Changes coming to development plan regulations and approval process due to state legislation


In Tuesday’s General Government and Planning (GGP) Committee, Traci Wade of the Division of Planning will present an overview of how 2024’s House Bill 443 will affect Lexington’s process for approving development plans.
House Bill 443 was passed by the State legislature in 2024. The bill says that cities must have “objective standards” for development regulations, and that those standards must be applied “ministerially” — meaning that there should be no room for personal interpretation or discretion in how development plans are approved or disapproved.
A lot of Lexington’s zoning and development regulations are not objective under House Bill 44. Words such as “encouraged,” “recommended,” “should,” “adequate,” and more are found throughout Lexington’s planning regulations as they relate to building design, pedestrian facilities, and much more. Below is an example provided in the presentation slides.
Republished from CivicLex.
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