The Lexington Planning Commission has approved a rezoning proposal for a new development that would result in the demolition of at least 12 historic buildings dating from the 1880s to the 1920s. These are located in the Southeast Lexington Residential and Commercial District, which is listed on the National Register. They are thus eligible for state and federal historic tax credits for rehabilitation. Threatened properties include 201, 207, 209, 211, 215, 221, 225, 227, 231, and 235 E. Maxwell, as well as 245, 247-49, and 251 Stone Avenue. 

In 2022, Ohio-based entity FFF Max LLC purchased these parcels (with the exception of 235 E. Maxwell, which it has not yet acquired). Stavroff Land & Development Inc. of Dublin, Ohio appears to be overseeing permitting and rezoning efforts. The plans call for a 6-7 story (75 foot), 700-bed apartment building that would fill two blocks and be radically out of scale with the neighborhood. With only a ten-foot setback from the street, it would create a visual canyon.

The Blue Grass Trust supports sensible in-fill solutions that would rehabilitate and integrate these tax credit-eligible properties into the site plan. Rather than permanently damaging the historic fabric of the neighborhood, Stavroff Development could pursue feasible alternatives. 

Update (March 1)

Thank you all for your continued support as we oppose the rezoning of E. Maxwell and Stone Avenue to prevent the destruction of 13 historic properties. The Urban County Council received over 200 pages of emails prior to its January meeting; the vast majority of this correspondence was critical of the rezoning. However, following the lead of the councilmember for District 3 – where this project is located – the majority of the Council voted to approve the rezoning without holding a public hearing. Shortly after that decision, the Blue Grass Trust attempted to negotiate with Stavroff Development to at least save the buildings that were not targeted for demolition in their initial site plan. Unfortunately, our overtures were rejected out of hand.    

On February 21, the Blue Grass Trust filed an appeal with the Circuit Court to review the rezoning. We are asserting that this arbitrary and capricious action was ultimately in violation of the comprehensive plans. We also believe that the conduct of the Planning Department staff and the Council’s refusal to hold a hearing on the matter constituted a violation of our due process rights. Although we would have liked to avoid litigation, the actions of the Council and the developer did not leave us with any alternative remedies.

For further information on this redevelopment and our opposition to it, please visit the new blog section of this website and read the two op-eds written by our historic preservation manager, Dr. Zak Leonard. 

Note: donations for promotion are purely optional and simply expand the reach of the petition. The Blue Grass Trust does not receive any of these funds directly.