Four Quit Over Landscaping Award

This Marriott Courtyard hotel at Lexington, Ky.'s Hamburg Place development was not singled out for criticism by resigning commission members.

A story from the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader proves that passions can flare over landscaping. In May the newspaper reported that four members of the Lexington Environmental Commission resigned in protest when other commission members voted to give the Hamburg Place development a landscaping award.

Several years ago, the center was called one of Kentucky's worst examples of urban sprawl.

The award, for "improvements in landscaping design," honored the placement of trees, bushes and faux rock fences that usually are seen through a windshield while driving from one store to another.

Oscar Geralds, a Lexington lawyer who had been on the commission for about 15 years, was the first to say the stretch of car-centric stores and restaurants in east Lexington didn't deserve the award. Three others joined him, and a fifth member said she was considering quitting.

"In my opinion, they are one of the worst environmental offenders, the ultimate urban sprawl," Geralds said. "Putting flowers on that is like putting makeup on a corpse."

But Jim Rebmann, a city environmental planner who nominated Hamburg, said the developer spent $3.5 million putting in landscaping, and $100,000 a year maintaining it.

"It's for the landscaping, not for the development, not for the layout," Rebmann said.

Hamburg is wildly popular with shoppers who fill its parking lots and internal streets to spend money in an increasing number of widely spaced stores.

However, its planning -- and layout -- have frequently attracted controversy.

Five years ago, the national Sierra Club singled it out for a dishonorable mention in sprawl. It was targeted because of its huge parking lots and anti-pedestrian feel, the club said.

Commission members Amy Sohner, Angela Dossett and Brenda Franey either came by after the luncheon to resign or sent word to the commission that they were resigning.

"I don't view myself as anti-development at all, but I don't think that particular project is something we would want to see emulated," Franey said later.

The awards were the result of unanimous votes by a six-person subcommittee.