Planning Commission Zoning Public Hearing

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Planning Commission convened on May 26, 2022, at 1:31 PM in the Council Chamber on the 2nd floor of the LFUCG Government Center at 200 East Main Street in Lexington, Kentucky. The commission addressed four agenda items during the session, taking three votes on various planning and zoning matters. The meeting resulted in two approvals: the AU Associates, Inc. Zoning Map Amendment and the Shadow Wood Phase II (Richwood Bend) Development Plan both received commission approval. However, the approval of minutes was deferred to a future meeting, and the proposed Amendment to Article 17: Signage Regulations was postponed. No public comments were heard during this session.

Attendance

The following members were present at the meeting on May 26, 2022:

• Headley Bell
• Janice Meyer
• Frank Penn
• Judy Worth
• Zach Davis
• Bruce Nicol

All members were in attendance with no absences or late arrivals recorded.

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included three formal motions with voting actions on planning and zoning matters.

PLN-ZOTA-22-00001 - Signage Regulations Amendment 30:00 Dick Murphy made a motion to postpone the amendment to Article 17: Signage Regulations. The motion was postponed by unanimous vote, with no second required for the postponement action.

PLN-MAR-22-00006 - Zone Change for AU Associates, Inc. 90:00 Frank Penn motioned to approve the zone change from Agricultural Urban (A-U) to Planned Neighborhood Residential (R-3) for AU Associates, Inc. The motion passed unanimously without requiring a second.

PLN-MJDP-22-00023 - Shadow Wood Phase II Development 90:00 Frank Penn made a motion to approve the Shadow Wood Phase II (Richwood Bend) development plan. De Movellan provided the second for this motion. The development plan was approved by unanimous vote.

All three items were decided unanimously, with no dissenting votes or abstentions recorded. The specific vote counts and individual member positions were not detailed in the available records, indicating these were likely voice votes or consensus decisions rather than formal roll call votes.

Approval of Minutes

2:00

The approval of minutes from the April 28, 2022 meeting was postponed during this session. The minutes had not been distributed to meeting participants via email prior to the meeting, making it impossible for members to review the document beforehand.

Due to this administrative oversight, the approval process was deferred to the early June meeting to allow adequate time for members to receive and review the minutes before voting on their approval.

No discussion or debate occurred regarding the content of the minutes themselves, as the item was purely procedural in nature. The deferral ensures that proper protocol is followed and that all participants have sufficient opportunity to examine the minutes before formal approval.

AU Associates, Inc. Zoning Map Amendment

90:00

The commission reviewed petition PLN-MAR-22-00006, a zoning map amendment request from AU Associates, Inc. to rezone two properties from Agricultural Urban (A-U) to Planned Neighborhood Residential (R-3). The properties are located at 601 Old Todds Road and 96 Codell Drive.

Key speakers during the discussion included Hal Baillie and Tom Martin, who presented details about the proposed rezoning. The petition sought to change the zoning classification to allow for planned neighborhood residential development on the parcels.

The commission ultimately approved the zoning map amendment ordinance, allowing the properties to be rezoned from A-U to R-3 designation. This approval enables the development of planned residential neighborhoods on the Old Todds Road and Codell Drive properties.

Shadow Wood Phase II (Richwood Bend) Development Plan

90:00 The commission reviewed agenda item PLN-MJDP-22-00023, the development plan for Shadow Wood Phase II, also known as Richwood Bend.

Key speakers during the discussion included Hal Baillie and Tom Martin, who presented details regarding the proposed development plan. The item involved approval of the development plan along with conditions related to zoning and variance requests for the Shadow Wood Phase II project.

The commission considered various aspects of the development proposal, including the specific zoning requirements and variance requests that were part of the application. The discussion focused on the technical aspects of the development plan and how it would comply with local planning regulations.

Following the presentation and discussion of the development proposal, the commission voted to approve the Shadow Wood Phase II (Richwood Bend) Development Plan. The approval included the conditions related to zoning and variance requests as outlined in the application materials.

The approved development plan will allow the Shadow Wood Phase II project to move forward under the specified conditions and requirements established during the review process.

Amendment to Article 17: Signage Regulations

30:00

The Planning Commission considered petition PLN-ZOTA-22-00001, a proposed zoning ordinance text amendment to Article 17 regarding signage regulations. The amendment would allow digital marquee signs specifically within the Lexington Center Business (B-2B) Zone.

Dick Murphy served as a key speaker during the discussion of this agenda item. The petition represents a targeted modification to the existing signage regulations that would expand permitted sign types in the designated business zone.

The proposed amendment focuses on digital marquee signage, which would represent a change from current signage restrictions in the B-2B zone. Digital marquee signs typically feature electronic displays that can show changing text or images, often used by businesses for advertising or informational purposes.

Following discussion of the petition, the Planning Commission decided to postpone action on PLN-ZOTA-22-00001. The postponement suggests that commissioners may have requested additional information, identified concerns requiring further review, or determined that more time was needed to properly evaluate the proposed text amendment.

The postponement means the amendment to Article 17's signage regulations will be reconsidered at a future Planning Commission meeting. No final decision was made regarding whether to recommend approval or denial of the digital marquee sign provisions for the Lexington Center Business zone.