A proposal is pending before the Lexington-Fayette Planning Commission to rezone the Greathouse property/Great Acres Nursery (2731 and 2751 Leestown Road) from Agricultural Urban (A-U) and Single Family Residential (R-1D/R-1E) to Highway Service Business (B-3) and Planned Neighborhood Residential (R-3).

The planned development is tentatively called "The Villages at Great Acres." Development plans filed with the Planning Commission by Anderson Communities, available here, show plans to build 474 apartments and 95 townhomes, along with two 14,000 square-foot and 20,000 square-foot "commercial buildings" for business tenants. The planned highway-use businesses include a drug store, bank, and gas station.

The Masterson Station neighborhood already includes well over 2,000 closely-spaced homes and apartments, with more being built every year. The noise and light pollution of over 600 new homes and several commercial buildings packed into a 50-acre lot is not in character with the existing neighborhood. The added traffic on Leestown Road and surrounding roads will burden commuters and congest the neighborhood, bringing safety concerns. More children in high-density apartments and townhomes would tax already overpopulated local schools. Further, questions exist concerning the effect of high-density development degrading water flow next to the large stormwater control and floodplain mitigation basin.

The developer has compared this proposed development to Townley Park/Townley Center, the expansive mixed business/residential area just inside Leestown Road also developed by Anderson Communities. Townley, though, is 50% retail, including numerous restaurants and customer-facing businesses not planned for The Villages at Great Acres. As well, while the Townley residences have filled, the area still has several vacant commercial properties. No business has yet signed a lease for The Villages at Great Acres.

Please join us and sign this petition to voice your concerns to the Planning Commission and the City Council about the proposed Villages at Great Acres development. Remarks on the plans will be heard at the Planning Commission Zoning Subcommittee hearing on Thursday, March 24 at 1:30 P.M. at the City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, Urban County Government Building, 200 East Main Street, Lexington, Kentucky.

You can also reach out individually to the Planning Commission to air your concerns by emailing planningmailbox@lexingtonky.gov, by writing to Division of Planning, 101 East Vine Street, Suite 700, Lexington, KY 40507, or by calling (859) 258-3160.

You can also discuss this development with the Urban County Councilwoman for the 2nd District, Shevawn Akers, by emailing her at sakers@lexingtonky.gov, by writing to her at Fifth Floor Government Center, 200 East Main Street, Lexington, KY 40507, or by calling (859) 258-3217.

Finally, you can email the attorney for Anderson Communities, Richard Murphy of Murphy & Clendenen, PLLC, at richard@murphyclendenen.com, write to him at Murphy & Clendenen, Lexington Financial Center, 250 West Main Street Suite 2510, Lexington, KY 40507, or call him at (859) 233-9811.

Thank you for your time and your consideration of this appeal.