Planning commission approves 8‑story mixed‑use student housing project on East Maxwell after hours of testimony

The Lexington Urban County Government Planning Commission voted to approve a zone change and a development plan Sept. 25 for a large mixed‑use residential project proposed along East Maxwell between Rose and Stone streets.

Planning staff introduced the application as submitted by CS Acquisition Vehicle LLC/Core Spaces, asking to rezone roughly a two‑acre block from R‑4 (medium‑density residential) to B‑2A (downtown frame business) and to allow construction of a high‑density residential building with internal parking. Jeremy Young, senior planner, told commissioners the applicant proposes roughly 322 units, 436 parking spaces and about 200 bicycle parking spaces in a structure that would step between about 63 feet and 85 feet in height. Young said staff believes the proposal meets the comprehensive plan’s downtown place‑type guidance and recommends approval with conditions, including a minimum density of 100 dwelling units per acre and several conditional‑use restrictions to bar automobile sales, drive‑throughs and similar uses inappropriate for the Maxwell corridor.

Why it matters: The site sits directly between the University of Kentucky campus and downtown, and commissioners and the public debated tradeoffs between adding hundreds of new housing units near transit and preserving an intact block of 1920s multifamily buildings that historically contributed to a town‑and‑gown streetscape.

Commission and staff discussion focused on massing, tree canopy and how the new building would step down next to the H‑1 historic overlay. John Mickler, commissioner, asked the historic preservation director, Betty Kerr, to explain the block’s significance; Kerr said the block is part of the Southeast Lexington area listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1984) and described its value as an intact example of early‑20th‑century mixed apartment and single‑family development: “It is a compilation that together has great significance,” she said. Kerr and other preservation advocates urged commissioners to weigh the block’s collective integrity when considering demolition and redevelopment.

Applicants and design team responded that they had revised the project after multiple meetings with staff and neighborhood representatives. Brandon Gross, attorney for the applicant, said Core Spaces is committed to long‑term ownership and had added townhome‑style entrances at the ground floor on all four frontages, light wells to break the façade, two interior courtyards and an eighth‑floor amenity deck and pool. Olivia Paprick, design lead for the applicant, described measures intended to “activate” the streets — a continuous row of townhomes along Rose, Stone and Kalmia, recessed pedestrian stoops and bulb‑outs at the Maxwell lobby entry — and said the team increased bike parking to 200 spaces.

Public comment ran more than an hour. Supporters said the development would add housing supply near UK, reduce commuting and help local businesses. “By increasing the supply, we’re promoting affordability and reducing the strain on neighborhoods,” said Austin Pagnotta of Core Spaces, who described price‑sensitive unit types the firm builds and said the company can offer some units near $900 per bed. Opponents — including residents, historic‑preservation professionals and Aylesford neighborhood representatives — said the plan would displace about 80 current residents, erase an intact historic block, escalate traffic and replace “missing middle” multifamily housing with purpose‑built student housing. Richard Shine, president of the Bluegrass Trust for Historic Preservation, and Zack Leonard, the trust’s preservation manager, urged commissioners to protect the block’s character and warned that the new product would cater to the same investor‑backed student‑housing market already active on Maxwell.

Staff and transportation analysis: James Mills, transportation staff, summarized a traffic impact study that used ITE trip generation assumptions for off‑campus student apartments (mid‑rise). Mills said existing roadways have mostly acceptable peak‑hour levels of service and that the planned development would not require major capacity improvements; his written recommendations emphasized traffic calming and bulb‑outs to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and noted that East Maxwell’s accident rate is higher than statewide averages for comparable arterials.

Key clarifications and conditions: During deliberations the applicant agreed to staff’s list of development conditions and to a staff/commission request to commit to 18 townhome units with first‑level exterior entrances along the public frontages. Staff listed other conditions and required agency sign‑offs — engineering acceptance of drainage and sewer plans, traffic engineering approval of street cross‑sections and access, urban forestry sign‑off on the tree inventory, and more. Commissioners pressed for clarity on tree canopy: staff reported existing canopy on the block at about 26,819 square feet and a proposed canopy of roughly 25,500 square feet (a net loss of ~1,300 sq ft on the block as proposed), with the applicant committing to street trees in the public easement.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes (July 24 and Aug. 28): motion carried with 1 abstention (mover not specified; second: Commissioner Wilson). (Recorded earlier in the meeting.) - Postponement: War Admiral Place (PLN MAR 02/2010) — one‑month postponement to Oct. 23; motion by Commissioner Penn, second by Commissioner Wirth; carried unanimously. - Postponement: PLN MAR 25‑13 (Scottie Basler) and associated development plan — one‑month postponement to Oct. 23; motion by Commissioner Wilson, second by Commissioner Worth; carried unanimously. - Zone change: PLN MAR 02/2014 (CS Acquisition Vehicle LLC/parcel on East Maxwell) — approved by the planning commission (motion recorded; outcome stated as “carried with two negatives” in the meeting record). - Development plan: PLN MJDP 25‑51 (associated development plan for the CS Acquisition/Core Spaces project) — approved (motion amended to include 18 townhomes); outcome recorded as carried with one negative vote.

What’s next: The approvals are conditional on final sign‑offs by engineering, traffic, urban forestry and other departments and will proceed to the Urban County Council for final action on the zoning change. The project team emphasized the units are intended for long‑term ownership by Core Spaces and said some price‑sensitive unit types would be included; opponents urged the council to weigh the loss of an intact historic block and displacement of current residents.

Ending note: Commissioners split along preservation and housing‑supply lines during deliberations. Several said they were conflicted but ultimately voted in favor citing comprehensive‑plan guidance for increased density along the Maxwell corridor; other commissioners and numerous public speakers asked the council to reconsider or add constraints to preserve neighborhood scale and affordability.