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Some residents of the Lakeshore area and The Island are voicing their concern about a proposed six-story apartment complex which could be built on Laketower Drive adjacent to Reservoir No. 2, citing the structure’s proportions being out of step with the rest of the neighborhood and an increase in traffic.
The proposed development, called Lakeview Estates, would have 142 units and would be 70 foot tall. There is also a planned three-story parking garage.
The Lexington Planning Commission will vote whether to approve of the design, submitted by Lakeshore Apartment Associates, on Thursday.
“We live in a very residential, quiet, wooded area that fronts one of the reservoirs. There are no buildings within a three-mile area that are six stories,” said Pat Robinson, president of the Lakeshore Village Homeowners Association, “so it’s going to drastically change the neighborhood.”
With only one access road, Seton Drive, to the neighborhood, if Lakeview Estates was at full capacity, Robinson said that would have a dramatic effect on traffic in the area.
“With the 142 units that’s proposed, that’s over 200 additional cars per day. That’s going to be a major, major impact,” she said.
Robinson said she and other neighbors have collected nearly 200 signatures in opposition to the current structure’s design, from residents of Lakeshore Village, Bridgeport Manor and The Island. “We’ve canvassed the whole area,” she said.
Earlier this year, Lakeshore Apartment Associates completed a massive restoration and rehabilitation of the Sonnet Cove apartments, turning the complex into a luxury apartment facility. Robinson said she and other neighbors were complimentary and supportive of the company’s previous work in the neighborhood, and hope that there is still room for negotiating a different design that is more in scope with the neighborhood.
“We’re not just a bunch of whiney homeowners over here,” she said. “We want our community to be strong, and we want to work together. We’ll work with (Lakeshore Apartment Associates), but they need to work with us, too.