Author: Tom Eblen

Have any extra books, plants, cuttings or seeds you would like to share with neighbors?  (And get a few for yourself?) Then come to the neighborhood Plant & Book Swap in the Mentelle Park median nearest Cramer Avenue next Saturday, April 27, beginning at 2 p.m.

While you’re swapping and socializing, there will be a wine tasting by a local wine merchant. If you want to participate, there is a suggested donation of $5 per person.

If you live in Mentelle neighborhood — between Walton Avenue and Mentelle Park, East Main Street/Richmond Road and Winchester Road — and are not a member of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association, please join to help support more activities such as this. Click here for more information. 

Did you know that the Mentelle Park median is an official city park? That’s why the city arborists do such a good job of taking care of our trees, and the city landscaping crews keep it mowed in warm weather. But it’s up to us to keep it looking its best. That’s important, because the median is the site of several neighborhood gatherings each year, including the Easter Egg Hunt we had on March 30 and the fall potluck we will have in September.

Neighborhood volunteers will cleaning up the median on Saturday, April 20, beginning at 9 a.m. Please come out and join them if you’re free that morning. If questions, contact Jill DeBolt, co-chair of the median committee.

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Thanks to everyone who came out for the annual Mentelle Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt this morning.  Our neighborhood children found all 912 donated eggs within 10 minutes!

Special thanks to: Kim Naujokas, who organized the event and donated the coffee and Spalding’s donuts; Dean Holt, who starred as the Easter Bunny; and to all of you who donated candy-filled plastic eggs and cleaned up and prepared the Mentelle Park median for today’s event.

You can support this and other great neighborhood events by joining the Mentelle Neighborhood Association. Click here to join.

Mentelle neighborhood residents are invited to come out to the Mentelle Park median Saturday at 10 a.m. to help get it cleaned up for next Saturday’s Easter Egg Hunt. It shouldn’t take long, and your help would be appreciated!

Lexington’s Board of Adjustment voted 4-3 today to deny an application to convert a single-family home at 714 Hambrick Ave. into an un-hosted short-term rental property under Lexington’s new STR law.

The city’s Division of Planning staff had recommended approval. The Mentelle Neighborhood Association’s board of directors opposed the application. Several neighbors spoke against the application, outlining concerns they had, including that the city has already permitted too many un-hosted STRs already in and near the neighborhood.

The applicants have the right to appeal the decision to Circuit Court.*

Click here for more information about short-term rental issues.

*Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said District Court.

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.