By Lauren McCally
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
The
Midway City Council gave first reading Monday night to an ordinance of intent
annex the property between Midway Grocery and Northridge Estates, the site of a
planned housing development.
The
council also approved two event permits, named members to the revived Tree
Board, de-annexed 27 acres along Georgetown Road and heard their next meeting
would be in person at City Hall, rather than by Zoom.
Mayor
Grayson Vandegrift explained the process and reasons for annexing the seven and
a half acres owned by Northside Homes, a company owned by Mike and Scott
Bradley that plans to build about 60 townhouses in groups of three that would
be attached by breezeways. The property is surrounded by the city limits and
has never been inside them.
“I want
to make very clear to everyone that there are two main reasons to annex the
property owned by Northside Homes,” the mayor said. The main reason, he said,
is so the council can be the legislative body that eventually decides the
rezoning that the Bradleys’ plan needs in order to proceed.
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Map of city limits shows the "island," most of which is to be annexed. |
The
other reason, the mayor said, is that the property is “something that’s been a
thorn in the city’s side for a long time, you know, having this island you
can’t control when the grass gets up above 12 inches.”
He said that when the plans for the property became known, a
former council member told him to “make sure you use this opportunity to
finally annex that land.”
Kentucky cities can’t annex land without approval of 55
percent of the residents, and the property to be annexed has had only two
residents, who sold it to the Bradleys and moved.
Vandegrift
showed the council a map of the city’s zoning and city limits, saying “I think
our boundaries look like an eagle, like a Midway University eagle.” Referring
to the tract not in the city, he said “The poor eagle has a hole right in its
heart.”
He said that he spoke with the owners of both homes that are
in the “island” but not in the Bradleys’ tract. One couple “sounded interested
in being brought in as well,” but “that would be a separate ordinance.” The
other homeowners do not wish to be annexed, he said.
The annexation will require four readings, the first two for
the intent to annex and the second to accomplish the actual annexation of the
property.
The
mayor said the county Planning Department told him Monday that the first
hearing on the rezoning would be held in Midway in June, with Covid-19 protocols
in place. “We are currently trying to secure the location.” he said. “We have
tentative approval but it does require a final approval that would come on
April 20 from the session of the church we have reached out to.”
The
second reading and passage of the intent to annex is scheduled for April 19, at
the next council meeting. Vandegrift said twice that annexation does not mean
that the council will rezone the tract.
The Bradleys say their homes would sell for $130,000, which
would add greatly to the city’s stock of affordable housing. Council Member
Stacy Thurman, who chairs the Affordable Housing Task Force, said she would
like to see $5,000 included in the next budget for a housing needs assessment.
De-annexation: The council passed the ordinance de-annexing about 30 acres
at 1132 Georgetown Road, owed by Mike Freeny, so a warehouse being
built there will not have to be on the sewer system, which would require an
expensive pump station.
In return for the de-annexation,
Freeny has agreed to donate 16 acres of his property, bordering the east
end of Midway Station, so the city can create a public access point for South
Elkhorn Creek.
Tree Board: In proposing appointees for the Tree Board up to
the council. “We have had a tree board on the books in Midway for quite some
time but it sorta fallen quiet and we’re trying to revamp it.”
The Tree
Board is charged with doing an inventory of trees in the city, creating a plan
for planting and not planting, applying to become an official tree city and
settle disputes among property owners about trees that on boundary lines.
The
appointments have specific criteria. One must be a landscape architect, who can
come from outside the city if one is not available. That will be Josh DeSpain,
a senior landscaper at RossTarrant Architects in Lexington, where Midway
resident Debra Shockley works.
The other appointees approved were arborist/forester Ross
Raterman, owner of Dave Leonard Tree Specialists;, Rich Schein, a member of the
Planning and Zoning Commission and a board member the last time it was active;
horticulturalist county extension agent Faye Kousman;, Council Member Sara
Hicks;, a member at large, Hank Pinkerman; and a member of the Midway Woman’s
Club, Bethany Langdon.
Events: The first event permit approved was for RaceRise LLC and a race sponsored by
Ambrose Wilson and Bob Barney. The funds raised will help provide dolls to
children in need, an effort Wilson started after the passing of his wife,
Karen.
“That was
a big passion of Karen Wilson’s,” Vandegrift said. “She thought that every kid
who wants one should have a doll, especially Christmas time.”
The race
will start in Walter Bradley Park at 8 a.m. May 22.
The
other permit was for a Love Real Wellness race in Northridge Estates and uses
sidewalks. A portion of the proceeds are donated to Celebrate Recovery. Council
Member Stacy Thurman, who manages the library, told the event coordinator, Adam
Reid, that the library would be open at 9 a.m. Saturday and participants could
use its restrooms there if they needed.
The race
will be held at 9 a.m. June 12 with sign-up starting at 8 a.m.
Pandemic: The mayor also mentioned that those who are 18 and older could now get the
Johnson and Johnson vaccine at Railroad Drug. In an email to the Messenger, Ken
Glass, the co-owner of Railroad Drug, said the pharmacy is giving vaccinations
as they receive vaccine doses. “We still have about 50 left as of right now,”
he said. “We typically ask people to call us and let us know what time of day
they can come in the same day they want to receive it.” He added that they give
the vaccines from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m.
After
confirming that all members of the council are “double vaccinated,” Vandegrift
said the next council meeting will be in person at City Hall. It will be the first in-person meeting since last March. The mayor said the
public may attend but will have to wear a mask the entire time, and council
members will wear masks except when they are speaking, and chairs will be
socially distanced. He concluded, “That’s another little milestone of getting
closer to normal.”
UPDATE: Vandegrift said Wednesday that the council's second budget workshop would be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 13 via Zoom. He said in an email, "We’ll have two items to discuss at this workshop: a
specified request for funds from the Parks Board (I put the amount of $7,500 in
previously, in lieu of their official request, but they have that prepared now,
so they will present that.) We'll also have a
presentation from Mosquito Mate. Line item action may be taken." The company wants to use the city as a pilot project for its biological control of the insects.