[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6671314,"mediaKeyId","2170046-53c104d05dc54fde19cc964c865cacd5","parentId",2170046,"title","Planning commission approves rezoning for six townhouses at 940 Higbee Mill Road amid neighborhood opposition","audioSeconds",2653,"startMs",1058000,"endMs",3711000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170046-53c104d05dc54fde19cc964c865cacd5&start=1058&end=3711","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170046-53c104d05dc54fde19cc964c865cacd5/thumbnail_1058000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6671314/Lexington-City/Fayette-County/Kentucky/Planning-commission-approves-rezoning-for-six-townhouses-at-940-Higbee-Mill-Road-amid-neighborhood-opposition","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671314-904943c40834d8627f0acc8a82a4d412/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159077&Signature=VBNtT~Z81ajVy0XWMd0exGQXJ8EduFaZOby6XLPyXLmeUgHalm5Kvzwhpjzp~UbMYtXXwFDAGVV0UgaIXFSS32wYsFf4RFLs8zR35OuCkT20RT5Q9~5caeoVCF4Jewq6ib4mLsZZHwRrOfyIsr72kGnT50GlAUUjsVB443Ij7~JPWHUlVHsbUV8tO1uqTDYIZ6fdgNvgviDqr3YXu2R7ioMHEKguIn93SZQ39iXL8qQSoISyo2k2ytOQvAK~oMND9Aoa1-0fJV1B4FNJC8WjMmP~oPf6Dotg5rS3SZRxwEn9lrLBuqqKTh6~tKBntyC9-P3DFzGFhkWXgBThkvC4gA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lexington","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission on Jan. 30 approved a rezoning request to allow six townhouse units at 940 Higbee Mill Road, a previously vacant lot at the end of Higbee Mill Road, after staff recommended approval following revisions to the applicant's plan.

Planning staff said the request, filed by Realty Unlimited Bluegrass LLC, sought to change the property’s zoning from single-family residential (R-1C) to townhouse residential (R-1T) to permit construction of attached townhome units. Daniel Crum, planning staff, told the commission the applicant reduced the proposal from seven units to six and reconfigured the site to meet subdivision and cul-de-sac standards; staff’s recommendation changed from disapproval to approval after the revisions.

The revised plan, staff said, replaced seven individual curb cuts with three paired driveways, reduced pavement in front yards, and created a cul-de-sac that meets the land subdivision regulation radius. Tracy Wade, planning staff, said the six townhomes are about 1,300 square feet each and now have shared driveways that generally accommodate a single vehicle, a change that reduced the total on-site parking from 14 spaces in an earlier iteration to six under the current proposal. Wade told the commission that certain driveway dimensions must be pushed back slightly to meet a new Article 16 requirement that parking spaces be 18 feet deep and wholly outside the front yard.

The application drew sustained public comment from neighbors and the Higbee Mill Neighborhood Association, who said outreach was insufficient and raised concerns about parking, traffic and neighborhood fit. Lexi Holland, the attorney for neighbors Claire and Clovis Collins, said the property’s western abandoned right-of-way had already been deeded to another neighbor and stressed that adjacent property owners had a legal process to acquire remnant right-of-way. Holland said she and her clients found the applicant’s public engagement difficult and cited prior confrontations: \"This is right in my client's backyard. Very literally.\" Michelle Harr, president of the Higbee Mill Neighborhood Association, said she canvassed nearby residents and found broad opposition: \"They feel like they're they're being this townhomes are being crammed down their throats.\"

The applicant, owner-developer Matt Vineyard, defended the redesign and framed the project as resolving a long-standing safety and maintenance problem at the end of Higbee Mill Road. Vineyard said building a regulation-sized cul-de-sac will allow emergency vehicles and trash trucks to turn safely and will replace an overgrown, frequently dumped-on abandoned right-of-way with a cleaned, usable street end. He said the cul-de-sac construction would cost about $125,000 and argued the change addresses a neighborhood safety issue arising from an incomplete street built decades earlier.

Commission discussion focused on technical compliance with the comprehensive plan and subdivision regulations, driveway and parking dimensions, and the public-safety tradeoffs of on‑street parking on narrower portions of Higbee Mill Road. Staff emphasized that the rezoning is conditional on approval of a corresponding development plan and on the Urban County Council rezoning the property to R-1T; those conditions remain part of the approval.

Commissioner Wilson moved to approve PLN MAR22-16 Realty Unlimited Bluegrass LLC with the conditions provided by staff; Commissioner Jonathan Davis seconded. The motion passed and was recorded via Granicus; the transcript does not include a numerical roll-call tally in the meeting text.

Discussion vs. decision: the record shows extensive discussion and public comment, and a formal, documented approval of the rezoning subject to staff conditions (development-plan certification and Urban County Council rezoning). The commission’s vote completed the planning commission stage; final zoning change remains contingent on the Urban County Council action and on the certified development plan.

The approved plan reduces the project’s scope relative to earlier iterations, drops one townhouse unit (7 to 6), reduces on-site parking from 14 to 6, and adds a cul-de-sac and sidewalk improvements. Key technical issues flagged for follow-up include ensuring 18-foot-deep parking spaces are located outside the front yard line and confirming curbed cul-de-sac dimensions remain compliant with subdivision regulations.

The commission returned several times to procedural clarifications (where driveways are measured, whether on-street parking is currently restricted) but did not reverse staff’s finding that the revised plan is consistent with the 2018 and 2045 comprehensive-plan policies cited in staff reports.

The commission’s approval does not itself authorize construction; it clears the application to the development-plan certification stage and to the Urban County Council for final rezoning. Further review and technical sign-offs (engineering, traffic engineering, urban forestry, green-space planner, environmental quality) were listed among the conditions staff attached to the recommendation.

Neighbors and the applicant signaled continuing disagreement over outreach, property-rights history and parking impacts. The commission’s action moves the file forward; final outcomes on construction, curb-cut dimensions, and any waivers (for example, utility-strip or driveway-staggering waivers) will be resolved in subsequent staff sign-offs and during the Urban County Council review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lexington - Planning Commission Zoning Items - Jan 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission on Jan. 30 approved a rezoning request to allow six townhouse units at 940 Higbee Mill Road, a previously vacant lot at the end of Higbee Mill Road, after staff recommended approval following revisions to the applicant's plan.","taxTitle","Lexington City, Fayette County, Kentucky","taxId",5707,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6671308,"Votes at a glance: Jan. 30 Lexington planning commission",2847,873000,3720000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170046-53c104d05dc54fde19cc964c865cacd5&start=873&end=3720","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170046-53c104d05dc54fde19cc964c865cacd5/thumbnail_873000.jpg","/articles/6671308/Lexington-City/Fayette-County/Kentucky/Votes-at-a-glance-Jan-30-Lexington-planning-commission","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671308-69761f8c6e8f4ca7b1b7a863ab3996e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159077&Signature=Jt5EL5OohyJtfWAiZnpYNMVIWqU5iIehCk1w8~lvL24hWEw38DBf99opI7gxJ9Oq8KBMhRKEgyPCibftxD0fNYbNK5pnjpHjDAHpab9oWotgDSkfx64iN71kN63KcdzXafIo8GhAxvdrC0L8hGlU4TJb1b~PnRO0lffAX4IqAYE4iGtPmdShGkmVA9EhL~OAWwygCoWr45FzUOUgN251hYFPEOEiycozNBtXp7F~U~ejiiBRBtwQZmaCtV95RimA-npAzBfaVpTPNY-tgQeYFJTFF2nQ9DsCft52c5dw0U5cBQz-UhTHoBYC5ZgfB2v1FQkg~UkfvOqBGHAgEDZRdQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission took several procedural votes and approvals on Jan. 30. Key outcomes recorded in the meeting transcript include:

- Postponements: The commission granted postponements for multiple agenda items at the request of applicants. Examples recorded in the meeting transcript include PLN MJDP 2495 Newtown Springs (postponed to March 13), ZOTA 24 (economic-development ZOTA) postponed to Feb. 27, and PLN MAR2417 (Rose Holdings, 1899 Parkers Mill Road) postponed to Feb. 27. Motions to postpone were moved and seconded and each passed via Granicus.

- Approvals: The commission approved PLN MAR22-16 (Realty Unlimited Bluegrass LLC, rezoning for 940 Higbee Mill Road) with staff conditions (see separate article). The commission also approved PLN MJDP 22-59 Higbeeville Court, Lot 11 (motion moved by Commissioner Wilson, seconded by Commissioner Jonathan Davis; passed via Granicus). The transcript does not provide numerical vote tallies for these items.

- Initiations: The commission initiated a comprehensive zoning text amendment to implement House Bill 443 and a separate initiation to study removing the minimum lot-coverage requirement in the corridor business (B3) zone.

Where the meeting record listed no numerical roll-call or tally, the transcript indicates votes were recorded via Granicus and motions passed. Details not provided in the transcript (exact vote counts or further docket identifiers) are marked \"not specified.\"","Summary of procedural votes and brief approvals taken during the Jan. 30 Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission meeting, including postponements and two approvals.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6671310,"Planning commission initiates zoning text amendment to comply with House Bill 443; separate investigation of corridor business lot-coverage requested",1098,3798000,4896000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170046-53c104d05dc54fde19cc964c865cacd5&start=3798&end=4896","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170046-53c104d05dc54fde19cc964c865cacd5/thumbnail_3798000.jpg","/articles/6671310/Lexington-City/Fayette-County/Kentucky/Planning-commission-initiates-zoning-text-amendment-to-comply-with-House-Bill-443-separate-investigation-of-corridor-business-lot-coverage-requested","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671310-c3ee8c3997091a15218b2c1132f0b2a4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771159077&Signature=IsuLl7naLHq57V53rrdUqv6V12i0iLGWW5f0OVIOl8HY0-VomX2laDGTYZOMduFpxiA0I0UpKvce3AP6vOLwIEG~fw5KU526Eiod4DKE9rstSfYSaaNbV-buNNScsChG0e0CxCjrTCb~YsvU6ecnAyHfPHVo0g2Av5d1uJQhjfchrgdSWqO~NuvYdHH7sWt3tWF9ZyZVW9oOXVXHUTa203g63G4jH~m5Ei8hLXf-dA~-aRXvbBCIHpQvkUmvp4jtSsVPHIA6BcCKxbZJWJpPvVUytnEpy0cvAOf9g50PBNuRK8Rj6KhKDH0nPo3IY9jDxzBDvxVzXiTJQj9B0z5RiA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission on Jan. 30 initiated a substantial zoning text amendment intended to bring the local zoning ordinance into compliance with Kentucky House Bill 443 and to update references to KRS 100. Staff described the draft text as changes across multiple articles of the zoning code, with substantive edits proposed for definitions, development-plan procedures, vehicular use areas, and several commercial and mixed-use zone provisions.

Tracy Wade and other planning staff briefed the commission on the scope: changes to Article 1 (definitions), Article 6 (zone-change and amendment procedures), Article 16 (vehicular use areas, including drive-through and pick-up window clarifications), Article 21 (development-plan procedures), Article 23 (expansion areas), Article 28 (mixed-use zones), and several commercial-zone sections. Staff said the edits aim to standardize procedures across zones and make the code consistent with HB 443’s requirements; staff said mailed notice to neighborhood associations would go out in February and the item is expected to go to public hearings in March.

Commissioners discussed the timeline and next steps. Staff told the commission they plan to post the draft text to the planning commission website, assign a case number in Accela, and run the review through the zoning committee and then the full commission in March; staff said the usual schedule would allow the Planning Commission to forward a recommendation to the Urban County Council in time for adoption before the July 1 implementation deadline. Commissioners requested additional work sessions to review implementation details and potential unintended consequences.

Separately, Commissioner Nickel asked the commission to initiate a second, targeted text amendment to investigate removing the corridor business (B3) zone’s minimum lot-coverage requirement (Section 820.I). Nickel said the 30% minimum lot coverage can make redevelopment of small commercial parcels economically unviable and suggested a study of whether removing that specific requirement would better support reuse of vacant and underutilized sites. Staff and several commissioners agreed that large, HB 443-driven changes should remain on the fastest track but that Nickel’s proposal could be initiated as a separate ZOTA so staff can study it without jeopardizing the HB 443 timeline.

Motions: Commissioner Penn moved to initiate the HB 443 compliance text amendment; Commissioner Wirth seconded and the motion passed. Commissioner Nickel’s initiation to study corridor-business lot coverage was seconded by Commissioner Barksdale and also passed. Staff said their expected March schedule for commission hearings supports meeting the council review window prior to the July 1 statutory implementation date.

The initiation does not change code text by itself; it opens the formal review process (public notice, committee review, hearings) and authorizes staff to prepare the draft and outreach materials. Commissioners emphasized they will return for further work sessions and community engagement before recommending final language to the Urban County Council.","The Planning Commission voted to initiate a comprehensive text amendment to the zoning ordinance to implement required changes from Kentucky House Bill 443 and to update KRS 100-related references. Commissioners also approved a separate initiation to investigate removing a minimum lot-coverage requirement in the corridor business (B3) zone.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning commission approves rezoning for six townhouses at 940 Higbee Mill Road amid neighborhood opposition

Votes at a glance: Jan. 30 Lexington planning commission

Planning commission initiates zoning text amendment to comply with House Bill 443; separate investigation of corridor business lot-coverage requested