Design Excellence Task Force seeks public input

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council’s Design Excellence Task Force has completed a draft of Design Standards and Guidelines for Lexington’s downtown area.  The Task Force has scheduled a public meeting to gather public input on the draft from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, November 14, in the third floor conference room of the Phoenix Building, 101 East Main Street.  You can find a copy of the presentation and the draft Design Standards and Guidelines here.

The Task Force was appointed in 2010 by the Urban County Council’s Planning Committee to move toward “form-based and/or design-based codes” that would provide guidance and support for improved design.  While the city already had some design guidelines for the Courthouse Area Design Overlay Zone in the heart of downtown, there had been substantial changes in the buildings within and around the overlay zone and new changes were contemplated in the near-future.

If adopted, the proposal would establish standards and guidelines applicable to most of downtown, with a structure for administration and review of proposals composed of staff and Review Board.