Lee Circle plan panned

The city's plan to fill Lee Circle with plants isn't winning many fans.

What's happening: The city's Urban Design Committee voted late last week to reject the proposal, which called for $100,000 worth of mostly native plants to be installed until the city figures out a broader plan for Monument Avenue post-monuments.

What they're saying: "It sort of seems a little wasteful," committee member Luigi Mignardi said. "It's a lot of plant material to be called temporary."

• In public comments, some residents wrote that they opposed the plan because walking paths would encourage people to start hanging out in the circle again.
• Others said they opposed it because the thick plantings seemed designed to discourage use of the public space.

For the record: City officials say the plan was designed to discourage pedestrians and that paths in the design are for maintenance.

• "It is not a place for people to populate," said Jeannie Welliver, a project development manager with the city.

What's next: The Urban Design Committee's vote is just a recommendation.

• The proposal now goes to the Planning Commission, which is scheduled to vote on it later Monday.