Urban County Council Zone Change Public Hearing

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government met on November 12, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers at 200 E. Main St, Lexington, KY 40507, with Vice Mayor Wu presiding. The meeting focused on a single agenda item involving a proposed zone change from R-1D to M-1P for property located at 421 Price Road, which was ultimately denied by the council. During the session, council members heard from three public commenters and took one formal vote on the zoning matter. The meeting addressed land use planning concerns as the council considered whether to approve the rezoning request that would have changed the property designation from residential to manufacturing use.

Attendance

The meeting on November 12, 2024 had 11 members present and 4 members absent.

Present: • Vice Mayor Wu • Elliott Baxter • Fogle • LeGris • Lynch • Plomin • Reynolds • Sevigny • Sheehan • F. Brown • Ellinger

Absent: • Gray • Monarrez • Worley • J. Brown

No members arrived late to the meeting.

Votes and Decisions

The meeting included one recorded vote on a zoning ordinance.

Ordinance 0939-24 10:10 Ms. Lynch motioned to approve An Ordinance changing the zone from a Single Family Residential (R-1D) zone to a Mobile Home Park (M-1P) zone for property located at 421 Price Road. Ms. Elliott Baxter seconded the motion.

The ordinance failed by a roll call vote of 1-10-0 (1 aye, 10 nays, 0 abstentions).

Voting in favor: • F. Brown

Voting against: • Elliott Baxter • Fogle • LeGris • Lynch • Plomin • Reynolds • Sevigny • Sheehan • Wu • Ellinger

The overwhelming rejection of this zoning change request indicates strong opposition among council members to converting the single-family residential property to a mobile home park designation.

Public Comment

Three community members addressed the meeting regarding a proposed zone change affecting St. Martin's Village.

Artie Green 7:15 spoke in opposition to the zone change, emphasizing the need to preserve the unique character and nature of the St. Martin's Village community. Green highlighted concerns about maintaining the distinctive qualities that define the neighborhood.

Michelle Davis 7:18 focused her comments on the historical significance of St. Martin's Village. Davis stressed the importance of preserving the area's historical character and maintaining the community's heritage for future generations.

Reginald Thomas 7:45 addressed both the zone change proposal and affordable housing concerns. Thomas argued that the proposed zone change would fail to deliver genuine affordable housing options while simultaneously creating negative impacts for the existing community.

All three speakers expressed opposition to the zone change, with their comments centering on themes of community preservation, historical significance, and concerns about the effectiveness of proposed affordable housing solutions. The public comments reflected unified community concern about potential changes to St. Martin's Village and the need to protect the area's established character.

Contested Items

The November 12, 2024 meeting featured one significant contested item that drew community opposition.

Zone Change for 421 Price Road

The proposed zone change for the property at 421 Price Road encountered strong resistance from residents of the St. Martin's Village community. The opposition centered on two primary concerns: the historical significance of the area and potential negative impacts the zone change could have on their neighborhood.

Community members from St. Martin's Village attended the meeting to voice their objections to the proposed rezoning. Their opposition highlighted the importance they place on preserving the historical character of their community and their concerns about how the zone change might alter the neighborhood's existing character or quality of life.

The specific nature of the proposed zone change and the detailed arguments presented by both supporters and opponents were not captured in the available meeting data. Additionally, the final outcome of this contested item - whether the zone change was approved, denied, or deferred for further consideration - was not documented in the extracted information.

This item represents a common type of municipal government challenge where development or zoning proposals must balance community concerns with broader planning objectives, particularly when historical preservation and neighborhood character are at stake.

Zone Change from R-1D to M-1P for 421 Price Road

6:05

The council considered Ordinance 0939-24, which proposed rezoning property at 421 Price Road from R-1D (Single Family Residential) to M-1P (Mobile Home Park) to allow expansion of an existing mobile home park.

Key speakers during the discussion included Traci Wade, Nick Nicholson, and Bruce Simpson, who presented various perspectives on the proposed zoning change.

The proposal encountered substantial opposition from community members who raised concerns about the rezoning request. The discussion centered on the appropriateness of converting single-family residential zoned land to accommodate mobile home park expansion in this particular location.

The council ultimately denied the ordinance, rejecting the requested zone change from R-1D to M-1P for the Price Road property. The denial means the property will retain its current Single Family Residential zoning designation, preventing the proposed mobile home park expansion at this site.