Lexington Council Approves Spotswood Project Permit

Lexington City Council Thursday voted 5-1 to approve the conditional use permit for the development of an apartment building on Spotswood Drive.

The vote was held following the conclusion of a public hearing that began at Council’s meeting on Jan. 5 and was continued while the proposed building was redesigned through collaboration between the city and developer Echelon Resources Inc.

Council member Charles Aligood cast the lone dissenting vote, citing the fact that the land had initially been sold to the city’s cemetery board with the implied purpose of expanding Oak Grove Cemetery. No condition explicitly slating it for that purpose was put on that sale of the property, and in the city’s comprehensive plan, the land was designated as an “opportunity area for purpose of high-density housing and to expand the city’s tax base.”

Council member David Sigler noted that the proposed development aligns with the city’s comprehensive plan and Councilman Nicholas Betts acknowledged the need for housing in the city to “sustain our economy long-term” prior to voting in favor of the motion to approve the conditional use permit.”

One member of the public, Glenn Mon, addressed Council during the public hearing, raising concerns over potential impact on traffic from the development on the area.

Full details of the discussion and vote on the conditional use permit will appear in the March 8 edition of The News-Gazette.