The Lexington Planning Commission met Wednesday, July 1, for a public hearing on proposed amendments to the city's zoning regulations.
Development Services Director Bill Brecks reviewed a digital copy of the ordinance with the board.
After discussing the revisions, the board voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council approve the amendments.
The proposed changes amend Zoning Ordinance No. 2485. Brecks said the city's zoning code was originally based on the City of La Vista and has since been amended in 2015, 2019 and 2024.
"At the time, we were trending toward that population level," Brecks said. "When we were bringing it in to us, it still ended up being more suburban than bigger rural."
Brecks said city staff determined in 2026 that the ordinance needed to be updated.
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The board received a list of the proposed revisions before Brecks explained them.
"It's going to look like a lot, but it's not," Brecks said. "A lot of these things are things people in town have struggled with for a long time. We're making the changes to make it a little more clear."
Among the proposed revisions is reducing the required setback for accessory structures from 10 feet to 5 feet from the primary building.
"People want them closer, and the fire code only requires 5 feet," Brecks said.
The ordinance also clarifies language regarding exterior materials by specifying that metal wall panels are not permitted on accessory structures.
If approved by the council, the minimum width requirement for mobile homes would increase from 14 to 18 feet.
"This is along with the times," Brecks said. "We don't build 14-footers anymore, and a lot of the 14-foot mobile homes are to the age where they need to be redone."
Brecks added that several older units are already slated for demolition.
The proposed amendments also specify that permanent additions cannot be built onto mobile homes located in trailer parks.
Other recommended changes include requiring adult day care facilities to obtain the same permits as child care centers, changing automobile repair and service businesses to conditional uses, and adding a definition for data centers.
No members of the public spoke during the hearing. Brecks said he received no public comments prior to the meeting.
The board unanimously voted to recommend City Council approval of the ordinance amendments as presented.
During the roundtable discussion, Brecks announced that Jeremy Kaiser has resigned from the Planning Commission.
He also addressed the City Council's recent approval of a church conditional use permit that the Planning Commission had recommended denying.
"They almost saw a completely different agenda item than you did," Brecks said.
Brecks said the larger turnout at the council meeting provided council members with additional information that planning commissioners had not received, giving them a broader understanding of the proposal.
He added that a fire inspection report was submitted shortly before the council meeting, making it clear that significant work would be required before the building could be occupied.
