Urban County Council - Zone Change Public Hearing

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government held a meeting on February 25, 2025, at 5:30 PM at 200 E. Main St, Lexington, KY 40507, with Vice Mayor Wu presiding. The meeting's primary business centered on a single agenda item: a Zone Change Public Hearing, which was approved by the end of the session. Over the course of the meeting, 1 vote was taken, and 4 public comments were heard. No presentations were recorded in the meeting data.

Attendance

The following members were recorded for the meeting held on 2025-02-25.

Present (12): Vice Mayor Wu, Gray, Hale, LeGris, Morton, Sheehan, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Curtis, Ellinger, and Elliott Baxter.

Absent (3): Lynch, Reynolds, and Sevigny.

Late: None.

Votes and Decisions

The meeting produced one recorded vote on February 25, 2025.

• Ordinance 0031-25 — A rezoning ordinance for properties located at 475 and 495 Haggard Lane and 450 Radcliffe Rd. The motion was made by Ms. Elliott Baxter and seconded by Ms. Curtis. The ordinance passed on a roll call vote of 11 ayes to 1 nay. 5:29:30

Voting in favor (11): Gray, Hale, LeGris, Sheehan, Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown, Curtis, Ellinger, and Elliott Baxter.

Voting against (1): Morton.

The ordinance passed with the following conditions: the development is limited to 29 units in the R-2 zone, 26 units in the R-3 zone, and 179 units in the R-4 zone, with a cap of 234 total units for the entire development.

Public Comment

Four members of the public addressed the meeting on February 25, 2025, offering a range of perspectives on what appeared to be a housing development proposal.

• Raquel Carter 1:35:16 spoke in support of the housing project, emphasizing the need for affordable housing and describing the proposal as an opportunity to address community issues.

• Greg Widener 1:40:41 raised concerns about insufficient parking and the use of alleyways for access, arguing that these factors compromise the livability of the area.

• Scott Sloan 1:57:38 focused on traffic and safety issues, sharing a personal account of a car crashing into his parents' house as an illustration of existing hazards in the area. He also criticized the public process, contending that it limited meaningful input from neighborhood residents.

• Michelle Hutchison 2:24:10 expressed disappointment with how the proposal process had been handled, citing flooding concerns and characterizing the treatment of the community as viewing the area as "cheap land."

Overall, public comment was largely critical of the project, with recurring themes of infrastructure concerns — including parking, alleyway access, traffic safety, and flooding — as well as frustration with the perceived lack of adequate community engagement in the process. Raquel Carter was the sole speaker to express explicit support for the housing proposal.

Contested Items

• Zone Change for Haggard Lane and Radcliffe Road [timestamp: unavailable]

A proposed zone change affecting Haggard Lane and Radcliffe Road drew significant opposition from community members during the meeting. Residents raised concerns across several areas, including increased traffic, flooding risks, and the potential impact on the character of the surrounding neighborhood. The nature of the opposition reflected broader community anxiety about how the rezoning might alter the area's existing conditions and quality of life. Specific details regarding the outcome of the vote or decision on this item, as well as the names of the parties formally presenting or opposing the proposal, were not available in the provided record.

Zone Change Public Hearing

Ordinance 0031-25 | 3:05

The council held a public hearing on an ordinance to rezone properties at 475 and 495 Haggard Lane and 450 Radcliffe Road. The proposal would change the current zoning designations — which include a mix of business and residential zones — to different residential zones in order to accommodate a new housing development.

Key speakers in the discussion included Vice Mayor Wu, Traci Wade, Daniel Crum, Jessica Winters, and Jon A. Woodall.

The ordinance was ultimately approved by the council.