Planning Commission approves Patch and Wilkes Unit 1 Phase 2 with 12 conditions

The Lexington City Planning Commission on June 12 unanimously approved an amended preliminary subdivision plan, PLN MJSUB20-53, for Patch and Wilkes Unit 1 Phase 2, a single-family subdivision located off Winchester Road that adds 115 buildable lots and one HOA lot to the previously planned development.

Planning staff presented the amended plan and identified standard sign-offs and cleanup items, including source-of-contours clarification and a note (note 11) referencing HOA maintenance responsibilities. Staff said the property is zoned R-1C for single-family residential and that the revised plan increased the number of buildable lots from a prior proposal of 69 to 115.

The approval followed roughly an hour of discussion that included neighborhood concerns about traffic, flooding and pedestrian access. Barbara Hatton, president of the Eastland Parkway Neighborhood Association, told the commission she was worried about increased traffic on Eastland Parkway, the condition of Joan Drive and a large soil stockpile near Cantrell Drive that residents said had been used as fill during earlier development. Councilwoman Gray emphasized speeding on Eastland Parkway and repeated residents' concerns about flooding on Joan Drive.

Rory Kehle of VA Partners, the applicant, told the commission the applicants agreed with staff’s 12 recommended conditions. Staff and the applicant said Joan Drive would be extended to meet connectivity requirements: Patch and Wilkes Drive will serve as the primary entrance and Joan Drive will be the secondary connection. Staff said the subdivision is not in a FEMA floodplain and that stormwater design required for the extended street would address current ponding issues at Joan Drive.

Commissioners asked about the development pattern and pedestrian connectivity. One commissioner noted that the earlier unit had rear alleys and driveway access at the back of lots, a pattern staff had encouraged for expansion areas; staff and the applicant said the developer switched to a more conventional front-drive lot layout for marketability. Commissioners also asked how future connections would relate to a larger master plan for the Patch and Wilkes Farm area and a separate zone-change proposal to extend Charleston Drive to Winchester Road near the high school; staff said the larger corridor and intersection improvements are being considered separately, including a state corridor study for Winchester Road.

After discussion, Commissioner Barstell moved to approve PLN MJSUB20-53 and the 12 conditions; Commissioner Worth seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The commission asked staff to provide the neighborhood a copy of the updated plan shown at the meeting. Staff noted that longer-term transportation changes — including any pedestrian crossing or elevated pedway across Winchester Road — would involve state participation and separate funding and approvals.