LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Planning Commission’s zoning hearing lasted just seven minutes Thursday after every item on the docket was postponed, leaving a proposed 67-townhome development, a South Broadway car wash and a rewrite of economic development zoning rules all i n limbo for at least another month. The Feb. 26 session in Council Chambers at the Government Center, 200 E. Main St., produced no public hearings and no contested votes. All motions carried unanimously. But the brief meeting underscored growing impatience among commissioners with cases that have stalled repeatedly — particularly a Ball Homes residential project on Chilesburg Road that has been before the panel since early 2025. Ball Homes townhome plan draws pointed questions Attorney Nick Nicholson, representing Ball Homes, asked for another one-month delay on the company’s request to rezone roughly 12.5 acres at 451 Chilesburg Road from Agricultural-Rural to Expansion Area Residential. The proposal calls for 57 townhomes north of an on-site creek and 10 units to the south, at a density of about 5.4 dwelling units per acre. Nicholson told commissioners the developer is “still working through topographical issues, trying to figure out a plan,” and said that once a revised layout is ready, Ball Homes intends to run it back through the commission’s review committees. He added that the company has been communicating with the neighborhood’s attorney. One commissioner pressed Nicholson on whether Ball Homes would consider an indefinite postponement, given how long the case has lingered. Nicholson conceded the point. “If I’m back here next month, I will be postponing indefinitely, if not withdrawing,” he said. “I can guarantee that.” Planning staff had recommended postponement as well, citing a lengthy list of unresolved issues including the project’s compliance with the Imagine Lexington 2045 Comprehensive Plan. Staff flagged concerns about pedestrian connectivity, multi-modal transportation options, open-space requirements and the protection of environmentally sensitive areas near the creek and floodplain. The case is now scheduled for the March 26 hearing. Car wash, South Broadway rezoning pushed two weeks A separate request by Kenneth V. Littrell to revise conditional zoning restrictions on property at 532 and 550 S. Broadway and 658 Plunkett Street — tied to a Clean Sweep Car Wash development plan — was postponed two weeks to March 12. Attorney Lauren Nichols of Dentons told commissioners that a January snowstorm had prevented the applicant from appearing before the Technical Review Committee on time. She said the project cleared that hurdle the day before Thursday’s meeting. Commissioner Forrester moved for the two-week postponement, seconded by Commissioner Mickler, and the motion passed without opposition. Economic development zone rewrite also delayed A proposed text amendment to the zoning ordinance governing Lexington’s Economic Development zone — initiated by Cowgill Development, LLC, under case number PLN-ZOTA-24-00006 — was also pushed to March 26. The amendment would modify permitted supportive uses within the ED zone to encourage denser, more efficient land use while preserving the zone’s emphasis on job-producing development. Nichols, who was also covering for the lead attorney on that case, said the parties are “still trying to finalize the language with the shareholders.” Both the zoning committee and planning staff had recommended approval of a staff-drafted alternative version of the text, but the applicant was not ready to proceed. Commissioner Jonathan Davis moved for postponement, seconded by Commissioner Molly Davis. The chair relayed the same message commissioners had delivered on the Ball Homes case: if the amendment is not ready next month, the applicant should consider an indefinite postponement rather than continuing to request month-by-month delays. Nichols said she understood the project was close to completion and that the applicant planned to re-engage the committee review process. What’s next The planning commission’s next session is Thursday, March 5, when the subdivision and zoning committees will meet at 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively, on the third floor of the Phoenix Building. The next zoning items public hearing is set for March 12, when the Clean Sweep Car Wash case is expected to return, followed by the March 26 hearing where the Ball Homes and Cowgill Development matters are scheduled. The post Lexington Planning Commission Adjourns in Seven Minutes as All Zoning Cases Delayed appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less