Critics object as Lexington council signs off on new, 4-story apartment project
The Lexington council approved a zone change Tuesday for a four-story apartment complex in the Palomar Center area, despite push back from some neighbors of the proposed development.
The Urban County Planning Commission voted 7 to 1 in April to approve the zone change for 1009 and 1017 Wellington Way from a neighborhood business zone to a high-density residential zone for a little more than an acre near Harrodsburg Road and Man o’ War Boulevard.
The Lexington-Fayette County Urban County Council voted 9 to 3 Tuesday to approve the zone change and the planning commission’s recommendations. It takes eight members of the council to overturn a planning commission recommendation. Project opponents argued it was too large and too close to a residential neighborhood. Traffic also will be a problem, they predicted.
The property is currently vacant.
RTA Family Trust, the proposed developer, plans on building a four-story apartment complex with 88 one-bedroom apartments. The apartments will be market rate. The parking will be in the back of the “L” shaped building, said Traci Wade, planning manager for the city. The apartment building will front Wellington Way.
Apartments are needed as Lexington and the surrounding area have grown, said Jon Woodall, a lawyer for the RTA Family Trust.
“There is a lot of pressure for infill housing,” Woodall said.
Plans for the building also include a rooftop garden and low-level lighting to decrease light pollution.
Wade said the 2018 Comprehensive Plan allows for more dense developments near major corridors, such as Harrodsburg Road. The apartment building is considered medium density and is allowed in corridor areas.
The apartment building is 40 feet tall, similar in size to other buildings in the area, Woodall said. There is a grade change on that property, and it sits lower than the adjacent neighborhood.
An analysis showed that additional traffic would not overburden Wellington Way. Moreover, a previous development plan for the property included businesses and restaurants. Businesses and restaurants would generate more traffic than an apartment complex, Woodall said.
To provide an additional buffer between the apartment property and neighbors, developers are planting additional trees along the property lines, Woodall said.
Michael Walsh, who lives on Palomar Trace Drive adjacent to the property, said that area is largely commercial. The building is too tall, and there is poor pedestrian access from the apartment complex into the shopping center, Palomar Center, Walsh said. The proposal includes a mid-block flashing yellow pedestrian crossing. A Lextran bus stop near the property would be moved further away from the apartment complex.
“This proposal does not compliment the area; it complicates it,” Walsh said. “It is just too much density for the property at this location.”
Doug Martin, who has a law office next to the proposed apartment complex, said the intersection at Wellington Way and Harrodsburg Road “is a hot mess.”
Martin, a former council member, raised questions about how the traffic study was conducted.
“I don’t think this property is appropriate for high-density residential,” Martin said. “At rush hour, you are going to have people coming to their apartment, and you are going to have people going to all these restaurants.”
Sedona Taphouse, Panera, Malone’s and several other restaurants are located at the Palomar Center shopping center. Martin also asked the council to prohibit music from being played on the apartment building’s rooftop deck.
Several council members questioned why the entrance to the property was not on Wellington Way but a smaller access road that leads to the Sedona Taphouse and Chase Bank.
Wade said city regulations do not require two entrances if there are less than 100 apartment units. The developer chose to have the entrance off the access road. Engineers for the developers said putting an entrance on Wellington Way would be problematic because there is a center turn lane on Wellington Way.
Woodall said that it’s highly unlikely the apartment complex will attract loud, rooftop parties. The city has noise ordinances that address loud music, he said.
Councilwoman Amanda Bledsoe, who represents the area, said she did not think the development was appropriate for that area.
“My concern is where it is at,” Bledsoe said. “It’s too close to the neighborhood.”
Councilwoman Susan Lamb agreed.
“It would appear that it would be looming over the neighborhood,” Lamb said of the height of the building. “I also have serious concerns about traffic. “
Lamb, Bledsoe and Councilwoman Whitney Elliott Baxter voted against the zone change. Those who voted in favor included: Vice Mayor Steve Kay, Chuck Ellinger Jr., James Brown, Fred Brown, David Kloiber, Josh McCurn, Jennifer Reynolds, Liz Sheehan and Richard Moloney.
This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 11:01 AM.
