Planning Commission Zoning Public Hearing

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Planning Commission convened on April 23, 2009, at 1:35 PM in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the LFUCG Government Center, located at 200 East Main Street, Lexington, Kentucky. The meeting was presided over by Randall Vaughn and covered 6 agenda items spanning procedural matters, land use decisions, and informational updates. Over the course of the meeting, the Commission took 6 votes and heard 2 public comments.

The substantive agenda included Land Subdivision Items, Zoning Items, and Commission Items, all of which were approved. The remaining agenda items — Call to Order, Postponements and Withdrawals, and Staff Items — were informational in nature and did not result in formal votes.

Attendance

The following members were recorded for the Commission meeting on April 23, 2009:

Present: Marie Copeland, Mike Cravens, Neill Day, Ed Holmes, Mike Owens, Frank Penn, Randall Vaughn, and Joan Whitman.

Absent: Patrick Brewer, Carolyn Richardson, and Lynn Roche-Phillips.

Late arrivals: Neill Day and Joan Whitman were both present at the meeting but arrived late.

Votes and Decisions

The Commission took six votes during the April 23, 2009 meeting, all of which passed unanimously by voice vote.

• MAR 2008-23 0:01: On a motion by Mike Cravens, seconded by Mike Owens, the Commission voted 6–0 to indefinitely postpone the Thomas & Corbett LLC zoning map amendment and development plan. Voting in favor: Marie Copeland, Mike Cravens, Ed Holmes, Mike Owens, Frank Penn, and Randall Vaughn.

• MAR 2009-5 0:03: On a motion by Frank Penn, seconded by Mike Owens, the Commission voted 6–0 to indefinitely postpone the Joe Moore zoning map amendment and development plan. Voting in favor: Marie Copeland, Mike Cravens, Ed Holmes, Mike Owens, Frank Penn, and Randall Vaughn.

• ZOTA 2009-1 0:05: On a motion by Mike Owens, seconded by Frank Penn, the Commission voted 6–0 to postpone for one month the proposed amendment to Article 9 relating to group residential projects. Voting in favor: Marie Copeland, Mike Cravens, Ed Holmes, Mike Owens, Frank Penn, and Randall Vaughn.

• DP 2009-13 0:25: On a motion by Frank Penn, seconded by Mike Cravens, the Commission voted 8–0 to approve the Brookhaven Plaza development plan amendment, with the condition that the proposed parallel parking space on lot 2 be relocated to the proposed landscape island area. Voting in favor: Marie Copeland, Mike Cravens, Neill Day, Ed Holmes, Mike Owens, Frank Penn, Randall Vaughn, and Joan Whitman.

• ZOTA 2009-4 0:38: On a motion by Marie Copeland, seconded by Mike Cravens, the Commission voted 8–0 to approve a zoning ordinance text amendment to Article 6. Voting in favor: Marie Copeland, Mike Cravens, Neill Day, Ed Holmes, Mike Owens, Frank Penn, Randall Vaughn, and Joan Whitman.

• Public Facility Reviews 0:56: On a motion by Frank Penn, seconded by Mike Owens, the Commission voted 8–0 to approve public facility reviews for renovations at Russell Cave Elementary, Bryan Station Middle, and Leestown Middle School. Voting in favor: Marie Copeland, Mike Cravens, Neill Day, Ed Holmes, Mike Owens, Frank Penn, Randall Vaughn, and Joan Whitman.

Public Comment

Two members of the public addressed the Commission during the public comment period, both speaking to the Brookhaven Plaza development plan.

• Sam Carneal 19:46 raised concerns about a 30-year-old easement that was not reflected on the development plans for Lot 4. Carneal's comments highlighted a potential discrepancy between the existing easement and what had been submitted as part of the Brookhaven Plaza plans.

• Steve Wilson 23:02 followed with remarks on the same topic, offering an explanation for why the easement had been overlooked in previous plans. Wilson noted that the easement was not properly indexed, which accounted for its absence from earlier documentation related to the development.

Together, the comments drew the Commission's attention to a longstanding easement that may have implications for the Brookhaven Plaza development plan, particularly with respect to Lot 4.

Call to Order

0:01

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Randall Vaughn.

Postponements and Withdrawals

0:37

The Commission took up Agenda Item II, addressing requests for postponements and withdrawals. Key speakers during this portion of the meeting included Randall Vaughn, Rory Kaley, and Ms. Wade.

The discussion covered requests for indefinite postponements on two matters:

• Thomas & Corbett LLC – A zoning map amendment for which an indefinite postponement was requested.
• Joe Moore – A zoning map amendment similarly subject to a request for indefinite postponement.

The outcome of this agenda item was informational in nature, with the Commission considering the postponement requests as presented. No additional details regarding specific concerns raised or debate among commissioners are reflected in the available record.

Land Subdivision Items

7:02

The Commission took up Agenda Item III, Land Subdivision Items, which centered on a proposed amendment to the Brookhaven Plaza development plan, with discussion focusing on parking and access issues related to the project.

Key speakers during this portion of the meeting were Tom Martin and Jason Banks, who addressed the Commission on the details of the amendment. The discussion examined the specifics of the Brookhaven Plaza plan as it related to parking configuration and site access, though the precise points of contention and the full scope of each speaker's remarks are reflected in the meeting record.

The Commission ultimately approved the Brookhaven Plaza development plan amendment following the discussion.

Zoning Items

27:19

The Commission took up Agenda Item IV, a discussion and consideration of proposed zoning ordinance text amendments. The central focus of the item was a proposal to expand the Planning Commission's authority under the zoning ordinance.

Bill Sallee was the key speaker presenting on this item. The discussion centered on the text amendments being considered and their implications for the Commission's role and jurisdiction.

The item was approved by the Commission.

Commission Items

39:10

The Commission took up Agenda Item V, Commission Items, which focused on public facility reviews for proposed renovations at three Lexington-area schools.

Barbara Rackers presented the item, which covered renovation projects at the following facilities:

• Russell Cave Elementary School
• Bryan Station Middle School
• Leestown Middle School

The reviews were conducted as part of the standard public facility review process, which requires the Commission to evaluate proposed changes to public facilities for consistency with applicable plans and regulations.

The Commission approved the public facility reviews for all three school renovation projects.

Staff Items

56:46

Under Agenda Item VI, staff provided the Commission with updates on planning services and upcoming public hearings. Chris King was the primary speaker during this portion of the meeting.

King presented informational updates to the Commission regarding current planning activities. This agenda item was discussion-based and intended to keep Commissioners informed of ongoing and forthcoming matters within the planning department's purview.

No formal action was taken on this item, as it was informational in nature.