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Board deadlocks on YPK Motorsports variance request for East New Circle Road site
Summary
Lexington’s Board of Adjustment split on a request to reduce a 2,500-foot dealer spacing requirement to 120 feet for YPK Motorsports at 254 E. New Circle Road. Staff recommended denial; the applicant argued the business is distinct from car lots and would fill a long-vacant building. A tie vote meant the motion failed and the applicant may refile.
The Lexington Board of Adjustment ended in a deadlock on a request from YPK Motorsports to operate at 254 East New Circle Road after members split — the motion to grant a variance failed for lack of a majority.
Planning staff presented the case and recommended disapproval, arguing the ordinance’s 2,500-foot separation is a deliberate policy to avoid clustering auto-oriented uses and protect walkability. "There do not appear to be special circumstances that are unique to the subject property," staff planner Dalton Belcher told the board, citing the zoning ordinance and KRS provisions.
Attorney Lauren Nichols and Hagen Smith, CFO of YPK Motorsports, said YPK’s locations are different from traditional car lots because most inventory is stored indoors and the business would rehabilitate a vacant former Walgreens. Smith said the site has been hard to fill and that allowing YPK into the building would reduce vagrancy and vacancy-related problems: "Permitting us to operate in this former Walgreens will in no way impede the walkability of North New Circle Road," he said, adding that their Ashland location shows how a motorsports dealer can fit an urban environment.
Board members debated whether motorsports retailers fall within the ordinance’s intended categories and how approval might set a precedent. Some commissioners said the 2,500-foot buffer was written to address clustering and quality-of-life concerns; others said the present site’s characteristics and the applicant’s limited, mostly indoor display made the case unique. One commissioner described the requested reduction (2,500 feet to 120 feet) as a 98% variance and urged caution about precedent.
A motion to approve the variance was made and seconded; after discussion the board reported a tie vote. Chair Bob Sturdivant explained that with no majority in favor the motion failed. Staff noted that because the motion failed rather than being formally denied on the merits, the applicant may refile and was allowed to seek earlier reconsideration under the board’s procedures.
The applicant emphasized the economic arguments for infill and restoration of a vacant property; staff stressed the ordinance’s intent to disperse vehicle-focused uses. With the board split, YPK Motorsports left without the variance and may pursue a revised filing.
