force Board. The central debate focused on whether the board should be dominated by design professionals or include non-expert citizens. Concerns were raised about the subjectivity of design decisions and the lack of public representation if the board were composed primarily of design experts.

Incentives for Downtown Development

A heated discussion emerged around incentives for downtown development. Multiple speakers emphasized that the current proposal was incomplete without tangible incentives such as Tax Increment Financing (TIFs), parking solutions, and infrastructure support. Participants argued that the absence of these concrete incentives would significantly hinder development efforts in the downtown area.

Staffing and Roles for Infill Facilitator

A procedural dispute arose regarding the organizational placement of the infill facilitator position. Disagreement centered on whether the infill facilitator should be housed in the commissioner's office or within the Division of Planning. The dispute reflected broader concerns about cross-departmental coordination and the facilitator's ability to effectively coordinate between different city departments.

October 8, 2013 Committee Summary

The committee reviewed and approved the summary from the previous meeting held on October 8, 2013. 3:00

Motion and Vote

Beard moved to approve the summary, with Clarke seconding the motion. The motion passed without dissent.

Outcome

The October 8, 2013 Committee Summary was approved.

Capital & Maintenance of LFUCG Major Roadways

3:38

Staff presented data on the capital and maintenance needs for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) major roadways. The presentation outlined funding requirements across different road classifications:

• $11 million needed for red-labeled roads
• $15 million needed for minor arterials
• $42.7 million total needed across all road classifications

Key Speakers

Kevin Wente, Richard Moloney, and Brad Frazier led the discussion on this agenda item.

Discussion and Decisions

The committee discussed the funding approach for road maintenance and agreed to use major and minor arterials as the basis for future funding decisions. The group also discussed implementing a budgeting strategy based on pavement ratings to guide prioritization of maintenance and capital projects going forward.

Outcome

The agenda item was deferred, indicating that further discussion or action on the capital and maintenance plan for LFUCG major roadways would take place at a future meeting.

Elm Tree Lane Sidewalk

The committee discussed infrastructure improvements needed on Elm Tree Lane, including sidewalk replacement and tree trimming. 15:06

Scope and Costs

The discussion centered on two main projects for the street: - Sidewalk replacement with an estimated cost of $4,300 - Tree trimming with an estimated cost of $500 - Lighting costs were pending and not yet finalized

Key Participants

The discussion involved Kevin Wente, Council Member Ford, and Commissioner Paulson.

Action Proposed

A motion was made to use MAP funds for the Elm Tree Lane improvements, contingent upon receipt of final cost estimates for all components of the project, particularly the lighting costs.

Outcome

The matter was deferred, pending completion of the cost estimates needed to move forward with the funding decision.

Design Excellence Task Force

Councilmember Steve Kay presented the Design Excellence Task Force report, which outlined proposed standards and guidelines for downtown development 22:22.

Key Topics Discussed

The presentation covered several substantive areas requiring further deliberation:

• Incentives for development projects
• Board composition and structure
• Appeals process for design decisions
• Staff roles and responsibilities

Concerns Raised

Committee members, including Bill Lear, Knox, and Vice Mayor Gorton, raised questions and concerns during the discussion, though specific details of their individual positions were not documented in the available materials.

Outcome

The committee agreed to defer the item and continue discussion at a future meeting. The group reconvened in December to further develop the task force recommendations.

Items Referred

The committee reviewed the B1 ZODA update, which had previously undergone vetting and Planning Commission review. 1:30:25

Key speakers on this item included Farmer and the Director.

The committee voted to recombine the two parts of the B1 ZODA update into a unified package and forward it to the full Council for second reading. The item was approved.