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At the Nicholasville City Commission workshop meeting on Monday, March 3, the Commission discussed Lexington Legends Nicholasville Night dates and a de-annexation.

Workshop meetings, held on the first of every month, allow commissioners to have more lengthy discussions before making final decisions at regular meetings.

Last year, the Legends Ballpark in Lexington, Kentucky, had a “Nicholasville Night,” with residents and community members in Nicholasville invited to attend the Lexington Legend game at a discounted rate. 

Mayor Alex Carter said last year’s event had a good turnout but bad weather. He told commissioners that suggested dates for this year are June 21, July 5, August 2, and August 16. 

The Commission agreed that August 2 would be their preference since it is before school starts.

According to Nicholasville Planning and Zoning Director Tim Cross, the city has never de-annexed property before. At this workshop, however, he brought up property to discuss de-annexing. This action would give jurisdiction of the property to the Jessamine County Fiscal Court. 

The land to be de-annexed is residential tracks on South Danville Loop. The city originally annexed it and zoned it industrial. While an adjacent piece of land stayed zoned as industrial, some of the property was prepared for residential development. 

Representatives from the Nicholasville Fire Department added that the city fire trucks may not be enough for several-acre single-family residences, saying that the city has “got the best fire department in Jessamine County, but county fire trucks carry more [water].

In discussion, Commissioner Bethany Brown, along with other commissioners and Mayor Carter, agreed that it would be smart to de-annex the property. “Ultimately, it’s not viable to extend water and sewer services to a single-family residence,” Carter said. The Commission did agree that bringing out utility lines for industrial purposes could be justified by the economic impact, including the creation of industrial and construction jobs.

Cross told the Journal that the industrial-zoned parcel at the south end of town is a good place for it and that it makes more sense to de-annex residential property at the south end of town. 

The residential zones will also see the construction of good quality homes, but ultimately, according to Cross, don’t make sense under city zoning ordinances. “It’s a different situation. These (residential properties) are five-acre tracks inside the city limits. So if you think of your normal 5-acre track owner, they might have a horse or larger pets that don’t really fit the city.”

“And we have a restriction on the size of a backyard building, like 650 square feet. Well, somebody goes and moves out to a five-acre track; a 650-square-foot building is [too small].”

The meeting ended after Commissioner Dexter Knight reminded the Commission and crowd that the Jessamine County Education Foundation is having a fundraiser on Saturday, March 22, at 6 p.m. According to its website, the Jessamine County Education Foundation is a community-based organization formed in 1985 that is committed to enriching Jessamine County Schools. For tickets to the fundraiser, call the Jessamine County Schools Central Office at 859-885-4179.