Author: Tom Eblen

The city’s Division of Planning staff has recommended that the Board of Adjustment approve an application to turn a single-family home at 714 Hambrick Ave. into an un-hosted short-term rental property for up to 10 guests. Click here to read and download the recommendation.

The city’s Board of Adjustment will meet Monday at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall to consider the application. Anyone interested in expressing an opinion on the issue should plan to attend the meeting, which is likely to be a long one.

The Mentelle Neighborhood Association’s board has voted unanimously to oppose the application, based on to factors: strong opposition from neighbors on Hambrick Avenue; and the large number of un-hosted short-term rentals already allowed to operate in the neighborhood. Under a new law, existing properties that registered with the city by Jan. 10 were  “grandfathered-in” and allowed to continue operating. Click here to read the board’s letter.

City records show that there are 14 un-hosted short-term rental properties with at least 10 rental units now operating in or adjacent to Mentelle neighborhood.  Click here to see a map of them with information about the owners and operators. The city Planning staff’s report indicated there may be more operating that are not legally registered. The MNA board thinks that is already too many, and any more will damage the character of the neighborhood.  Click here for more information about issues related to short-term rentals.

 

Thanks to everyone who came out Saturday afternoon for the annual Mentelle Mardi Gras party. We had a great crowd, and as good a weather as you can hope for on Feb. 10. Special thanks to Bourbon & Toulouse for donating jambalaya, gumbo, rice and bread; to Selma Owens of Selma’s Catering and the Liberty Road Cafe for donating the king cakes; and to the Yellow Dog Jazz Band of the Bluegrass for its wonderful performance of New Orleans dixieland music. If you’re not a member of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association, please consider joining here.

The annual Mentelle Mardi Gras celebration begins at 1 p.m. Saturday — let’s hope the rain has moved out by then — in the second median of Mentelle Park.  This year’s event features the Yellow Dog Jazz Band playing on the porch of trumpeter Andrew Mooney, 24 Mentelle Park, and food donated by our friends at  Bourbon & Toulouse in Chevy Chase.

Bring your own drinks and chairs. Costumes are encouraged. Kids who parade with decorated bikes and wagons will be eligible for prizes. (The festivities will be over well before the UK Wildcats play Gonzaga in Rupp Arena at 4 p.m.)

The celebration is free for Mentelle neighborhood residents and their families. Donations accepted to help pay for the band and decorations. If you aren’t a member of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association, we encourage you to join and support more fun activities like this.

City planners will be meeting with the Kenwick Neighborhood Association on Tuesday, Feb. 27 , 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Kenwick Community Center on Owsley Avenue to talk about the proposed Urban Growth Management zoning text amendment (ZOTA). This amendment would make several changes to current zoning laws that affect Lexington neighborhoods, including Mentelle.

Council Member Hannah LeGris has invited Mentelle and Bell Court residents to attend this meeting to learn more about the ZOTA.  You also can read and download a copy of the planning staff’s report on this proposal by clicking here.

The annual Mentelle Mardi Gras celebration begins at 1 p.m. Saturday in the second median of Mentelle Park.  This year’s event will feature the Yellow Dog Jazz Band playing dixieland music on the porch of trumpeter Andrew Mooney, 24 Mentelle Park.

There will be New Orleans food and plenty of beads. Bring your own drinks and chairs to enjoy the music. Costumes are encouraged. Kids who parade with decorated bikes and wagons will be eligible for prizes. (It will be over in plenty of time to watch the Cats play Gonzaga in Rupp Arena at 4 p.m.)

The celebration is free for Mentelle neighborhood residents and their families. Donations accepted to help pay for the band and decorations. If you aren’t a member of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association, we encourage you to join and support more fun events like this.

The Mentelle Neighborhood Association board has voted unanimously to oppose an application to convert a single-family home at 714 Hambrick Ave. into an un-hosted short-term rental property.

Here are details of that application. The city’s Board of Adjustment will consider the application at a public hearing at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, in the Council chambers at City Hall, 200 E. Main St.

The MNA board took this step after the city completed the process of registering existing short-term rentals to be “grandfathered-in” under a new law regulating them.

The MNA board has been concerned for some time about the number of owner-occupied homes and long-term rental properties in the neighborhood being converted into short-term rentals. But it wasn’t until this month that the new law allowed neighbors to learn exactly how many are operating. According to the city Division of Planning’s website, there are at least 19 short-term rental units at 14 addresses inside or within a block of Mentelle neighborhood. The board thinks that is more than enough, and no more should be allowed.

This application has generated strong opposition from nearby neighbors on Hambrick Avenue. Several of them have launched a petition to the Board of Adjustment, urging it to reject the application. If you wish to see what they have to say and sign the petition, click here.

MNA board members emphasize that they are not opposed to “hosted” short-term rentals, where the owner lives on the property. And they certainly have no problem with long-term rental property, so long as it is well-managed.

Mentelle was one of Lexington’s first neighborhood associations to welcome renters and businesses located within the neighborhood as members. Our neighborhood includes many renters, businesses and non-profit organizations, as well as three houses of worship and an elementary school. All are valued neighbors.

An un-hosted short-term rental property is different; it is vacant unless occupied by a transient renter with no stake in the neighborhood’s quality of life. The board also has concerns about our neighborhood being “hollowed out” by too many un-hosted short-term rentals that also would have the effect of driving up long-term rents and property values for would-be homebuyers.

For more information about the new city law, un-hosted short-term rentals in our neighborhood and other news and background on this subject, click here.

 

The owner of 714 Hambrick Ave. has applied to the city for a conditional use permit to convert the single-family home into an un-hosted short-term rental property. Permission is now required under a new city law.

The Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing on the request at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, in the Council Chamber at city hall, 200 E. Main St.

Click here to view the notice of application. The city planning staff hasn’t decided whether to support or oppose the application, but a report of its recommendation to the Board of Adjustment will be available at the end of the day Feb. 5. To obtain a copy of the report, call the Division of Planning at 859-258-3160 or email planningmailbox@lexingtonky.gov.

Scott Shapiro and his team planning an apartment complex on the former stone yard at the corner of Midland Avenue and Winchester Road made a presentation to the Mentelle Neighborhood Association board at its monthly meeting Wednesday to give an update on the project.

The group has acquired additional property along Winchester Road beside the stone yard that is now occupied by a vacant metal industrial shed. The additional property will allow them to expand the complex from approximately 180 units to approximately 260 units.

Plans call for the two apartment buildings to be five stories tall, with parking and a 2,000-square-foot retail space on the first floor and apartments on the upper floors. With those spaces and a parking lot at the rear, there will be about 1.1 spaces per unit on the property, Shapiro said.

Shapiro said he expects construction to begin this summer and the project to be completed by late 2026 or early 2027. Projected rents range from about $1,500 for a one-bedroom apartment to about $2,500 for a two-bedroom unit.

Shapiro provided some maps, proposed designs and other information in a handout that can be downloaded here. If you have further questions, you may contact him by email.

The city Planning Commission will have a hearing on the developer’s request to rezone the additional parcel from I-1 (industrial) to B-2A (commercial) on Feb. 22 at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at city hall, 200 E. Main St.  The meeting is open to the public.

 

Bring the kids and some lawn chairs and join your neighbors for Mentelle Movie night at the north end of the Mentelle Park median. The show begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 21).  In honor of this season of spooky, we’ll be watching Monsters, Inc.!”  For more information, contact Laura Beth O’Bryan.

From Jill DeBolt, Mentelle Median Committee chair:

If you enjoy meeting people from all over and sharing some of the history and beauty of our bluegrass area,  please consider this volunteer opportunity.

There will be an interest meeting on Thursday, October 19, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Ashland, the Henry Clay Estate.  Please contact Ian Paine at ipaine@henryclay.org or call (859) 266-8581 x207 for more information.

Several of us from MNA serve as volunteers.  I would also be happy to speak with you about it. Email me here.