The Highlights:

💡 - Big topic this week: ARPA Events

The opportunity for public input on the city's ARPA funding is coming to a close in less than two weeks - August 27th. This week, we're highlighting a series of workshops and meetings that LFUCG (and CivicLex 😉) are holding to help residents understand the process.

Selfishly, we're going to highlight our workshops (like the one in the photo below). This week, we're hosting an ARPA workshop with District 3 Council Member Hannah LeGris at our office at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center. We also have one next week.

Register for our workshops here:

August 18 at 6pm (with CM Hannah LeGris)
August 25 at 6pm

Also this week are community meetings about ARPA hosted in district by:

Mayor Gorton - Thursday (8/19) at 11:30am at the Eastside Public Library
CM Bledsoe - Wednesday (8/18) at 6pm at Dogwood Trace Park
CM Sheehan is hosting two: both on Wednesday (8/18) one at 12pm on Zoom; the other at 5:30pm at the Kenwick Community Center
CM Kloiber - Monday (8/16) at 6:30pm

Lastly, we've built a resource that we're continually updating with events around ARPA funding as we see them. On that page, you can see the events that Mayor Gorton is hosting, in addition to all of the District Council members events.

Also, you can take LFUCG's survey here.

🏢 - This week in City Hall: Allowing for more natural landscaping & gardens

This week, the General Government and Social Services Committee will hear a presentation on updating the city's Code of Ordinances related to property nuisances.

Right now, the city's Code of Ordinances forbids any "weeds, or grass, edible or not," from being higher than 10 inches tall on any part of a property. The amendment to the Code of Ordinances would make an exception to this rule for what is called a "naturalized garden".

Below is a list of the vegetation uses the ordinances would make exceptions for, all of which fall under "native plantings for the purpose of intentional naturalization".

Plantings used for:

Food or fiber
Aesthetic purposes
Attract or promote pollinators
Offset and control soil loss or erosion
Promote storm water control or water conservation
Improve the soil

If this change is made to the code of ordinances, it would legalize what exists in many neighborhoods already - edible and native vegetation that are over 10 inches high.

Legalizing naturalized gardens could change the aesthetics of many neighborhoods, give property owners more control over what plants they grow, and may lead to less citations and fines for those who grow these types of plants.

There are a couple important community protections also in the proposed update.

The updated code distinguishes between natural gardens and "vegetation abandonment". Any naturalized garden has to have some sort of "premise management" including site preparation, intentional plantings, and maintenance.
Naturalized gardens would be forbidden from including any plant species that are categorized as a "level one threat" by the Kentucky Exotic Plant Pest Council. You know what that means - no kudzu for you!

You can watch this presentation and GGSS Committee meeting on Tuesday at 1pm onLexTV.

If you are interested in learning more about naturalized gardens and pollinators, check out Wild Ones Lexington.

🏃 - Get Engaged: LFUCG's Minority Business Disparity Study

LFUCG recently launched a disparity study to get a better understanding of what barriers minority and women-owned businesses may face when applying or receiving a contract with the city.

LFUCG's consultant on the project, BBC Research and Consulting, is hosting two virtual community meetings to provide information about the study, answer questions related to the study, and collect testimony about business conditions in Lexington.

Here are the events:

Wednesday, August 25, 2021, 6 – 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom
Meeting ID: 962 3728 5758

Friday, August 27, 2021, 10. – 11:30AM
Location: Zoom
Meeting ID: 983 4977 1764

Learn more about the Disparity Study here.

🗞 - Updates from Last Week: Public Meeting Scheduled for ADUs

Last week, Lexington's Planning and Public Safety Committee heard a presentation about Accessory Dwelling Units (among other things) from the Division of Planning.

The main takeaway from the conversation in Committee was that there is concern on the part of some residents and that they need more and wider public input.

So, the committee scheduled a special meeting of the PPS Committee to specifically take public input on Accessory Dwelling Units.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 14 at 5:00 PM in Council Chambers. Get it on your calendar!
If you have questions about ADUs, email Chris Woodall in the Division of Planning.

You can also check out our resource on ADUs here.

Here's what our friends at the Herald-Leader had to say about this meeting.

🏢 This week in City Government

Monday, August 16

😿 - No Public Meetings

———

Tuesday, August 17

🏢 - General Government & Social Services Committee
⏱ - 1:00pm on August 17
📍 - 200 East Main Street
📺 - Watch via LexTV
📖 - Read the agenda
🗣 - Give input in person
🔦 - Highlights:

Naturalized gardens update (see above)

—

🏢 - Council Work Session
⏱ - 3:00pm on August 17
📍 - 200 East Main Street
📺 - Watch via LexTV
📖 - Read the agenda
🗣 - Give input in person
🔦 - Highlights:

Devine Carama, the new director of ONE Lexington, will give an overview of the ONE Lexington program and plans for growth.
- The ONE Lexington program hopes to expand to other neighborhoods in Lexington, including Cardinal Valley, the East End, and the West End.

—

🏢 - Public Hearing (Zone Change)
⏱ - 5:00pm on August 17
📍 - 200 East Main Street
📺 - Watch via LexTV
📖 - Read the agenda
🗣 - Give input in person
🔦 - Highlights:

This Public Hearing is for a proposed zone change for property at 1017 Wellington Way.
- The change request is from a Neighborhood Business (B1) zone to a High-Density Residential (R4).

———

Wednesday, August 18

📐 - Courthouse Area Design Review Board
⏱ - 2:00pm on August 18
📍 - Digital
📺 - Watch via Zoom
📖 - No agenda available
🗣 - No input option available

—

🧑‍🎨 - Urban County Arts Review Board
⏱ - 3:00pm on August 18
📍 - Digital
📖 - Read the Agenda
🗣 - No input option available
🔦 - Highlights:

Final approval of new public art in Southland Park

—

🌳 - Greenspace Commission
⏱ - 3:00pm on August 18
📍 - In person, Meet at corner of Brook Park Drive & East Edgebrook Drive and then go to 660 Eureka Springs Drive
📺 - No viewing option available
📖 - No agenda available
🗣 - No input option available

Thursday, August 19

🛣 - Corridors Commission Meeting
⏱ - 1:00pm on August 19
📍 - Digital
📺 - Watch via Zoom
📖 - No public agenda available
🗣 - No input option available

—

🏢 - Planning Commission Work Session
⏱ - 1:30pm on August 19
📍 - 101 E. Vine Street, 3rd floor
📺 - No viewing option available
📖 - No agenda available
🗣 - No input option available

Friday, August 20

🏢 - MIAAC Meeting
⏱ - 11:00am on August 20
📍 - No location available
📺 - No viewing available
📖 - No agenda available
🗣 - No input process available

🏃 More ways to get engaged

🧑🏾‍💼- LFUCG's Minority Business Disparity Study

LFUCG recently launched a disparity study to get a better understanding of what barriers minority and women-owned businesses may face when applying or receiving a contract with the city.

LFUCG's consultant on the project, BBC Research and Consulting, is hosting two virtual community meetings to provide information about the study, answer questions related to the study, and collect testimony about business conditions in Lexington.

Here are the events:

Wednesday, August 25, 2021, 6 – 7:30 PM
Location: Zoom
Meeting ID: 962 3728 5758

Friday, August 27, 2021, 10. – 11:30AM
Location: Zoom
Meeting ID: 983 4977 1764

Learn more about the Disparity Study here.

💰 - Give input on how to spend $120M in ARPA Funds

Now that we're in August, we're getting much closer to the deadline for public input on ARPA funding, which is August 27th. To help residents understand the process, we've built a resource that we're continually updating with events around ARPA funding as we see them.

We're planning a series of in-person workshops in August to help residents understand the process and purpose of spending these funds. We also are recording the city’s own workshops as well on our ARPA hub.

In case you've forgotten, the city is receiving $120M in federal COVID relief funds. Council has released a survey to set some guiding principles for the uses of the funding.

Register for our workshops here:

You can always take LFUCG's survey here.

🍃 - Provide your input for how Lexington should treat Open Space

🏃 - Give input here

The Division of Planning is proposing a Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments relating to Open Space.

What is open space? In the context of a city, think about small parks, greenspace, communal gathering areas, and other parts of our civic fabric. Open space provides opportunities for increased social cohesion and connection between neighbors and cultural events. It also has positive environmental impacts, including reduced water runoff, easing of heat islands, and more.

The Division of Planning's proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance will set new definitions for open space, set open space requirements for new developments, and more.

🅿️ - Give your input on parking in Lexington

The Division of Planning has put out a call for community members to help gather data to evaluate the current parking situation in our city. Learn more and take the Parking Survey here.