Urban County Planning Commission - Zoning Public Hearing

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Planning Commission met on October 23, 2008, at 1:35 PM in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the LFUCG Government Center, located at 200 East Main Street in Lexington, Kentucky. Randall Vaughn presided over the meeting. The Commission addressed four agenda items, taking eight votes during the session and hearing one public comment. All items brought before the Commission were approved, including the approval of minutes from a previous meeting, postponements and withdrawals, a zoning map amendment for Lexington Lofts, LLC, and a zone change request for Southern Industrial LLC.

Attendance

Present: Mike Cravens, Marie Copeland, Ed Holmes, Mike Owens, Frank Penn, Carolyn Richardson, Lynn Roche-Phillips, Randall Vaughn, and Joan Whitman

Absent: Patrick Brewer and Neill Day

Votes and Decisions

Approval of Minutes 6:14 The Commission approved minutes from August 14, August 28, September 11, and September 25, 2008. The motion was made by Frank Penn and seconded by Joan Whitman. The vote passed unanimously 9-0 by voice vote.

MAR2008-23: Thomas & Corbett, LLC Zone Map Amendment and Reserve at Tates Creek Development Plan 8:00 The Commission postponed this item until January 29, 2009. The motion was made by Mike Owens and seconded by Mike Cravens. The vote passed unanimously 9-0 by voice vote.

MARV2008-25: Multicon Development Company Zoning Map Amendment & Angliana Subdivision Zoning Development Plan 10:15 The Commission postponed this item until November 20, 2008. The motion was made by Ed Holmes and seconded by Joan Whitman. The vote passed unanimously 9-0 by voice vote.

MARV2008-26: Multicon Development Company Zoning Map Amendment & Scott Street Multi-Use Project Zoning Development Plan 11:27 The Commission postponed this item until November 20, 2008. The motion was made by Frank Penn and seconded by Joan Whitman. The vote passed unanimously 9-0 by voice vote.

MAR2008-30: Lexington Lofts, LLC Zoning Map Amendment 33:04 The Commission approved the zoning map amendment with a conditional zoning restriction prohibiting storage of hazardous materials. The motion was made by Frank Penn and seconded by Joan Whitman. The vote passed unanimously 9-0 by voice vote.

ZDP2008-132: Lexington Lofts, LLC Property Zoning Development Plan 34:12 The Commission approved the zoning development plan with 17 conditions, including prohibition on storage of hazardous materials. The motion was made by Frank Penn and seconded by Joan Whitman. The vote passed unanimously 9-0 by voice vote.

MAR2008-24: Southern Industrial LLC Zone Change Request 1:58:14 The Commission approved the zone change request with revised conditional zoning restrictions including prohibited uses and buffering requirements. The motion was made by Joan Whitman and seconded by Frank Penn. The vote passed unanimously 9-0 by voice vote.

ZDP2008-108: Meadowthorpe Community Business Center, Unit 1 Zoning Development Plan 2:01:30 The Commission approved the zoning development plan with 17 conditions, including resolution of a drainage feature. The motion was made by Joan Whitman and seconded by Frank Penn. The vote passed unanimously 9-0 by voice vote.

Public Comment

Bob Layton addressed the Commission at 1:29:28 to express opposition to the Southern Industrial LLC Zone Change. Mr. Layton raised concerns about the potential impacts of the proposed development on adjacent residential properties, specifically citing:

• Noise issues
• Stormwater management concerns

Contested Items

Southern Industrial LLC Zone Change

A proposal to rezone property for Southern Industrial LLC generated significant community opposition during the meeting. Residents from adjacent areas raised concerns about the potential impacts of the industrial use on their neighborhoods.

The primary issues of contention centered on:

• Noise concerns — Residents expressed worry about noise generated by industrial operations affecting the quality of life in adjacent residential properties
• Stormwater management — Community members raised questions about stormwater handling and drainage issues that could affect neighboring residential areas

The discussion became heated as residents voiced their objections to the zone change. The nature and intensity of the community opposition indicated substantial disagreement between the applicant's interests and the concerns of nearby property owners who would be directly affected by the proposed industrial use.

Approval of Minutes

The Commission approved the minutes from four previous meetings held on August 14, August 28, September 11, and September 25, 2008. 6:14

Key speakers in this discussion included Randall Vaughn, Frank Penn, and Joan Whitman. The minutes were reviewed and approved without noted objections or concerns raised during the discussion.

Postponements and Withdrawals

8:00

The Commission considered requests for postponements for several zoning map amendments and development plans during this agenda item.

Key Speakers

The discussion was led by Randall Vaughn, Rory Kaley, and Ryan Dougherty.

Outcome

The postponement requests were approved by the Commission.

Lexington Lofts, LLC Zoning Map Amendment

The Commission considered a zoning map amendment for Lexington Lofts, LLC during the October 23, 2008 meeting. 33:04

Proposal

The amendment proposed changing the zoning designation for the Lexington Lofts property from R-4 (residential) to B-4 (business) zoning.

Key Speakers

The discussion involved Traci Wade and Rena Wiseman.

Outcome

The Commission approved the zoning map amendment.

Southern Industrial LLC Zone Change Request

1:58:14

The Commission considered a zone change request from Southern Industrial LLC to reclassify property from B-1 to B-4 zoning. The discussion involved Bill Sallee, Dick Murphy, and Bob Layton.

The Commission approved the zone change request with conditional zoning restrictions in place. The conditional zoning approach allowed the Commission to grant the requested B-4 designation while maintaining specific limitations and requirements tailored to the property and surrounding area.