Council hears about ZOTAs and the CROWN Act

The General Government & Planning Committee heard presentations about Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments (ZOTAs) and a new CROWN Act which was placed in committee the week of May 1st. You can view the presentation slides here.

The ZOTA presentation reviewed conditional uses in the Agricultural (A-R) Zone, application approval, and current uses of property in the A-R zone. Councilmember Plomin (D-12) asked for this presentation in the December 6th, 2022 Council Work Session. 50% of conditional use permits approved since 2018 have been modifications to existing developments in the A-R zone.

Update:

Planning Staff Member Autumn Goderwis explained how conditional use permits are granted by the Board of Adjustments or through the zone change process, and how ZOTAs impact conditional uses. Council was grateful for the information and requested to hear more about zone changes across the other zones within the Rural Service Area. No action was taken at this meeting.

The CROWN Act, which stands for “Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair,” protects against discrimination based on hair texture and styles. District 2 Councilmember Shayla Lynch introduced an ordinance for Council to adopt in Lexington. Other Kentucky cities that have adopted the CROWN Act include Frankfort, Louisville, and Covington.

Update:

Chief Equity and Implementation Officer Tiffany Brown gave a presentation on The CROWN Act, which protects against discrimination based on hair texture and styles. This act has been passed in 21 states and adopted by several Kentucky cities across the Commonwealth. On Tuesday, May 9th, District 2 Councilmember Shayla Lynch, along with Councilmembers Gray and Fogel, introduced a new ordinance to adopt these protections in Lexington. This ordinance passed out of committee and Work Session on that Tuesday and received its first and second reading at the council meeting on Thursday evening, May 11th, where it was adopted.

The General Government & Planning Committee met on Tuesday, May 9th at 1pm in Council Chambers. You can watch the recording on LexTV.