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Neighbors urge council to reconsider Transy's baseball-field redevelopment over density and stormwater concerns
Summary
Residents of the Radcliffe-Marlborough neighborhood urged the Lexington City Council to reconsider a proposed redevelopment of Transy's baseball field on Haggard Lane, saying the plan increases density beyond the comprehensive plan, risks stormwater problems and favors rental apartments over homeownership.
Residents from the Radcliffe‑Marlborough neighborhood urged the Lexington City Council on March 4 to reconsider a proposed redevelopment of Transy's baseball field on Haggard Lane, saying the plan would increase density and would not advance homeownership.
"The development they are pushing through seeks 60% higher density than is called for in Lexington's comprehensive plan and urban growth master plan," said Scott Sloan of the Radcliffe‑Marlborough Neighborhood Association during public comment. Sloan spoke on behalf of family and neighbors and identified himself as District 12 for the record.
Sloan criticized the project for relying on multiple large developers and said the work would primarily produce apartments rather than homes for purchase. He cited a recent Kentucky news interview with the Lexington Habitat for Humanity CEO and relayed the CEO's statement to the council: "Even if you have what would be an income that could qualify for a starter home, it's increasingly difficult to find, so you are locked into a renting situation," Sloan said, quoting the CEO.
Sloan also told council members that the developer had said the project was not financially viable without four apartment complexes and a five‑story senior living facility. He questioned a city decision the neighborhood will be asked to approve that he said includes $10,000,000 in state funding to address stormwater, road building and moving power lines. Sloan noted the city is spending $34,800,000 on stormwater improvements in the Ashland and National Avenue neighborhoods and said Radcliffe‑Marlborough has a comparable number of stormwater complaints to the city's LexCall system.
"Why should we believe that $10,000,000 is enough money to fix the issues at Transy's baseball field, along with building roads and moving power lines?" Sloan asked the council, and urged members to take more time to review complaints from "some of your most vulnerable, long ignored citizens."
There was no developer representative debating these claims in the public-comment segment of the transcript, and no formal council action on the Transy's matter is recorded in the meeting minutes included in the transcript.
