Planning commission approves dark‑sky bollard, asks for stronger Lee Avenue screening at Founders Hall COA

The Lexington Planning Commission on March 26 approved a night‑sky‑compliant bollard for the proposed Founders Hall and directed the applicant to revise the Lee Avenue streetscape to provide stronger screening of the new building.

Tom Pulaski, director of facilities at Washington and Lee University, said the applicant supplied enlarged 11x17 graphics and additional elevations after staff discovered truncated drawings in the packet and that the bollard specification met dark‑sky standards. Staff also provided the commission with pedestrian‑level renderings and plant specifications after the packet was supplemented.

Commissioners focused on how the proposed planting would reduce the project’s “effective visual mass,” the code standard they must enforce. Staff (Arnie) confirmed the proposed street trees were larger than the minimum required caliper (applicant: about 3–4‑inch caliper, 12–15 feet initial height) and that hornbeam specimens were expected to grow another 15 percent, but several commissioners said the current planting plan did not sufficiently screen the large façade when viewed from the pedestrian level.

Because of a statutory timing constraint for entrance‑corridor certificates of appropriateness, staff recommended splitting action so the lighting could be decided immediately while landscaping revisions were returned to the applicant. The commission voted to approve the dark‑sky bollard model as presented. The commission then approved the COA with a modification for the Lee Avenue façade: require a different selection/placement of trees to improve vertical screening and provide additional 5‑foot pedestrian‑level streetscape renderings for the Lee Avenue elevation before the final landscaping plan is accepted.

A member of the public who spoke during the hearing urged the commission to ensure building heights and setback projections are correct before permit issuance and suggested additional review by the city attorney to avoid post‑approval compliance problems; staff said setbacks and final dimensions will be verified during site plan review and that life‑safety requirements will be enforced in permitting.

Next steps: the applicant will revise the Lee Avenue planting plan and submit revised 5‑foot perspective drawings. Staff will confirm whether the commission’s requested changes can be completed within the statutory review window and will follow up on final site‑plan dimensions during building‑permit review.