Driscoll Wants To See More Participation By Citizens

For the past eight years, John Driscoll has served the city of Lexington as a member of the Planning Commission, and in that time has helped the Commission complete several tasks, including drafting the 2020 comprehensive plan, reviewing the Washington and Lee University master plan, and drafting new zoning ordinances for a variety of things from backyard chickens to accessory dwelling units.

“As a Commission that meets twice a month, we created a welcoming space for public engagement,” he said. “As we did this, we encouraged and supported the staff’s excellent research on best practices in other towns to learn from others. Our informed deliberations led to zoning that matched our needs in Lexington.”

Driscoll is now seeking a term on the Lexington City Council, hoping to bring his years of experience on the Planning Commission – and a career spent working for research centers involved in city planning, management and community programs – to the position.

“My decision to run for City Council is rooted in my commitment to increasing opportunities for residents to weigh in on City Council deliberations and decisions,” he said. “As a city, we need better ways beyond public hearings for citizens to have a voice in local government and all its plans. A stroll down Main Street during the Rockbridge Community Festival illustrates the contributions of many organizations and institutions that make Lexington an engaged community. We can find better ways to tap this energy and know-how to support our small, committed, experienced city staff.”

Driscoll moved to Lexington eight years ago, but has been connected to the city and Rockbridge County for 45 years since meeting his wife, Debbie Funkhouser. They lived in Boston prior to their move back to Virginia in 2016 to “settle down and help her parents down the homestretch.”

“We enjoy the quality of life in Lexington and the richness of having family and friends nearby,” he said.

Several of the Planning Commission’s most recent ordinances that Driscoll has helped draft have sought to address the need for additional housing in the city, including the Planned Development-Mixed Use zoning district for the city’s entrance corridors on South Main and East Nelson streets and an ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units within the city, both of which have been completed and approved by City Council. He and the Commission are currently drafting an ordinance to allow cottage housing developments within the city.

“The new zoning will address the supply issue by encouraging higher-density mixed-use housing in our commercial zones in South Lexington and East Nelson Street,” he said. “The accessory dwelling zoning will encourage smaller units within existing neighborhoods, and the forthcoming cottage housing zoning will allow smaller housing units in compact settings.

“Additional rentals, condos, and smaller, more affordable housing units can offer entry points for younger households who want to live in Lexington and get on the property ladder or rent,” he added. “Older households who wish to downsize can stay in the community and be near family, with the added benefit of their house entering the housing market. These measures will mainly promote the supply of marketrate housing.”

Apart from housing, Driscoll hopes to focus on implementing the city’s Bicycle-Pedestrian Plan to make Lexington “more walkable and bikeable [to] create a safe and healthy alternative for young and old,” and to continue the partnerships with conservation organizations to “improve our in-city trails, the quality of our waterways and planting trees in neighborhoods that lack good tree coverage.” His long-term goals include continuing to upgrade the city’s infrastructure and implanting a long-term planning strategy for the city.

“We would benefit from longer-term strategies for managing our growth and development,” he said. “We have the tools with the Comprehensive Plan and the Council’s Strategic Plan. Both plans are over 5 years old; with a new city manager in place, now is an excellent time to update and align the plans through a public process.”