At a meeting of the Lexington City infrastructure grant review panel (date not specified in the record), members approved awards or partial awards for several FY2026 Class B infrastructure grant applications and denied at least one application after questions about eligibility and application detail.

Panel members approved funding for the DBPH Properties LLC project and the 1000 Delaware LLC redevelopment request, voted to approve a partial award for Sanctuary Lexington LLC, supported staff recommendations on the LFUCG Airport project (which staff had flagged for limited or unclear information), and denied the Griffin Gang Community Association application.

Panel staff described the DBPH Properties LLC request as tied to a feasibility study that includes water-quality elements and multiple “green” features such as permeable pavers, a pedestrian plaza, a rainwater-harvesting system, tree wells and canopy work, and stormwater education. Staff recommended full funding with standard stipulations and noted the applicant proposed a cost share of 21.5 percent. Russ Kirkman, representing Eagle Grove, offered to answer questions about the project and noted planting approaches for wetland conditions, including willow cuttings that do not earn canopy-credit under the current planting manual. “I’m here available to answer if there’s any questions or concerns about the BPP,” Kirkman said.

On the 1000 Delaware LLC redevelopment, designer Scott Talbot and developer Will Heron described the site as nearly 100 percent impervious pre-redevelopment; removing pavement and installing plaza-area green infrastructure will reduce impervious area and meet program thresholds, Talbot said. Talbot explained the project is also using separate infrastructure grant funding from Lexington for parking-lot pavers, which is why those elements were not part of the Class B request. A panel member moved to approve the application as recommended by staff with two conditions; the motion was seconded and carried.

Sanctuary Lexington LLC received a partial award. Staff noted some requested items (privacy fencing and certain parking repairs) were ineligible for the program; the panel moved to approve a partial grant consistent with staff recommendations and to require removal of ineligible items from the grant scope. The motion passed.

Staff advised the panel that one airport project application did not meet the program’s informational standards and therefore was not recommended for funding; the panel moved to adopt staff’s status recommendations for the LFUCG Airport project. The Griffin Gang Community Association application drew concern from at least one member who moved to deny that request; the motion to deny carried.

Panel members also approved the minutes from July 24, 2025, with requested corrections noted for Table 1 on page 3. During general discussion, staff reported a smaller number of incentive applications this year (17) compared with prior years and walked the panel through program status, including projects that are closing out and a projection that roughly 270 awards would be the annual scale once FY2026 numbers are finalized.

Votes at a glance

- DBPH Properties LLC — motion to approve staff recommendation; outcome: approved (motion carried). Vote counts not recorded in transcript.
- 1000 Delaware LLC — motion to approve staff recommendation with two conditions; outcome: approved (motion carried). Vote counts not recorded in transcript.
- Sanctuary Lexington LLC — motion to approve a partial grant consistent with staff recommendations (removal of ineligible privacy fence and related items); outcome: approved (motion carried). Vote counts not recorded in transcript.
- LFUCG Airport project — panel moved to support staff status recommendations after staff identified limited/unclear information; outcome: action taken consistent with staff recommendation (motion carried). Staff had said the application was not recommended for funding due to limited information.
- Griffin Gang Community Association — motion to deny per staff recommendation; outcome: denied (motion carried).

The panel discussed program trends and outreach: staff said the number of incentive applications had declined from earlier years and that some common, “easy” projects may already be implemented, leaving more challenging proposals. Staff also reminded the panel of an upcoming district-level recommendation on incentive programs to be presented to council in November and offered to provide a detailed status list on request.

The meeting closed with routine business: approval of a 2026 meeting schedule, a thank-you to the outgoing chair, and a staff announcement that the Unitarian Universalist Church project closeout will include a ribbon cutting on October 19 from 1 to 2 p.m.

Ending — The infrastructure grant panel will carry follow-up items for staff to complete application clarifications and to document final award amounts; specific award dollars beyond a $270,000 airport-request figure noted in the record were not stated for each project in the transcript.