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Council delays final action on HB443 zoning text amendment after hours of public comment
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment and debate, the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council voted to remove the HB443 zoning ordinance text amendment (ZOTA) from the current docket for further work and discussion at a May 13 work session; council also approved a narrow amendment removing the word “temporary” from a definition.
The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council paused formal action on a zoning ordinance text amendment linked to 2024’s House Bill 443 after a prolonged public-comment period and questions from council members about notice, public engagement and how the state law changes local review procedures.
Public concerns raised at the work session centered on whether the local ZOTA would reduce opportunities for neighborhood input on final development plans, allow broad ministerial review without hearings, and increase development costs through new objective standards. Dozens of residents, neighborhood leaders, and business representatives addressed the council during the meeting’s public-comment period.
Commerce Lexington board chair Carla Blanton urged caution and asked the council not to fast-track broad regulatory changes. ‘‘Higher costs equal less infill and redevelopment,’’ Blanton said, arguing the proposal could lengthen and raise the cost of projects the city wants to encourage.
Neighborhood representatives and advocates said the proposal could curtail…
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