House Bill 443, passed by the State legislature and signed by the Governor last year, requires that cities’ planning and zoning regulations must be “objective” and “applied ministerially”. Essentially, the goal of the bill was to make regulations clear for developers and limit the Planning Commission’s ability to interpret regulations in a wide range of ways.
This package of changes to Lexington’s zoning rules was designed to bring the city’s zoning ordinance into compliance with HB 443.
How can you get involved? Reach out to the Division of Planning here.
Planning Commission members were largely concerned with how quickly this large ZOTA was drafted and moved through. Several members mentioned wanting to take as much time as possible with it to make sure that the language did not inadvertently leave any loopholes or have any major mistakes once passed.
HB 443 takes effect on July 1st, 2025. If the ZOTA is not passed by then, many of Lexington’s planning regulations will not be enforceable because they will not meet HB 443’s definition of “objective.” The Planning Commission will need to make any changes they see fit to the ZOTA and then send it to Council, who may make changes of their own to the ZOTA.
Council’s last day of session before their Summer Recess is July 3rd. They are currently on Spring Recess until April 15th.
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Watch the meeting: The Planning Commission will vote on the HB 443 ZOTA on April 10th at 1:30pm in Council Chambers. You can attend in-person or watch live on LexTV.
Council voted to reappoint Johnathon Davis to the Planning Commission. Anissa Martinez, a nominee for the Board of Adjustment, was not approved for appointment by Council.
Robin Michler and Judy Worth have both ben nominated to serve a second term on the Planning Commission. Council will vote on whether or not to appoint them this week.
