Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the town election and planning commission meeting. This board is comprised of town residents who are appointed to the town c by the town council and serve without pay. This is our regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, August 20th, 2025. The meeting will be broadcast live on the town of Lexon's YouTube channel. Speakers must sign in before 8:00 a.m. on the signin sheet posted at the door. Speakers will be called to the podium off the list collected. Please state your name, your address, and if you live in the town. Speakers are limited to three minutes. I am Frank Barry, the chairman of the town election and planning commission. Other planning commission members are Good morning, Jared Harelson.

Good morning, Sammy Hendricks. Morning, Rosco Kaufman. Good morning. I'm Brian A. Good morning. I'm Jamie Feight. Good morning. I'm Joe Robertson. Good morning, JT Stevenson. Good morning. Betsy McCall. At this time, I'd ask Commissioner Fight as she'd lead us in an invocation.

Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us together today to do the work of serving our community. Give us clear minds, patient hearts, and a spirit of cooperation as we make decisions that affect our neighbors and our town. Help us to listen well, to respect one another, and to keep the good of the whole community in mind. bless our time together and may we do here today makes this a better place for all. Amen. At this time, please join me in the pledge of allegiance. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Meeting will now come to order. Uh, we have no deletions to the agenda. Do we have approval of the minutes for last month? Got a motion. Do I have a second? Second. Yes. Any discussion? All in fa favor, please raise your right hand. I was not here, so I'm will not vote. Uh, next item is new business uh, zoning ordinance amendment section 15501, density of residential development. Jessica,

good morning. On August 4th, 2025, town council voted to forward to the planning commission the matter of potentially reducing the maximum allowable density and protected residential zoning from five dwelling units to four dwelling units per acre. This initiative is intended to promote development consistency and thoughtful growth management and aligns with ongoing collaboration with Lexon County as they consider establishing a central overlay district. All righty. There's no one here to speak to this agenda item. All right. Um, do I have a recommendation?

I've got a a question chairman if I can ask. Should we have a recommendation first before we go into questions? Uh, yeah, you need to have a motion and there discussion. Okay. So, I need a motion.

I recommend we not move forward with this recommendation. I have a motion. Do I have a second? Motion to move forward. Yes, sir. Just a point of clarification. Is the motion to deny the re deny deny the recommendation or for a no recommendation or is it to not address it at this time or table? You want to clarify your motion, please? Ma'am,

well, I have a question. If we're going to if I say no, is there a discussion? And we vote no. as long as the there's discussion on every motion. So, as long Yes, ma'am. So, I I vote um or I don't vote. I I recommend that we I'm going to recommend that we say no to the to deny it. All right. So, we have a motion to deny it.

So, you need a second to discuss it, right? Yes. For purposes of discussion, I I'll second that. I'm not going to vote for it. I'll second. Okay. So, we have a motion and a second to deny it. Any discussion? Uh yes, Mr. Chairman. Uh Jessica, for the record, how many um not to put you on the spot exact number, but in general, how many uh projects do we have that actually bump up against the five uh units per acre in the past, I don't know, five years?

Right now, we do not have any subdivisions in the pipeline that meet the five units per acre density. Um most are around or less than two dwelling units per acre for PR zoning. Okay. So, um, you know, in my opinion, uh, I don't think the four dropping to four is a concern. We don't bump up against five now. Uh, I understand there may be some, uh, ramifications of what it may create challenges in the future that may or may not. Um, but I don't think there's an issue with four, chairman.

All right. Well, for since we're discussing it, I would prefer to have data that supports this body from going from 5 to 4. And as of this morning, we don't have that data. So, yeah, I think that's why I denied it because um

I don't feel like it was thought through when council brought it to us. It was just given to us and said, "Hey, why don't you do it?" I think someone needs to give us that data. I want to know why council did it. So, I want to throw it back in their lap. If they want to present it to us again with thoughtful consideration, then I'm fine to look at it, but I don't feel the need to table it if they don't want to do their work to give us the information. Sounds like it's just someone's opinion instead of valid facts on why we should. How is this benefiting the town? I haven't heard that at all. And my concern is affordable housing in the town of Lexington for our teachers, our police officers, our town staff and workers. We need affordable housing and I think this could take it further away for giving them the opportunity.

Yeah. Yeah, and I I agree with everything that's been mentioned so far as well. Uh we don't have a lot of data to support making the change from five to four at this point. Um and if we haven't butt up against the the five units per acre density yet, then uh it's not really a threshold that's been tested a lot. So I don't see a reason to change it at this point and something that could be considered in our next comprehensive plan update. And again, it's it's not that we won't consider it, but we would like to see the data that supports it so we can make a decision, not just because, as was said earlier, just because we think it's a good idea or something of that nature. All right. Any further discussion? So, um, for the record, the motion is to deny it or not or or look to ratify it to, um, table it until we can forget the information provided to us as stated from some of the comments.

The motion is to deny. All right. And we have a second. All right. All in favor, please raise your right hand. That is 72. Seven. All oppose. Two. Motion passes. Item number two, annexation of Lexon County Tax Map 005421-1-00005-006 located at 5504 South Lake Drive. Jessica

New Bethl AM Church owns approximately 3.22 acres on South Lake Drive and has petitioned to annex the property. A church is currently located on the site and a portion of the property is already within the town's jurisdiction. Properties in town near this one are zone general commercial. South Lake Drive is classified as a collector road. The property is shown on the future land use map as the triangle downtown overlay area. The comprehensive land use plan describes this area as a unique part of town characterized by a collection of historic residential and commercial buildings as well as well-defined town center with a high presence of civic buildings and public spaces. For the proposed project to be compliant with the zoning ordinance, the properties should be zoned with general commercial zoning.

All righty. Did anyone sign up to speak? All right. So, we have no one to speak. Do I have a motion? Motion to approve. Do I have a second? We have a motion in the second. Any discussion? Part of this property is a cemetery or a majority of I guess tax map 005 is a cemetery. Correct. And the other has a existing dwelling on it. it I I don't think it's occupied as a residential use, but um it's all owned and operated by the church. So

Okay. All right. And the church is already the church itself is in town. It's the parking lot cemetery in the additional building at 504. Okay. All right. All in favor, please raise your right hand. All it is unanimous. All right, that concludes all of our agenda items. Do uh I have a motion to adjurnn. Motion to adjurnn. Second.

Without objection, we are adjourned. Thank you for watching the town election and planning commission and action. Please note we cannot partake in any outside communications about agenda items. If you have additional questions or after the meeting, please contact the municipal clerk. On behalf of the town election and planning commission and staff, I wish you a good day.