Setback Change For W&L Building OK’d
Lexington City Council approved an amendment to the Washington and Lee University master plan following a public hearing at its regular meeting Jan. 15.
The requested amendment would change a proffered setback for Founders Hall, the admissions and financial center building that is proposed to be built at the intersection of Washington Street and Lee Avenue, reducing the setback from Washington Street from 34 feet to 21 feet.
The 34-foot setback was proffered, along with a maximum height of 50 feet, by the university in its 2022 master plan that was approved by the city. No other amendments to the master plan were requested.
The amendment had gone before the city Planning Commission in December and was approved in a 3-1 vote. Commission Chair Shannon Spencer, who cast the lone dissenting vote, spoke during City Council’s public hearing to urge Council to not approve the amendment, reiterating concerns she raised during the Planning Commission meeting about the proffered height of the building remaining the same.
“It feels like we’ve already given a lot of extra land for [this building’s] footprint, so my concern is that this is going to be a hulking big building and it’s going to have an overwhelming feel on the street,” she said. “It feels like a shift from the downtown area.”
Caroline Alexander, who serves on the city’s Architectural Review Board, also addressed Council during the public hearing. She raised several questions, including whether the proffered height and setback would constitute a new standard for the city’s R-1 zoning district (the property is zoned R-1 with an Institutional Overlay), as the city’s R-1 zoning restricts the height of buildings to 45 feet.
City planner Arne Glaeser later explained that the proffered height would not change the zoning standards for the property, and while the Institutional Overlay district did allow the university some flexibility, all buildings must be approved by the city through the master plan.
Alexander also asked if there was any change to the programs that would be offered in the building to warrant it being moved closer to the street, and wondered why no one from Grace Episcopal Church – which is located opposite the site on Washington Street – had offered any comments on the proposal.
Thomas Kalasky, executive director of university facilities for W&L, offered answers to both questions, explaining that the reduction of the proffered setback was not due to any increase in programming being offered at the building, but was instead due to realizing that the building needed “better circulation” as the design began to come together.
He also said that he had met with the rector of Grace Episcopal and had showed him the plans for the building and given him a chance to ask questions about the project.
Concerns over the impact the new building would have on parking in the city were raised by both the Planning Commission and City Council. When speaking to the Planning Commission, Kalasky had noted that a parking study would need to be completed as part of the site plan that would be brought to the city if the amended setback was approved. At the suggestion of the Planning Commission, Kalasky agreed to make the study available to the public and to hold a public meeting to hear feedback from citizens before construction began. He reiterated that agreement to the City Council.
Nicholas Betts made the motion to approve the master plan amendment and John Driscoll provided the second. The motion carried in a 3-0 vote. Prior to the public hearing, Council members David Sigler, Chuck Smith and Leslie Straughan recused themselves, citing the fact that their spouses are employed by the university.
