(a) Intent. The intent of this zone is to accommodate existing and future development in the downtown core area. The zone is a specialized district for the location of high density residential and high intensity commercial and mixed-use developments. This zone recognizes the downtown core as the focal point of business, recreation, and transportation facilities and activities for Lexington. Development within this zone should coordinate with adopted plans and studies, including corridor studies and streetscape plans. This zone should be located and developed within the Downtown Place-Type and should be established in accordance with the Goals, Objectives, Policies, and Development Criteria of the Comprehensive Plan.
(b) Principal Uses. (Other uses substantially similar to those listed herein shall also be deemed permitted.)
1. The principal permitted uses in the B-1 zone.
2. Amusement enterprises, such as indoor billiard or pool halls; indoor theaters; bowling alleys; dance halls; skating rinks.
3. Restaurants, cocktail lounges and nightclubs, with entertainment, dancing or the sale of alcoholic beverages.
4. Establishments for the display, rental, or sale of automobiles, motorcycles, trucks not exceeding one and one-half (1½) tons, and boats limited to runabout boats, provided that the outdoor display or storage of vehicles shall conform to the requirements of Article 16.
5. Establishments engaged in blueprinting, printing, publishing and lithographing; interior decorating; upholstering; laundering, clothes cleaning and dyeing; clothing alterations and tailoring services.
6. Hotels and motels.
7. Passenger transportation terminals.
8. Any type of dwelling unit.
9. Wholesale establishments.
10. Minor automobile and truck repair.
11. Establishments primarily engaged in the sale of supplies and parts for vehicles and farm equipment.
12. Pawnshops.
13. Stadium and exhibition halls.
14. Telephone exchanges; radio and television studios.
15. Cable television system signal distribution centers and studios.
16. Athletic club facilities.
17. Adult arcades, massage parlors, adult bookstores, adult video stores, adult cabarets, adult dancing establishments, adult entertainment establishments, and sexual entertainment centers, provided that none shall be located within a 500-foot radius of any agricultural or residential zone, any elementary or secondary school, any park attended by persons under eighteen (18) years of age, or within a 1,000-foot radius of any other similarly regulated adult business.
18. Parking lots and structures, provided such use conforms to the conditions of Article 16.
19. Hosted or Un-Hosted Short Term Rentals, as regulated in Section 3-13 of the Zoning Ordinance.
(c) Accessory Uses. (Uses and structures which are customarily accessory, clearly incidental and subordinate to permitted uses.)
1. Storage, wholesaling, and warehousing.
2. Storage yards for delivery vehicles of a permitted use.
3. Sidewalk cafe, when accessory to any permitted restaurant.
4. Major automobile and truck repair, when accessory to an establishment primarily engaged in the sale of automobiles and trucks.
5. Satellite dish antennas, as further regulated in Section 15-8.
6. Micro-brewery, when accessory to a restaurant permitted herein; shall be located at least one hundred (100) feet from a residential zone, and shall be soundproofed to the maximum extent feasible by using existing technology, with noise or other emissions not creating a nuisance to the surrounding neighborhood.
7. Parking areas or structures.
(d) Conditional Uses. (Permitted only with Board of Adjustment approval.)
1. Helistops, provided such facilities conform to the requirements of all appropriate federal, state and local regulations.
2. Drive-through facilities for sale of goods or products or provision of services otherwise permitted herein.
3. Mining of non-metallic minerals, but only when the proposal complies with the requirements of the Mining/Quarrying Ordinance (Code of Ordinances #252-91) and the conditions and requirements as set forth therein. The Board of Adjustment shall specifically consider and be able to find:
a. That the proposed use will not constitute a public nuisance by creating excessive noise, odor, traffic, dust, or damage to the environment or surrounding properties;
b. That a reasonable degree of reclamation and proper drainage control is feasible; and
c. That the owner and/or applicant has not had a permit revoked or bond or other security forfeited for failure to comply with any federal, state or local laws, regulations or conditions, including land reclamation, pertaining to the proposed use.
4. Adult arcades, adult bookstores, adult video stores, adult cabarets, adult dancing establishments, adult entertainment establishments, and sexual entertainment centers, except as permitted herein; provided none shall be located within a 500-foot radius of any elementary or secondary school, any park attended by persons under eighteen (18) years of age, or within a 1,000-foot radius of any other similarly regulated adult business.
5. Gasoline pumps available to the public without an employee on site, provided a plan is approved by the Board of Adjustment for periodic inspection of the site by an employee for the following purposes:
a. To check all operating equipment;
b. To check fire suppression system(s);
c. To check the condition of the fire alarm(s);
d. To check for indications of fuel leaks and spillage;
e. To remove trash from the site;
f. To monitor the general condition of the site.
6. Rehabilitation homes, when located closer than five hundred (500) feet from a residential zone, school for academic instruction or a childcare center.
7. Temporary structures designed for use or occupancy for sixty-one (61) to one hundred eighty (180) days per 12-month period on a single property, calculating said period by cumulative consideration of the use of any and all such structures on a single property.
8. Circuses, provided all structures are located not less than two hundred (200) feet from any residential zone; and further provided that all structures for housing animals shall be two hundred (200) feet from any residential zone, residential use, school, hospital, nursing home or rest home. A circus may not displace more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the minimum required parking for the site it occupies.
9. Automobile and vehicle refueling stations, provided such use conforms to all requirements of Article 16.
10. Ecotourism activities to include commercial hiking, bicycling, equine and zip line trails; tree canopy tours; canoeing and kayaking launch sites; fishing clubs; botanical gardens; nature preserves; and seasonal activities.
(e) Prohibited Uses. (All uses other than those listed as principal, accessory, or conditional uses or substantially similar to principal, accessory, or conditional uses shall be prohibited. The uses below are provided for illustration purposes and for the purpose of limiting permitted uses, and are not intended to be a total listing of all the uses that are prohibited.)
1. The prohibited uses in the B-1 zone, items 1 through 7 (Section 8-16(e)1 through 7), except as permitted herein.
2. Outdoor kennels or outdoor animal runs.
3. Establishments engaged in the display, rental, or repair of farm equipment, trucks exceeding one and one-half (1½) tons, and contractor's equipment.
4. The above- or below-ground storage of any flammable material in gaseous form, including compressed natural gas.
5. Hospitals.
6. Campgrounds and hunting clubs.
7. Farm tours, hayrides, corm mazes, outdoor rodeos, riding stables, horse shows, fishing lakes, hunting or trapping, sportsmen's farms, zoological gardens and classes related to agricultural products or skills.
8. Medicinal cannabis cultivators, processors, producers and safety compliance facilities.
(f) Minimum Lot Size. No limitation.
(g) Minimum Lot Frontage. No limitation.
(h) Minimum Front Yard. No limitation.
(i) Minimum Each Side Yard. No limitation.
(j) Minimum Rear Yard. No limitation.
(k) Minimum Open Space. See Article 20 for open space regulations.
(l) Maximum Lot Coverage. No limitation.
(m) Maximum Height of Building. No limitation.
No minimum requirements.
Conditional Uses: The Board of Adjustment may establish additional requirements, as needed.
(o) Special Provisions.
1. For any development that is located adjacent to, connects to, or interacts directly with the Town Branch Commons corridor, such development of the site shall comply with the Town Branch Commons Masterplan and Design standards; taking precedent over the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan where conflicts occur.
2. For those floors of buildings containing dwelling units with windows for habitable rooms, there shall be provided a height-to-yard ratio of 3:1 for light and air. Public street right-of-way width may be used as part of this setback requirement, except that a minimum setback of five (5) feet from the property line, other than property lines adjoining street right-of-way, shall be required in any case. No setback shall be required for those floors containing non-residential uses or dwelling unit walls without windows.
3. Redevelopment of any site shall comply with the Downtown Streetscape Master Plan for Lexington, Kentucky.
(Code 1983, § 8-17; Ord. No. 263-83, § 1, 12-15-1983; Ord. No. 89-86, § 17, 5-29-1986; Ord. No. 30-92, § 10, 3-3-1992; Ord. No. 213-94, § 5, 1-20-1994; Ord. No. 30-95, § 1, 2-9-1995; Ord. No. 71-96, § 2, 5-16-1996; Ord. No. 85-96, § 3, 5-30-1996; Ord. No. 155-97, § 1, 7-10-1997; Ord. No. 222-98, § 1, 8-27-1998; Ord. No. 261-98, § 1, 10-1-1998; Ord. No. 325-2000, § 1, 11-9-2000; Ord. No. 62-2003, § 1, 3-20-2003; Ord. No. 203-2004, § 1, 8-26-2004; Ord. No. 129-2009, § 21, 7-2-2009; Ord. No. 99-2011, § 5, 8-25-2011; Ord. No. 100-2011, § 4, 8-25-2011; Ord. No. 5-2013, § 2, 1-31-2013; Ord. No. 129-2013, § 2, 10-24-2013; Ord. No. 155-2013, § 2, 12-10-2013; Ord. No. 68-2015, § 1(8-17), 6-18-2015; Ord. No. 137-2016, § 2(8-17), 7-7-2016; Ord. No. 166-2017, § 3(8-17), 11-16-2017; Ord. No. 77-2019, § 1, 10-10-2019; Ord. No. 031-2020, § 1, 3-17-2020; Ord. No. 113-2022, § 3, 10-27-2022; Ord. No. 004-2023, § 18, 1-31-2023; Ord. No. 020-2023, § 11, 3-9-2023; Ord. No. 074-2023, § 13, 7-11-2023; Ord. No. 057-2024, § 11, 6-27-2024)