A local contractor pitched a potential development for a parcel of city-owned land on Spotswood Drive to Lexington City Council during its meeting last Thursday, the first proposed development for the property since Echelon Resources terminated its contract with the city for the property in October 2024.
Peter Sils proposed a development of four buildings containing a combined total of 12 units. Two of the buildings would total 2,100 square feet and have four units each, while the other two would each have two units and a size of 1,500 square feet. The larger units would be two-story, threebedroom units and the smaller units would be single-story, two-bedroom units. The buildings would have a mission-style design, which features a focus on natural wood grain and handcrafted quality.
Sils’ plan is to sell the units to perspective buyers, and he told Council that he is “envisioning this as something an emptynester could buy.”
“I’m interested in this particular piece of property because I think it’s essential for the development of the downtown and for the city itself,” he said. “I would love to see [it] developed responsibly … I think this would be a very responsible use for this particular property.”
In response to a question from Council member Leslie Straughan, Sils explained that the buildings would be oriented in a way that they faced toward Spotswood Drive. In a rough sketch provided with the proposal, Sils had the larger units sitting on the eastern side of the property, closer to the hospital, one behind the other. The smaller units were situated in similar positions on the western side of the property.
Straughan also asked Sils if his proposal included a one-year study period, and he said that it didn’t include any study period, adding that he was hoping he would be able to begin work on the development this fall.
Council member Nicholas Betts asked Sils how he settled on the number of units and Sils explained that he considered the space of the property and how much space people may need.
“I don’t believe that people can be piled one on top of another,” he added. “I don’t think that’s Lexington, to be honest. I think this would really suit the town.”
Betts also asked about parking for the units, and Sils noted that each unit would have a two-car garage they could utilize, which Sils said he felt was “absolutely necessary.”
Council member David Sigler asked what limitations, if any, would there be to prevent people from buying multiple units and renting them out. Sils noted that there weren’t many he could impose himself, but he did feel that the cost would be the biggest factor in preventing that scenario. His proposed price for the units is $320,000 for the smaller units and $420,000 for the larger ones.
“The units are not inexpensive,” he said. “It’s not possible to buy units and rent it out and make ends meet.”
Sils’ proposal includes an offer to purchase the property from the city for $120,000. He told The News-Gazette in an email that he was “looking at this as a possible pilot project for the development of the VDOT property” located on Waddell Street, which is also owned by the city.
Council passed a resolution in January reaffirming the city’s commitment to developing both properties, either together or separately, in order to increase tax revenue for the city and to increase density within the city.
Lexington City Manager Tom Carroll told The News-Gazette in an email this week that while the city appreciated Sils’ “wellthought- out plan,” the proposed design concept “falls a bit short of meeting the city’s policy objective.”
He went on to say that the city has “not ruled out this concept, but I also think [that] at this time we will explore other concepts that will create a larger economic impact for the community.”
