The regulations imposed and the districts created by this chapter may be amended from time to time, but no such amendments shall be made without a public hearing before the Planning Commission.
The Planning Commission shall consider from time to time any amendment to regulations imposed and districts created under this chapter that may be presented to the Planning Commission by the City Council, either upon the Council's initiative or in response to a properly prepared petition to the Council signed by a majority of the property owners in the area proposed to be affected. The Planning Commission shall conduct public hearings with respect to any and all such proposed amendments, and all hearings conducted by the Planning Commission shall be open to the public. Notice shall be given of the time and place of every public hearing not more than 30 days nor less than 15 days before the hearing, by publishing a notice thereof at least once in one or more newspapers published in the City, or, if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers having a general circulation within the City.
A. 
Upon the completion of the public hearing relating to any proposed amendment, the Planning Commission shall report its recommendation to the City Council. In considering such recommendations, due allowance shall be made by the Planning Commission for existing conditions, for the conservation of property values, for the direction of building development to the best advantage of the entire City, and for the uses to which property affected is being devoted at the time; and no change shall be recommended unless it is required for the public good.
B. 
No amendment to this chapter shall be made by the City Council without prior public hearing by the Planning Commission nor without a report of recommendations first having been made by the Planning Commission to the City Council, and every such report shall be accompanied by findings of fact specifying the reasons for the recommendations.
In case a written protest against any proposed amendment of the regulations or districts, signed and acknowledged by the owners of 20% of the frontage proposed to be altered, or by the owners of 20% of the frontage immediately adjoining or across an alley therefrom or by the owners of 20% of the frontage directly opposite the frontage proposed to be altered, if filed with the City Clerk, the amendment shall not be passed except upon a favorable vote of two-thirds of all the members of the City Council of the City of Lexington.
The City Council, without further public hearing, may adopt or reject the report of the Planning Commission for any proposed amendment, or may refer the petition back to the Planning Commission for further consideration. Any proposed amendment that fails to receive the approval of a majority of the Planning Commission members, and is so reported, shall not be passed by the City Council except by the favorable vote of two-thirds of all the elected members of the City Council.
[Amended 6-14-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-4]
Any petition for an amendment or application for conditional use, filed by or on behalf of the owner or owners of the property affected, shall be filed with the Code Compliance Officer and accompanied by a fee as set forth in Chapter 63, Fees. The Code Compliance Officer shall forthwith pay said fee over to the City Treasurer to the credit of the general revenue fund of the City of Lexington.
[Amended 6-14-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-4]
Amendments adopted shall be promptly attached to the section modified; likewise, amendments to district boundaries or other matter portrayed on the Zoning Maps (two in number) shall be corrected yearly by the Code Compliance Officer and attested by the City Clerk.