Planning Commission Zoning Public Hearing

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Urban County Planning Commission convened on June 25, 2009, at 1:30 PM in the Council Chamber on the 2nd Floor of the LFUCG Government Center, located at 200 East Main Street, Lexington, Kentucky. The meeting addressed 9 agenda items spanning subdivision plans, development plans, zone change requests, and text amendments. Over the course of the session, the Commission took 9 votes and heard 1 public comment.

Of the 9 agenda items considered, 8 were approved and 1 was tabled. Approved items included the Taylor Place Subdivision Plan, the Richardson Properties Development Plan, a zone change request from KYRob2 LLC, the Hamburg Place Farm Development Plan, a text amendment to Article 27, a measure regarding the suspension of ash trees, and a motion to initiate a text amendment for the PUD2 Zone. The postponement of ZOTA 2009-1 was tabled rather than acted upon. No presiding officer is identified in the available meeting record, and no formal presentations are noted in the provided data.

Attendance

The following members were present at the June 25, 2009 Commission meeting:

• Neill Day
• Mike Cravens
• Mike Owens
• Marie Copeland
• Carolyn Richardson
• Patrick Brewer
• Frank Penn
• Randall Vaughn
• Joan Whitman

No members were recorded as absent or late. All nine listed commissioners were in attendance for the meeting.

Votes and Decisions

All votes at the June 25, 2009 Commission meeting were taken by voice vote. The following actions were taken:

• Minutes 0:06: The minutes from the May 28, 2009 meeting were approved on a motion by Mr. Chairman.

• ZOTA 2009-1 0:08: A motion by Mr. Chairman to postpone ZOTA 2009-1 to the July 23rd meeting passed by voice vote.

• Plan 2009-54F – Taylor Place 12:29: Mr. Chairman moved approval of Plan 2009-54F for Taylor Place, subject to 11 conditions. The motion passed by voice vote.

• DP2009-30 – Richardson Properties Amended 16:53: Mr. Chairman moved approval of DP2009-30, Richardson Properties Amended. The motion passed by voice vote.

• MARV2009-7 – KYRob2 LLC Zone Change 38:01: Mr. Chairman moved approval of MARV2009-7, a zone change request by KYRob2 LLC. The motion passed by voice vote.

• ZDP2009-39 39:07: Mr. Chairman moved approval of ZDP2009-39 with conditions as specified on the pink and blue sheets. The motion passed by voice vote.

• ZOTA2009-5 – Text Amendment to Article 27 1:16:23: Ms. Phillips moved approval of ZOTA2009-5, a text amendment to Article 27. The motion passed by voice vote.

• Suspension of Ash Trees from Planting Manual 1:28:12: Mr. Chairman moved to suspend ash trees from the planting manual. The motion passed by voice vote.

• Initiation of Text Amendment for PUD2 Zone 1:30:55: Mr. Chairman moved to initiate a text amendment for the PUD2 zone. The motion passed by voice vote.

All nine actions passed. No roll call votes were recorded, and no nays or abstentions were noted for any item.

Public Comment

One member of the public addressed the Commission during the public comment period. 59:47

• Jessica Case, representing the Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation, spoke in support of the text amendment under consideration. In addition to voicing her organization's support, Case suggested that the Commission consider expanding the courthouse area design overlay.

No other public comments were recorded during this portion of the meeting.

Appointments

At the June 25, 2009 Commission meeting, three members were appointed to the Nominating Committee. The following appointments were made:

• Ed was appointed to the Nominating Committee.
• Carolyn was appointed to the Nominating Committee.
• Mike was appointed to the Nominating Committee.

Together, Ed, Carolyn, and Mike will serve on the Nominating Committee as a result of the actions taken at this meeting.

Contested Items

• Text Amendment to Article 27: The Commission engaged in heated discussion regarding a proposed text amendment to Article 27. The debate centered on the implications of the amendment, with concerns raised about demolition permits and the appeal process. The structured data available does not specify which individual commissioners or parties were on opposing sides of the discussion, nor does it record a definitive outcome from the meeting record provided.

*Note: Detailed participant positions and the final resolution of this item are not available in the source data for this meeting.*

Approval of Minutes

6:48

The Commission took up the approval of minutes from its previous meeting, held on May 28, 2009. Mr. Chairman led the discussion on this item. No significant debate or concerns were noted regarding the content of the minutes. The Commission approved the minutes from the May 28, 2009 meeting.

Postponement of ZOTA 2009-1

8:01

The Commission took up the matter of ZOTA 2009-1, a proposed ordinance that was brought before the body at this meeting. Rather than proceeding with a full hearing on the item, staff requested that the Commission table it for approximately one month, pushing consideration to the July 23rd meeting.

The request was presented by Bill, who indicated that the postponement was necessary to allow additional time for communication with local professionals. No further details were provided in the discussion regarding the specific nature of those consultations or which professionals staff intended to engage.

The Commission agreed to the request, and ZOTA 2009-1 was tabled pending its rescheduled hearing at the July 23rd meeting.

Taylor Place Subdivision Plan

12:29

The Commission took up Plan 2009-54F, the final subdivision plan for Taylor Place (also known as the Stinnett property). Rick Moore was the key speaker presenting and discussing this agenda item.

The Commission reviewed the final subdivision plan for the Taylor Place development. The plan was considered with 11 conditions attached to the approval, which were discussed as part of the review process.

Following the discussion, the Commission approved the final subdivision plan for Taylor Place, subject to the 11 conditions outlined during the meeting.

Richardson Properties Development Plan

16:53

The Commission took up agenda item DP2009-30, the Richardson Properties Development Plan, an ordinance concerning an amended development plan for the Richardson Properties project.

John Barlow was the key speaker on this item, presenting the proposal to the Commission. The amended development plan included revisions to the townhouse layouts within the project.

The Commission reviewed and discussed the submitted amendments, which centered on the updated townhouse configurations. Following that discussion, the Commission voted to approve the amended development plan.

KYRob2 LLC Zone Change Request

Agenda Item: MARV2009-7 38:01

The Commission took up agenda item MARV2009-7, a zone change request submitted by KYRob2 LLC for property located at Plaudit Place. Dick Murphy was the key speaker during the discussion of this item.

The Commission considered the request, which sought approval of a zone change for the identified property. Following discussion, the Commission approved the zone change request, subject to conditions.

*Note: Additional details regarding the specific zoning classifications involved, the nature of any conditions attached to the approval, and the substance of any debate or concerns raised during discussion are not available in the provided record.*

Hamburg Place Farm Development Plan

39:07

The Commission took up agenda item ZDP2009-39, the Hamburg Place Farm Development Plan, presented as an ordinance for consideration and approval.

Tom Martin was the key speaker on this item. The Commission discussed the development plan, with conditions for approval outlined across two sets of documents referred to as the pink and blue sheets. These condition sheets formed the basis of the terms under which the plan would move forward.

The record does not detail specific concerns or extended debate on this item beyond the review of the outlined conditions. The Commission moved to approve the Hamburg Place Farm Development Plan with the conditions as specified in the pink and blue sheets.

Outcome: Approved, with conditions as outlined in the pink and blue sheets.

Text Amendment to Article 27

Agenda Item: ZOTA2009-5 1:16:23

The Commission took up agenda item ZOTA2009-5, a proposed text amendment to Article 27 of the zoning ordinance. Tracy presented the item to the Commission.

The amendment was designed to prohibit the issuance of permits prior to the Commission's review of an appeal before the Courthouse Area Design Review Board. The intent of the change was to ensure that permit activity does not proceed and potentially complicate or render moot any pending appeal before that body, preserving the Commission's ability to conduct a meaningful review.

The Commission approved the text amendment.

Suspension of Ash Trees

1:28:12

The Commission took up the matter of suspending ash trees from the planting manual, with Tim Query serving as the key speaker on the item.

The discussion centered on the threat posed by the emerald ash borer, an invasive pest that has caused widespread destruction of ash tree populations. In response to this threat, the proposal called for suspending ash trees from the approved planting manual, effectively removing them from the list of trees eligible for planting under the Commission's guidelines.

The Commission approved the suspension of ash trees from the planting manual.

Initiate Text Amendment for PUD2 Zone

1:30:55

The Commission took up the matter of initiating a text amendment to create a new Urban Design Planned Unit Development zone, designated as PUD-2. Jimmy was the key speaker on this item, presenting the proposal to the Commission.

The discussion centered on the initiation of the text amendment process, which would establish the PUD-2 zone as a distinct zoning classification. The structured data does not detail the specific arguments made or concerns raised during the deliberation beyond the general framing of the proposal.

Following the discussion, the Commission voted to approve the initiation of the text amendment for the PUD-2 zone. This approval authorized the formal process of drafting and advancing the amendment that would create the Urban Design Planned Unit Development classification within the applicable zoning code.