Week of October 11, 2021
By: Megan Gulla, Richard Young, Kit Anderson, & Hayley Alfaro
The Highlights:
💡 Big topic this week: Redistricting is almost over!
LFUCG’s Redistricting Committee’s Proposed District Map. Changes or additions to precincts are outlined in red.
Redistricting Lexington is putting the finishing touches on the city's Council District map and they want to hear from you!
Up until this point, the Committee has not sought public input on the process. They wanted to make sure they had a solid plan for the new district configurations before bringing it to the public. Now that they have a a working draft map, they're ready to hear what residents in Lexington have to say about it. If adopted, there will be fairly significant changes in several districts, with 49,874 people potentially being reassigned. See the proposed changes, and if you're one of them, at the city's Redistricting Hub, here.
Have something to say? There will be an opportunity for public input at Redistricting Lexington's next meeting on October 20th. Even if you can't make that meeting, you can still email the Committee any suggestions or concerns you may have prior to it at redistrictlexington@gmail.com.
Finally, CivicLex will be hosting its next Redistricting Workshop on Monday, October 11th, from 6:00-7:30 pm via Zoom. We'll be taking a closer look at Districts 3 and 10. Access the Zoom link here!
🏢 This week in City Hall: Accessory Dwelling Units come before Council
When: Council Work Session - Tuesday, October 12 at 3:00pm
This week, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) take their next step forward in Lexington at the Council Work Session on Tuesday, at 3pm. During this meeting, Council will take up discussion of the new ordinance as part of its reporting out from the most recent Planning & Public Safety Committee meeting.
We've talked about them a lot in our newsletters, but in case you're new, here's bit of background on ADUs:
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are essentially a secondary, smaller residential space that exists on a lot in tandem with a traditional single-family house. Despite ADUs existing across the city, Lexington is now in the process of (potentially) re-legalizing them.
In 2019, the Divisions of Planning and Senior Services made a public case for ADU legislation after the adoption of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan, tying it to a strategy to address Lexington's quickly aging population and affordable housing shortage.
On September 14, the Planning and Public Safety Committee held a public hearing about their proposed zoning ordinance text amendment (ZOTA) to allow ADUs to any single family home in Lexington. In this hearing, the ADU ZOTA changed significantly.
So here is where the ADU ordinance stands currently, as we understand it:
The City's ADU ZOTA would create a "Pilot Program", allowing for three out of four types of ADUs - converted detached accessory structures*, a basement apartment, or a small home expansion.
Detached Accessory Dwelling Units will only be permitted in detached structures which were constructed prior to October 31st, 2021; or there was a building permit issued before that same date.
Only single-family detached residences would be eligible to create ADUs
Property owners building an ADU would be required to meet with Planning before building a new ADU to review design recommendations, regulations, and deed restrictions.
Only one ADU could be constructed per lot, and it must be under 800 sqft. in size, unless it is in a basement.
The owner of the property must live in either the primary structure or the accessory unit.
Maximum of 2 persons and any children related to them would be allowed to live in an ADU.
The ADU could be used as a long-term rental property by default. But if the owner wanted to use it as a short-term rental (like an Airbnb), they would have to apply for a conditional use permit from the Board of Adjustment, which must consider if there would be an adverse impact on the neighborhood surrounding it.
Anyone that purchases a property that has a legally-allowed ADU would be notified of the restrictions on ADUs by LFUCG upon purchase. There would be mechanism for removing the restrictions of ADUs in that context, if requested.
The program will be revisited in one year for evaluation and possible alterations.
🏃 Get Engaged: Redistricting Workshop & Bingo Night!
Redistricting Workshop
Join CivicLex tonight for a Redistricting Workshop, featuring Districts Three and Ten, starting at 6:00pm.
This virtual workshop will give participants an overview of the redistricting process, what is special about it in Lexington, and more details on the Third and Tenth District, including their history and demographic changes since the 70s!
This workshop will also feature a special guest, Matt Wilson, the Lexington Resident appointed to represent District 3 on Lexington's Redistricting Council. Matt also happens to be a CivicLex Programmatic Board member and Geography whiz, so is sure to offer a unique perspective on the process!
Find event details on our Facebook page here. No Facebook? You can join the event directly at 6pm using this link.
Redistricting Bingo Night
Workshop not to your taste?
Check out Redistricting Bingo night this Friday night, with your host Gabby Mason! This will be a fun, social, and educational way to engage with your community and learn a little about the process that affects our lives every 10 years.
We will have bingo cards, snacks, and lots of fun!
Location TBD - stay tuned for updates!
🗞 Updates from last week: ARPA Infrastructure & Redistricting
ARPA Infrastructure Subcommittee
Last week, the first ARPA Subcommittee, Infrastructure, met to continue discussing potential project proposals to spend the $120 million dollars the city is receiving in federal government funds. The overwhelming impression we got from this meeting is that LFUCG is taking the public input proposals submitted very seriously - with a few exceptions, almost every single project being considered was submitted through the public proposal process.
Their process was to pick a proposal, discuss if it fits into the category of “Infrastructure”, and then decide if it merits further research. This further research includes looking into partnering organizations, recurring needs and expenses, if it meets ARPA requirements, and developing a ballpark cost estimate of a project.
The projects that have been moved for “further consideration” so far include:
Coldstream infrastructure improvements (requested by the Mayor’s office)
Tree Canopy Improvements
Multimodal Transportation Improvements
Sidewalk Improvements
The committee also discussed several projects that they thought deserve consideration but don’t fit into the “infrastructure” bucket. This included bus station improvements, parks improvements, and green initiatives for LFUCG buildings.
They scheduled another meeting for Thursday at 4pm this week, where they will continue sorting through projects and deciding on next steps.
Redistricting Committee
After two hours of discussion last Wednesday morning, the Redistricting Lexington committee reached a consensus for a working draft map that combines the Iterative 1 and Iterative 2 plans. For a reminder, Iterative 1 is based on 2030 predicted population numbers, while Iterative 2 is based on current 2020 Census data.
Over the last few meetings, the Committee found that District 4 had too many people and Districts 10 and 11 too few. To equalize populations, they shifted precincts in a chain from District 4 to 3; then some precincts from D3 to 10; and finally some D10 precincts to District 11.
Here's what that means:
District 3 extends to New Circle Road with the Shady Lane, Shadeland, Zandale, Glendover, Lansdowne, Brookhaven, Leawood, Malabu precincts
District 10 picks up the Imperial, Picadome, Lafayette, Goodrich, Pershing, Garden Spring, and The Colony precincts
District 11 gains the Meadowthorpe, Enterprise, Barker, West Main, and Triangle Park precincts.
The combined working draft has an optimal population per district of 26,881. The map moves a total of 47 precincts, which means that 49,874 people will end up in a different district once the map is finalized on October 27th.
Visit the city's Redistricting Lexington page to explore the current districts and all of the proposed precinct changes here.
🏢 This week in City Government
Monday, October 11
🏛 Commission for People with Disabilities
⏱ - 11:00am on October 11th
📍- Virtual
📺 - Join Via Zoom
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - View Agenda
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🗺 Paris Pike Corridor Commission Meeting
⏱ - 12:00pm on October 11th
📍 - Virtual
📺 - No viewing option available
🗣 - No input option available
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💰 Special ARPA Subgroup: Parks
⏱ - 12:00pm on October 11th
📍 - Government Center – 5th floor conference room
📺 - No viewing option available
🗣 - No input option available
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🗄 Board of Adjustment Meeting
⏱ - 1:30pm on October 11th
📍- Council Chamber
📺 - No viewing option available
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - View Agenda
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Tuesday, October 12
💰 Special ARPA Subgroup : Equity Services
⏱ - 9:00am on October 12th
📍 - Government Center - 5th floor Conference Room (200 East Main Street)
📺 - No viewing option available
🗣 - No input option available
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⚖️ Internal Audit Board Meeting
⏱ - 11:00am on October 12th
📍- Virtual
📺 - Join Via Zoom
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - View Agenda
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⚖️ General Government and Social Services Committee Meeting
⏱ - 1:00pm on October 12th
📍- Council Chambers (200 East Main Street)
📺 - Watch on Lex TV
🗣 - Give public comment in person
📖 - View Agenda
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⚖️ Council Work Session
⏱ - 3:00pm on October 12th
📍- Council Chambers (200 East Main Street)
📺 - Watch on Lex TV
🗣 - Give public comment in person
📖 - View Agenda
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Wednesday, October 13
🚍 Transportation Technical Committee Meeting
⏱ - 10:00am on October 13th
📍- Phoenix Building (101 East Vine Street)
📺 - No viewing option
🗣 - No input option
📖 - No agenda available
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🌳 Tree Board Meeting
⏱ - 10:30am on October 13th
📍 - Government Center - 5th floor Conference Room (200 E Main St.)
📺 - No viewing option available
📖 - No agenda available
🗣 - No input option available
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⚖️ IR Steering Committee Meeting
⏱ - 10:30am on October 13th
📍 - Virtual
📺 - No viewing option available
📖 - No agenda available
🗣 - No input option available
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🇺🇸 Commission on Veterans' Affairs Meeting
⏱ - 11:30am on October 13th
📍 - Lexington Senior Center (195 Life Lane)
📺 - No viewing option available
📖 - View Agenda
🗣 - Give input in person
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🌫 Congestion Management Air Quality Committee Meeting
⏱ - 1:30pm on October 13th
📍 - Phoenix Building - 7th floor conference room (101 E Vine St.)
📺 - No viewing option available
📖 - View Agenda
🗣 - Give input in person
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Thursday, October 14
💰 Special ARPA Subgroup : Economic Growth
⏱ - 9:00am on October 14th
📍 - Virtual
📺 - Watch Via Zoom
🗣 - No input option available
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💧 Water Quality Fees Board
⏱ - 9:00am on October 14th
📍 - Tate Building - North Elkhorn Conference Room (125 Lisle Industrial Ave.)
📺 - Watch Via Zoom
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - View Agenda
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🗺 Planning Commission Meeting - Subdivision Items
⏱ - 1:30pm on October 14th
📍 - Virtual
📺 - Watch Online
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - No agenda available
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💰 Special ARPA Subgroup : City Government Needs
⏱ - 2:00pm on October 14th
📍 - Government Center - 5th floor conference room (200 E Main St.)
📺 - No viewing option available
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - No agenda available
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💰 Special ARPA Subgroup : Infrastructure
⏱ - 4:00pm on October 14th
📍 - Government Center - 5th floor conference room (200 E Main St.)
📺 - No viewing option available
🗣 - No input option available
📖 - No agenda available
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⚖️ Council Meeting
⏱ - 6:00pm on October 14th
📍 - Government Center - Council Chambers (200 E Main St.)
📺 - Watch on Lex TV
📖 - View Docket
🗣 - Give Public Comment in Person
———
Friday, October 8
No City Meetings!
🏃 More ways to get engaged
Improv at the Bell House
Need a good laugh? Join comedian and Civic Artist in Residence Debra Faulk at the Bell House for skits, role-playing, storytelling and stand-up comedy this Wednesday morning at 10:30am. Call the Bell House at (859) 233-0986 to RSVP.
🌳 Tree Week is back! October 9-16, 2021!
This week, join the Urban Forest Initiative in celebrating Lexington's fourth annual Tree Week! Trees in our communities help to offset the negative effects of climate change. They reduce storm-water runoff, cool cities, filter air and water pollutants, store carbon dioxide, and help improve mental health and wellbeing. Tree Week helps us join together in appreciating and supporting our trees so that they may continue to provide these important benefits for us. Learning to properly care for a tree, planting new trees, and even learning to name trees are all things that we can do to support the trees where we live. Events this week include: tree plantings, tree walks, tours and hikes, educational programs for youth and adults, art, yoga, and much more in communities throughout Kentucky! Please follow public health guidelines in effect in your community.
Para español haga clic aquí: https://ufi.ca.uky.edu/treeweekespanol
☕️ Mornings with Planning: Roots & All - Urban Trees for Growing Vibrant Communities from the Ground Up
Join “Mornings with Planning” – a monthly interactive digital panel series, held on the first Wednesday of the month, to discuss how our City’s planning efforts have evolved and changed over time. This Wednesday, (10/6) the discussion will also delve into how we, as a community, may celebrate the trees that weave their way throughout the spaces where we conduct our daily lives. Join expert panelists as they discuss how Lexington may meaningfully prioritize and implement the expansion and management of our community’s urban forest to reflect the intersection of values within a diverse stakeholder network.
https://www.lexingtonky.gov/events/14835/mornings-planning
📖 Redistricting Book Club
Join CivicLex and our Redistricting Fellow - Gabby Mason this Tuesday for our second virtual reading club to dive deeper into process of redistricting and how it affects our lives. The second club will be discussing Steve Bickerstaff’s article, Making Local Redistricting Less Political: Independent Redistricting Commissions for U.S. Cities.
Please read the article before joining!
Join via zoom here.
🎄 City Seeking Two Christmas Trees for Downtown
Do you have a large evergreen tree that is nicely shaped that you want removed from your property? If so, consider donating it for the city to use for Lexington’s holiday season celebration!
City officials will evaluate all trees and select the two chosen for the city Christmas trees. If your tree is chosen, the City and Kentucky Utilities will coordinate with the property owner remove it in early November. There’s no financial compensation, however removal of the tree and stump grinding is FREE.
The chosen trees will be placed in Triangle Park and in front of the KU building on Quality Street. They will be decorated and lit Friday, Nov. 26, as part of Luminate Lexington presented by Kentucky Utilities and Baird. Help your tree live out its Christmas destiny! The trees need to meet certain guidelines, which can be found here.