Month: August 2021

The Mentelle Neighborhood Association is hosting a meeting that will include Council Member Hannah LeGris and a member of the city’s planning staff to discuss a proposal to allow auxiliary dwelling units, or ADUs, in Lexington neighborhoods.

The meeting will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at the home of Jim Ryder, 716 Aurora Ave. There will be plenty of time for questions and comments from Mentelle neighborhood residents.

For background information about ADUs, as well as news coverage and opinion pieces about the proposal, click on this issues page on Mentelle.org.

 

Thanks to everyone who planned and came out Saturday evening for Mentelle Neighborhood’s first Porch Songs. Special thanks to our hosts, Hannah and Cory Maples, the members of the Lexington Chamber Orchestra who performed and Sav Savane, who brought his ice cream truck.

Linda Kraus Worley, an active member, board member and former vice president of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association, has died after a long battle with a rare leukemia. After Linda and her husband, Jeff Worley, moved to Aurora Avenue a few years ago, she became an important neighborhood leader, always ready with good ideas for improving this area and a willingness to work to see them through. She will be missed. Condolences to Jeff, his brother, Michael Worley, who also lives in the neighborhood, and their family. Click here to read her full obituary in the Lexington Herald-Leader. 

As expected, Walker Properties has filed an application for a rezoning to allow Mirror Twin Brewing to expand into a building across National Avenue from the popular brewpub.

Less expected, Walker Properties is seeking to rezone only the properties that would be directly affected by Mirror Twin’s expansion.

The rezoning application is for 720-742 and 737 National Avenue. If the Planning Commission approves, these properties would be rezoned from B-4 (wholesale and warehouse) to I-1 (light industry.)

The rest of Walker Properties adaptive reuse and redevelopment plan – on Walton, North Ashland and the end of Given – would remain B-4, if the zoning application is approved. Also, fewer homes on Aurora would abut an industrial zone than if the whole area were rezoned.

This proposal comes as a bit of a surprise because the planning staff had recommended rezoning all the Walker properties from business to light industry. However, the Planning Commission sometimes overrules its staff, especially when neighbors support a developer’s plan.

The Walkers also plan to seek conditional zoning, which would exclude some otherwise permissible I-1 uses that are deemed a bad fit for our neighborhood. The conditional zoning document has not yet been filed, and Chad Walker has expressed an eagerness to include the neighborhood’s wishes in the conditional zoning.

The rezoning application and related documents are available on the LFUCG Accela web site. You have to create an account, but it’s not hard.

https://aca-prod.accela.com/LEXKY/Default.aspx

The rezoning is on the agenda for the MNA board tonight at 7 p.m. at 250 Walton Ave., Suite 150. All neighbors are welcome.

The Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on the rezoning at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 23 in council chambers, second floor, 200 East Main Street.  (Click here to download a PDF of the site plan shown above.)

 

The board of the Mentelle Neighborhood Association will have a special meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4, at 250 Walton Ave., Suite 150. Any MNA member is welcome to attend board meetings.

The agenda:

1. MNA response to a proposed rezoning on National Avenue to accommodate an expansion of Mirror Twin Brewing. 
2. Porch Songs neighborhood concert and gathering on Aug. 21.
3. Open discussion