Lexington City Council reappoints two Planning Commission members after confirmation hearing

LEXINGTON — The Lexington City Council on May 20 approved the reappointments of Robin Mickler and Judy Worth to the Planning Commission after a confirmation hearing in which council members questioned the candidates about land-use policy, public comment procedures and preservation priorities.

Robin Mickler, a local business owner and current Planning Commission member, told the council he sought another four-year term to “see those goals and objectives that the council and the Planning Commission sort of put forward in the comprehensive plan” through to implementation. Mickler described his background as owner/operator of Mickler’s Florist on Max Weill Street, founder of Kentucky Native Cafe and an incoming operator of Brides and Roses Bakery, and said he previously studied city and regional planning at the University of North Carolina.

Mickler defended the planning commission’s choice to include the Blue Sky area in the urban service area, saying it preserved contiguity: “adding the Blue Sky made our urban service area remain contiguous so that you didn't skip Blue Sky,” he said. He also supported the commission’s recent action to eliminate parking minimums for many residential developments, saying that change and future pilot projects could reduce surface parking and preserve green space.

Judy Worth, a Planning Commission member, former neighborhood association president and retired small-business owner, said she sought reappointment to finish work that began during the last term, specifically the preservation and growth-management program. Worth listed priorities including concluding the preservation and growth-management process, continuing work on zoning changes that allow diverse housing types and improving tree-protection and complete-streets policies.

Both candidates faced detailed questioning from council members on specific policy points raised during their terms. Council member Gray pressed Mickler on the planning commission’s map choices during the urban service area expansion and on what he described as replacing roughly 400 acres of vacant land with already developed parcels in the Blue Sky area. Mickler and others said contiguity and opportunity for small-area planning around the interstate interchange and the new soccer stadium informed the decision. Mickler said a consultant’s concept plan and the council’s authorization opened the way for further small-area planning.

On public comment, several council members asked whether the planning commission had handled matters correctly after passage of what the commission and staff referred to in the hearing as “House Bill 4 43” and the related zoning ordinance text amendment (ZOTA). Mickler said he voted against the text amendment because the commission should have addressed public-comment mechanisms before sending the amendment to the council, and he later supported a commission resolution urging retention of public comment options. Worth said the commission debated the ministerial nature of some approvals and pursued a resolution after extensive internal discussion with legal counsel because commissioners concluded the change to a ministerial process would eliminate meaningful public input.

Both candidates spoke about preservation and equity. Mickler noted the loss of historic neighborhoods such as Adamstown and described preservation of historically African American communities as an important planning concern. Worth said the city has protections for Black Hamlets but not for African American neighborhoods inside the urban service boundary and urged council attention to afford those neighborhoods protections.

Council members also asked about process improvements. Mickler, drawing on his experience as an applicant, recommended that technical sign-offs happen earlier through the Technical Review Committee to reduce post-approval delays. Worth urged more data-driven decisions as the city’s planning database is populated and recommended work sessions focused on affordable and workforce housing that include developers who are integrating affordable units in mixed projects.

Votes at a glance - Reappointment of Robin Mickler to the Planning Commission — Approved (vote recorded in open session; tally not specified in transcript). The council announced the approval after a closed session. - Reappointment of Judy Worth to the Planning Commission — Approved (vote recorded in open session; tally not specified in transcript). The council announced the approval after a closed session.

The council convened closed sessions to deliberate and returned to open session to announce both approvals. The transcript does not record roll-call vote tallies or names of movers and seconders for those confirmations.