Planning commission approves Pleasant Ridge plan but presses developer and city on Paradise Lane access and fire access

The Lexington City Planning Commission on Thursday recommended approval of the Pleasant Ridge subdivision development plan (PLN MJDP2516) but directed staff and the applicant to resolve access and road-improvement issues on adjacent Paradise Lane before the project reaches later certification steps.

The commission voted unanimously to recommend the plan with the revised 18 conditions the technical review committee and staff set out, including a requirement that connection to Paradise Lane be provided prior to certificate of occupancy for the project once certain unit thresholds are met.

Commissioners and staff said the primary unresolved issue is safe emergency and service access from the existing Paradise Lane — a narrow local roadway — to the proposed development. Fire staff told the commission Paradise Lane’s existing pavement and geometry are inadequate for the department’s largest apparatus and that “we would need some kind of road or street improvements made to Paradise,” a fire representative said during the meeting.

Why it matters: The development proposes 224 dwelling units across a mix of assisted-living, independent living and multifamily buildings. Under the fire code and local policies referenced in the discussion, developments…