Council planning committee outlines timeline for zoning changes after new state law

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council’s General Government and Planning Committee presented updates Feb. 4 on the city’s urban growth master plan and a timetable to amend local zoning rules in response to a new state law.

Planning staff Sam Castro summarized the latest urban growth master plan update, and Hal Bailey presented a proposed growth-management program intended to structure future growth and preservation decisions. Chair Sheehan said she would include “preservation” in the item title to reflect equal emphasis on growth and preservation.

Tracy Wade, planning staff, told the committee that House Bill 4443, which becomes effective July 1, 2025, creates a new section of KRS Chapter 100 requiring that local rules for subdivision plats and development plans rely on objective, administrable standards and set conditions for applying discretion. Planning staff said they will initiate a zoning-ordinance text amendment to bring the city’s code into compliance, notify registered neighborhood associations, and aim to place the amendment on the March zoning-committee agenda. A public hearing at the March Planning Commission meeting and final reports to council are expected in April. Staff stated the council could refer the matter back to committee or place it on the docket after that review. No formal action was taken at the Feb. 4 meeting.

Why it matters: House Bill 4443 changes how local governments may apply subjective criteria to plats and development plans; the planning department’s schedule would allow the council and the public an opportunity to review proposed ordinance language ahead of the state law’s effective date.

Discussion highlights included the planning department’s plan to refine project scope, set a public-input framework, and coordinate regular committee updates. Staff said the council would consider adopting the growth-management program as an amendment to the comprehensive plan by Aug. 1, 2026.

The committee also completed its annual review of items and unanimously approved removing several topics from committee follow-up, including continuous-operations recommendations for shared-use paths, sidewalks and bike lanes, and office-residential conversions. The update was informational and no votes on ordinance language were recorded Feb. 4.

Planning staff and committee leaders said they will circulate draft language and notices to neighborhood associations ahead of the March committee and commission meetings.

The committee’s work continues as staff prepares ordinance text and public notices for the zoning committee and planning commission in March.