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Lexington city officials are sending the proposed Spotswood Drive development back to the drawing board.
Prior to hearing from the public at Thursday’s public hearing on an application for a conditional use permit by Echelon Resources for development of city-owned property on Spotswood Drive, Lexington Mayor Frank Friedman announced in a prepared statement that he would be continuing the public hearing to Council’s Feb. 2 meeting and was creating a committee to work with Echelon to “communicate and collaborate” with the developer to improve the design of the proposed apartment building.
Friedman appointed Vice Mayor Marilyn Alexander and Councilwoman Leslie Straughan to the newly formed Spotswood Building Committee, tasking them to meet with Echelon throughout the month of January “and longer if necessary” to discuss the final design of the building. He also encouraged the other members of Council to “provide guidance to this committee to reach the goal of building an apartment building that enhances and compliments our historic city and the surrounding neighborhood as well.”
“We’ve heard you in the checkout lines and we’ve had phone calls and discussions on the street, so I hope that’s well-received,” Friedman said to the members of the public in attendance at the meeting, several of whom had come to speak on the proposed development.
Many of the people who spoke during the public hearing criticized the proposed design of the development and argued for an affordable housing development rather than the market-rate apartments proposed by Echelon.
“Echelon’s website states that it creates ‘high quality spaces that a community can be proud of,’” noted Dee Joyce Hayse, president of the Historic Lexington Foundation. “To be perfectly blunt, the plan as pictured and described in The News-Gazette several weeks ago is anything but that and is, in fact, just plain ugly. It is definitely not something that this community will be proud of if it is built as proposed.
“On behalf of HLF, I encourage – in fact I urge – Council to deny Echelon’s ultimate plan for that site and require them to come back with a more appropriate development plan, one which is, in size and scale, much more attractive, much more appropriate [and] much more consistent with the overall appearance of our beautiful city,” she concluded.
Lisa Tracy, who lives on Washington Street, questioned the city’s continued dealings with Echelon.
“Is the city treasury in such dire shape that we’re so ready to give up one of the last pieces of open property in town to the first developer who makes an offer? And where is our commitment to affordable housing anyway?” she asked. “I beg you to find an alternative to this singularly ugly design. It’s a testament to the fact that this developer has never understood Lexington, appears to not to have made the effort to learn more and, I begin to suspect, frankly doesn’t care.”
“We often hear and see signage saying ‘shop local,’” added Jan Lowry. “I’ve been a strong believer in shopping local, even though it might mean a little more expense. But I’m wondering how the citizens of Lexington and Rockbridge County can believe in ‘shop local’ when their leadership does not.”
Margaret Robinson of Denny Lane reminded Council that the city’s comprehensive plan references affordable housing nearly 200 times, creating a commitment that Echelon’s proposal does not meet.
“There is no doubt that this project is in conflict with the affordable housing principals of the comprehensive plan,” she said. “It is definitely not compatible with Lexington’s historic and architectural character and is in stark opposition to the principals of the historic district design guidelines that impact the adjoining lots.”
Council held no discussion and took no action on the conditional use permit application, and will take the issue up again at its Feb. 2 meeting.
