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Commission continues land-use chapter review; flags wayfinding, sidewalks, Spotswood Drive opportunity for tax-generating redevelopment
Summary
The commission reviewed the land‑use chapter, marked several LU strategies as ongoing, discussed VDOT and Spotswood Drive opportunity areas, sidewalks at Maury River Middle School and coordination with Washington and Lee and VMI.
The Lexington Planning Commission continued its comprehensive-plan review on April 10 with the land-use chapter, marking multiple strategies as ongoing and discussing priority opportunity areas, grants and regional coordination.
Staff noted ongoing projects that support LU objectives, including a Transportation Alternatives Program grant administered by VDOT that funds a five-foot sidewalk project that will run from South Main to Wallace Street near Maury River Middle School. Commissioners agreed that sidewalk, shared-path and trail connection strategies (LU 1.3) should remain marked as ongoing.
The commission discussed opportunity-area strategies for city-owned parcels, including Spotswood Drive and a former VDOT parcel. Staff said the city’s stated objective for those parcels is to solicit proposals that increase the tax base and generate revenue, and commissioners reaffirmed that mixed‑use or revenue‑producing proposals are the intended outcome rather than park use.
Commissioners also considered streetscaping, wayfinding and burying utilities (LU 3.2). Staff reported prior work on underground utilities along Randolph Street and said further streetscape projects have stalled primarily for funding reasons. The commission agreed to keep the related items as ongoing while noting the cost and complexity of the work.
Other items discussed included development of small-area plans for opportunity areas, collaboration with the county and regional partners on shared projects, and ongoing coordination with Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute on campus planning and physical improvements.
A public commenter, Natalie Eger, asked whether historically significant properties such as the Blandon building would be covered by rehabilitation resources; staff responded that historic‑preservation tax credits and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards may apply, though not all housing‑rehab items in LU 3.1 would be an exact fit.
The commission concluded the land-use discussion and moved to the zoning and planning report.
