Lancaster council sends disputed Avenue L mixed‑use project back to planning commission after hours of public comment

Lancaster City Council voted unanimously to send a contested mixed‑use development proposal at Avenue L and 15th Street West back to the planning commission for additional review after a four‑hour public hearing and multiple technical appeals.

Senior planner Jocelyn Swain told the council the proposal would cover roughly 9.5–10 acres and “propose to develop the project site with a mix of uses consisting of a 181 market rate multifamily residential units in 2 buildings, a 235‑room hotel and associated clubhouse, and 12,800 square feet of commercial retail uses on 3 pads.” The applicant requested a general plan amendment (nonurban → mixed use) and a rezoning from RR‑2.5 to mixed‑use commercial; the planning commission approved the conditional use permit and tentative map and recommended approval of the general plan amendment and zone change by a 4–2 vote.

Residents, labor groups and environmental advocates filed multiple appeals and pressed the council on traffic, water, air quality and land‑use consistency. Speakers from the White Fence Farms neighborhood said the site is a rural residential enclave and argued rezoning the parcel would amount to “spot zoning” that would harm rural character, increase traffic on unpaved local roads, and strain the small White Fence…