Council advances Preservation and Growth Management ordinance after two amendments

The Lexington Fayette Urban County Council on Jan. 20 moved the Preservation and Growth Management Program ordinance to the Jan. 22 council meeting for a first reading after adopting two amendments intended to clarify how vacant land is defined and who sits on the subcommittee that reviews expansion proposals.

Vice Mayor Wu introduced and explained the first amendment, which clarifies that a parcel qualifies as vacant land if it either meets an agricultural zoning/land‑use criterion OR it satisfies both of two other conditions (no urban principal/conditional land use and no current certificate of occupancy or building permit). Planning staff told council they saw no issue with the rewording. The council passed that amendment by voice vote.

Councilmember Sheehan then moved a second amendment to section 4 to require appointing bodies to "seek to balance the professional expertise of the subcommittee members across the following areas: agriculture…