Urban County Council - Special Meeting - 2nd Reading of Amended Zone Change Ord.

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Council convened on January 24, 2017, at 3:00 PM in the Council Chambers in Lexington, Kentucky, with Vice-Mayor Kay presiding over the session. The meeting focused on a single agenda item involving the second reading of an amended zone change ordinance, which was ultimately approved by the council. During the course of the meeting, council members took three votes on various matters related to the proceedings. No public comments were heard during this session, indicating a streamlined meeting focused primarily on the legislative business at hand. The successful approval of the zone change ordinance represented the primary accomplishment of this council session.

Attendance

Present: Bledsoe, J. Brown, Evans, Farmer, Gibbs, Higgins, Lamb, Moloney, Mossotti, Plomin, Kay

Absent: F. Brown, Henson, Scutchfield, Stinnett

Late: None

Eleven members were present for the January 24, 2017 meeting, with four members absent and no late arrivals recorded.

Votes and Decisions

The council took three votes on ordinance 1298-16 during the January 24, 2017 meeting, all related to zoning changes for property including 8385 Durbin Lane.

Amendment to Include 8385 Durbin Lane (1298-16) Councilmember Evans motioned to amend the ordinance to include 8385 Durbin Lane, with a second by Councilmember Lamb. The amendment passed unanimously with all 11 members voting in favor: Bledsoe, J. Brown, Evans, Farmer, Gibbs, Higgins, Lamb, Moloney, Mossotti, Plomin, and Kay.

Amendment to Strike Prohibited Uses (1298-16) Councilmember Farmer motioned to amend the ordinance to strike prohibited uses including churches, Sunday schools, and youth camps, with a second by Councilmember Bledsoe. The amendment passed on a roll call vote of 10-1. Voting in favor were: Bledsoe, J. Brown, Evans, Farmer, Gibbs, Higgins, Moloney, Mossotti, Plomin, and Kay. Councilmember Lamb cast the sole dissenting vote.

Final Zone Change Approval (1298-16) Councilmember Plomin motioned for the zone change from Agricultural Rural (A-R) to Agricultural Natural Areas (A-N), with a second by Councilmember Farmer. The final ordinance passed on a roll call vote of 10-1 with conditional zoning restrictions. The same voting pattern emerged, with Bledsoe, J. Brown, Evans, Farmer, Gibbs, Higgins, Moloney, Mossotti, Plomin, and Kay voting in favor, while Lamb again voted against the measure.

All three votes involved the same ordinance number but addressed different aspects of the zoning change, with Councilmember Lamb being the only consistent opposition vote on the latter two motions.

Contested Items

The meeting featured one significant contested item that resulted in a split vote among council members.

Zone Change Ordinance Amendments

The primary point of contention involved proposed amendments to zone change ordinances, specifically regarding the removal of certain prohibited uses. The debate centered on an amendment to strike prohibited uses including Churches and Youth Camps from the ordinance language.

This amendment generated significant disagreement among council members, ultimately resulting in a split vote of 10-1. The nature of the debate and the reasoning behind individual members' positions were not detailed in the available meeting materials, but the lopsided vote suggests that one council member held a substantially different view from the majority regarding the inclusion or exclusion of religious and youth facilities in the zoning restrictions.

The amendment passed with the overwhelming support of ten council members, with only one member voting in opposition. This outcome effectively removed Churches and Youth Camps from the list of prohibited uses in the relevant zoning ordinance.

*Note: Specific transcript timestamps are not available for this contested item discussion.*

Second Reading of Amended Zone Change Ordinance

The council conducted the second reading of Ordinance 1298-16, which proposes changing the zoning classification for 41.74 net acres from Agricultural Rural (A-R) to Agricultural Natural Areas (A-N). The affected properties are located at 8291 & 8385 Old Richmond Road and 8385 Durbin Lane.

The ordinance includes conditional zoning restrictions as part of the proposed zone change. Multiple council members participated in the discussion, including Vice-Mayor Kay, Evans, Farmer, Lamb, Moloney, and Mossotti.

The Agricultural Natural Areas (A-N) zoning classification is designed to preserve agricultural land while providing additional environmental protections compared to the current Agricultural Rural (A-R) designation. This type of zoning change typically aims to balance development pressures with conservation goals in rural areas.

The council ultimately approved the ordinance on second reading. As this was the second reading, the ordinance has completed the required legislative process and will take effect according to standard municipal procedures.

The properties affected by this zoning change total 41.74 net acres and are situated in what appears to be a rural area of the jurisdiction, based on the Old Richmond Road location and current agricultural zoning. The conditional zoning restrictions attached to the ordinance likely specify particular limitations or requirements for future use of the properties under the new A-N classification.