Lexington planning group gives OK to change in zoning law that will help Sayre expand
Sayre School moved closer Thursday to expanding its athletic sports fields off of Athens Boonesboro Road.
The Urban County Planning Commission voted 6-3 to approve a zone text amendment, which changes local zoning ordinances, that would allow for construction of an indoor weight room and the use of outdoor speakers and lights at the private school’s athletic fields at 300 Canebrake Drive near the Athens Boonesboro Road and Interstate 75 exit.
The zone text amendment would increase the allowable indoor space to 10,000 square feet or 2% of the total lot size in an agricultural buffer zone, whichever is greater.
Sayre Athletic Fields is on a 50-acre parcel that includes four soccer and lacrosse fields, baseball and softball diamonds, 10 tennis courts, and a cross country course.
Thursday’s approval was just the first step in a multi-step process.
The zone text amendment must also be approved by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council. If the council approves the text amendment, then Sayre must apply for a zone change and a conditional use to expand its indoor facilities, and a different conditional use permit for outdoor speakers and lights.
It’s the latest fight over land use at the Athens Boonesboro Road and the I-75 exit.
In January, the commission voted unanimously to approve a zone change for Lexington Sporting Club’s 6,500 seat stadium and a training and medical complex at 5380 and 5354 Athens Boonesboro Road. The commission also approved a conditional use permit to allow for construction of the stadium, despite strong push back from rural neighbors of the site.
Nick Nicholson, a lawyer for Sayre, said the current zoning regulations restrict the amount of indoor space in an agricultural buffer zone to 10,000 square feet. There are several structures on the athletic field site.
A barn on the property, which houses mowing and other equipment, counts toward that 10,000 square feet on the property. That means Sayre can’t construct an indoor weight room, he said.
Nicholson said he has been working with the city since May to try to make Sayre’s plans conform to city zoning. Moving to an agricultural buffer zone and getting the zone text amendment was the best way to meet codes and get what Sayre needs.
“We want to create a year-round training room, weight room for our students,” Nicholson said. “It is an indoor-outdoor facility. It is not an elaborate training facility that we are going to be bringing people from out of state.”
Nicholson said the zone text amendment appeared to be the least controversial way for Sayre to expand.
To do so they will eventually apply from agricultural zone to an agricultural buffer zone because it is the more accurate description of what the land is used for, Nicholson said.
Nicholson said Sayre’s nearest neighbors support the zone text amendment. The conditional use for lighting and concessions on the property would only apply to agricultural buffer zones in the Athens-Boonesboro Road area.
Building in an agricultural buffer zone
But those in the rural community asked the commission to turn down Sayre’s request, saying the change affects other agricultural buffer zones. More than 20 people wrote letters opposing the zone text amendment.
In addition to the area around Athens Boonesboro Road and I-75, there are seven agricultural buffer zones including those along Tates Creek Road and Delong Road. The agricultural buffer zone is designed to create a buffer between agricultural uses and more intense zoning.
“Changing the county-wide zoning ordinance to accommodate one development, under very specific circumstances, sets a precedent for additional expansion of conditional uses in our agricultural-buffer zone — an area designed to be a transition space between our urban and rural landscape,” wrote Brittany Roethemeier, executive director of the Fayette Alliance, which supports rural interests and smart growth initiatives.
Roethemeier said the change would allow Sayre to build up to 40,000 square feet on the property.
By increasing the amount of indoor space in the agricultural buffer zone, it will make it difficult for any future land owners to return the land to an agricultural use, Roethemeier said.
City planning staff recommended approval of the zone text amendment saying the text amendment was limited in scope and would not alter the character of the rural area. Also, the Athens Boonesboro Road and I-75 interchange is not typical of agricultural areas in Fayette County because it is a major interchange.
Moreover, with conditional use applications, the planning commission and the council can put restrictions on the use, said Hal Baillie, a planner with the city.
“Staff thought a proportion of the property is a good metric that would keep properties from being subdivided,” Baillie said of the 2% of the acreage rule.
The planning commission voted 6-3 to approve the zone text amendment. Commissioners Zach Davis, Judy Worth and Janice Meyer voted against the zone text amendment.
