Planning commission votes to remove B3 minimum lot-coverage requirement after lengthy debate; staff alternative proposed but not adopted

The Lexington City Planning Commission voted May 20 to approve the original zoning-text amendment proposed by the commission to remove the minimum lot-coverage requirement for the B3 (corridor business) zone, after a multi-hour discussion and public comment from developers and business representatives.

Planning staff presented the background and a staff alternative. Chris Taylor of the planning division said the city initially adopted a 30 percent lot-coverage minimum as part of a broader urban growth-management update intended to encourage higher land utilization on commercial corridors. Staff later proposed a revised approach that measures a ratio between building square footage and vehicular use area (VUA) and would allow compliance credits for VUA areas covered by canopies and for VUA constructed…