CentrePointe in ACE now, plus updates

ACE has published my article this week on the CADRB demolition hearing last Wednesday (minus the cursing, of course). Scroll down here to read it, but also be sure to pick one up and support your local advertisers.

One bit that got cut dealt with board member Anthony Wright, who curiously thanked the Webb team for "educating him on the TIF issue", though there was no discussion of how TIF worked at the hearing. Well, I've just seen emails obtained from an LFUCG open records request that reveal that Woodford Webb sent emails to Wright shortly after he was appointed to the board, in which Webb sought to arrange a private meeting in order to discuss CentrePointe.

Unethical??? You betcha.

And an update on what happened today in the CentrePointe saga. I wasn't able to make it to the courthouse this morning, but Beverly Fortune was there:

Circuit Court Judge Pamela Goodwine set a hearing for July 22 on Preserve Lexington's request for an injunction to keep CentrePointe developers from razing several historic buildings. CentrePointe's attorney agreed that developers would not tear the buildings down in the meantime.

Because of a crowded schedule Wednesday, Goodwine said she did not have time to give the issue a full hearing.

Preserve Lexington sought a temporary injunction while they appeal a decision made last week by the Courthouse Area Design Review Board that gave developers a permit to raze buildings in the protected courthouse area.

The decision was appealed this week to the Planning Commission, which has 90 days to make a decision. The losing side, at that point, can file a lawsuit in circuit court.

Centrepointe attorney Phil Scott said the developers could not tear the buildings down right away, anyway, because they did not have a demolition permit.

Meanwhile, demolition began Wednesday on buildings on the CentrePointe block that are outside the Courthouse Area Design Review Board's jurisdiction.

The buildings are coming down as developers prepare to build a 35-story hotel-condominium complex that would take up an entire block of downtown Lexington.

Preservationists have been fighting to change the design of the project to incorporate existing buildings on the block.

Great news, finally. (Triple Crown Lounge was outside the courthouse area, that's why it could come down today.)

More updates to come, as always. This is your Vertical Lexington Mall news headquarters.

Also WKYT has footage of the demolition that has begun.

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