Application for Short-Term Rental at 305 Lafayette Pwky

An application has been filed with the Urban County Government to establish an unhosted short term rental at 305 Lafayette Parkway.  The owner plans to live on the property, and rent it for short term stays whilst traveling for business, which may be as much as six months out of the year.  The Board of Adjustment will consider the application for a conditional use permit at its meeting on Monday, May 13 at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 200 East Main.

Neighbors have expressed concern about short-term rentals, so PNA is sharing an advance notice about this application before it goes before the board for a vote.  If you have any comments to share, you can make your voice heard by writing to the Division of Planning and/or attending the Board of Adjustment meeting.  If you plan to attend the meeting, please let us know at picadomeneighborhood@gmail.com or call Lynne at 859-278-6342.

If you want to write to the Planning Division, please see an example letter form HERE.  The letter includes a potential list of concerns about increasing the quantity of short-term rentals in the neighborhood. These concerns are from prior residential submissions.  You can modify and personalize the draft however you wish.  Please be sure to include the subject line to help Planning staff identify the application you’re writing about and add your name and address.  Once complete, you can email your letter to planningmailbox@lexingtonky.gov. 

Annual Picadome Neighborhood Association Fall Tree Sale

The Picadome Neighborhood Association (PNA) will be selling 6 foot tall trees in 3 gallon containers. When the trees arrive from the nursery, you’ll be notified by email.  The trees will be delivered to the homeowner or may be picked up from a central location in the neighborhood if you prefer. Planting instructions will be posted on the PNA website, picadomeneighborhood.org.

Prepaid orders are due no later than August 25, 2023.  Please pre-pay $40 per tree – the available trees include Red Maple, American Hornbeam, Autumn Brilliant Serviceberry, Tulip Poplar, Black Gum, Swamp White Oak, Burr Oak, Chinquapin Oak, Princeton Elm, White or Pink Dogwood, and Redbud.

TO ORDER YOUR TREE(s)  –

ONLINE: Fill out our tree order form HERE and Venmo @PNALexington
OR
BY MAIL: Send a check payable to Picadome Neighborhood Association to P.O. Box 8125, Lexington, KY 40533. Please include a note with your name, address, email and telephone number AND what tree(s) you would like. The deadline for us to receive your check and order is August 25, 2023. If you would like a tree not listed or have questions, please email Sandy at sandywshafer@gmail.com.

3rd Annual Woodbine Drive Block Party

The Picadome Neighborhood Association (PNA) extends an invite on behalf of Woodbine Drive to their 3rd annual block party. The event is on Saturday, August 19th from 4:00pm to 9:00pm.

There will be a potluck, music, inflatables, games, face-painting and more. To accommodate the festivities, this road will be completely closed to any through-traffic and neighbors will have their vehicles off the road by 3:00pm.

To join in on the neighborhood potluck, find the last two digits of your house number to find your potluck item (these are suggestions, however you can bring whatever you want!):

• 00-15: Paper products (plates, plastic-ware, napkins)
• 16-35: Side Dishes
• 36-55: Salads
• 56-75: Hotdog and burger buns
• 76-95: Main dish/meats
• 96-99: Desserts

We can’t wait to see you there!

The PNA Board of Directors wants all neighbors to be aware that the owner of the property at 1617 Clays Mill Road (the former Chase Bank Building across from McCubbing) has requested a zone change from P-1 (professional office) to B-1 (neighborhood business) and has also filed a final development plan to put in a breakfast restaurant/coffee shop with indoor and outdoor seating and a drive through.  Since the owner filed both the zone change and the development plan at the same time, the project is on a fast track.

The plan is to use the existing bank building as well as the two existing entrances from McCubbing and Clays Mill.  Both will be used to enter and exit the property.  They plan to use one of the existing bank drive through lanes for ordering food, and the existing bank drive through window as the food pick-up window.  The attorney and landscape architect representing the owners indicated that they do not know what the restaurant will be.  They said it is not a big chain; it has a few restaurants in another location.  

The proposal has been considered at meetings of three different Committees of the Planning Commission so far–all three Committees recommended approval.  The next step is a public hearing at the Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, August 24 at 1:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Government Center, 200 East Main Street.  

The PNA Board is concerned about the traffic impact of a drive through breakfast restaurant on the very congested traffic on Clays Mill Road as well as other neighborhood streets, and plans for a Board member to attend the public hearing to express our concerns. 

Contacts for Comments

If you have questions about the planned development, you may contact Richard Murphy, the attorney for the property owner, at 859-233-9811 or Richard@MurphyClendenen.com. 

If you have comments about the proposal, you may attend the public hearing at the Planning Commission meeting on August 24.  If you contact Mr. Murphy or plan to attend the public hearing, please email PNA at PicadomeNeighborhood@gmail.com or call Lynne at 859-278-6342.

Got stuff that you wish was another man’s treasure? The 2023 PNA Neighborhood Yard Sale will be Saturday, May 20 rain or shine!

Click here to view the map of participants!

Kentucky American Water is beginning construction work along Lone Oak Drive to replace the main water line. This project is part of their Qualified Infrastructure Program (QIP) that focuses  on accelerating the replacement of aging infrastructure. Construction will be performed by CJ Hughes.

Estimated date for new water main to be in service = December 2022

Estimated date for final paving and other restoration to be complete = April 2023

Project Details

1. Before construction begins existing waterlines and other underground utilities in the area will be marked  with colored flags and temporary paint. 

2. The new water main installation will include installing the new pipe, testing it and placing it into service.  While they interconnect the new main to the water distribution system, you may experience a temporary  water service interruption. You may also experience a slight discoloration of water. If this happens, run  your cold water tap until the water clears. 

3. Once the water main is installed, crews will return to connect customers’ services to the new main. This may involve replacing utility-owned service lines that connect the new main to each property. This process may also involve a temporary interruption in water service. Crews will notify you 24 hours in advance & on the day the service line is replaced with instructions on how to flush your household plumbing prior to using water. If you’re not home, they will leave these instructions at your  front door. 

4. Once the above tasks are complete, as weather permits, they will move forward with final paving and any restoration of concrete, grass and landscaping.

Cleanup Plans

KY American Water will restore all areas that were disturbed to the same or better condition they were before they started. Multiple tasks occur after the new water main installation is complete, and there may be delays in full  restoration of pavement and grass at times due to weather conditions and access to asphalt. The paving  process, in particular, includes multiple steps. These steps include working in cooperation with authorities  to identify which portions of the roadway require new pavement, receiving necessary permits to begin work  in the roadway, and having favorable weather conditions to allow asphalt to cure properly, for example. The process timeline is also affected by the availability of asphalt, which can change due to weather conditions or issues at the asphalt plant.

Construction Contacts

Erik Hall, Construction Project Manager, 859-537-0878

Corey Allender, Construction Inspector, 859-321-6758

The 2022 Lexington Neighborhood Summit was held August 6, 2022. Attended by Picadome Neighborhood Association Board Members, Lisa Chiffolo & Lynne Flynn, Mayor Linda Gordon spoke about the “foundation good of neighborhoods” and three local programs working to unite Lexington:
*ONE Lexington
*Racial Justice & Equality Commission (RJEC)
*Dept of Housing Advocacy & Community Development

ONE Lexington
Managed by Director Devine Carama, ONE Lexington mobilizes city government and community resources to reduce gun violence with youth and young adults ages 13 – 29.

ONE Lexington uses a PIER approach to violence prevention:
Prevention – Preventing conditions that lead to crime through mentoring
Intervention – Identifying and supporting youth engaged in high risk behavior & working with the University of Kentucky Trauma Center to stop violence
Enforcement – Keeping the community safe through building positive relationships and implementing community oriented policing and enforcement strategies. This includes working with local judges to identify alternative sentencing
Re-entry – Assisting incarcerated youth and young adults with successful transition to the community upon release.

You can find more information on ONE Lexington here:https://www.lexingtonky.gov/one-lexington

Racial Justice & Equality Commission (RJEC)

Presented by Tiffany Brown, the goal is to assemble diverse community members to listen, discuss, and create empowering solutions that dismantle systemic racism in Fayette County. Formed in June 2020, the commission created an 80 page initial report with 54 recommendations for Lexington. Most recently the RJEC has lead two initiatives:
*Clean Slate Lexington. Hosted on April 22, 2022, Lexington worked with local attorneys to help with expungements. 200 residents qualified. Individuals who have gotten assistance historically see a 20% increase in pay within two years.
*Mobile Market. Retrofitting a LexTran bus, the mobile market will provide nutritional produce to those in need & accept SNAP & EBT benefits. LEX has budgeted $260,000 for the project and is set to launch in June 2023.

You can find more information on RJEC here: https://www.lexingtonky.gov/boards/commission-racial-justice-and-equality

Dept of Housing Advocacy & Community Development

Managed by Commissioner Charlie Lanter, the mission of the Affordable Housing Fund is to leverage public investment to preserve, produce, and provide safe, quality, affordable housing.
*Loans & grants are available for those households at or below 80% of area median income ($59,600 for a family of four): https://www.lexingtonky.gov/departments/office-affordable-housing
*3,000 new units have been funding since 2014
*600 new units are currently under construction
*Under the CARES Act, 1 out of 14 renters in LEX received assistance
*Lexington residents utilize 95% of housing subsidy vouchers (compared to 80% national average)

You can find more information on Housing Advocacy here: https://www.lexingtonky.gov/departments/housing-advocacy-community-development

Dedicated Virtual Meeting on Thursday, September 15 at 10:00 AM

Mark your calendars! PNA invites you to a zoom meeting with current Councilmember Bledsoe (District 10) & the City of Lexington’s Engineering Director to discuss the Clays Mill Widening Project.

This meeting will specifically review residents concerns related to Clays Mill Construction between Lane Allen & Harrodsburg.

If you are unable to attend this virtual meeting, please send in your questions to the PNA Board (via Email, Facebook, or Instagram). The PNA Board will relay responses at our annual meeting (Friday, September 16th).

Zoom Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83014773633?pwd=clo0OGlzUlZXUm5oVTBWNStFeHhLUT09

Meeting ID: 830 1477 3633

Passcode: 959858

One tap mobile

+13126266799,,83014773633#,,,,*959858# US (Chicago)

+16465588656,,83014773633#,,,,*959858# US (New York)

Interested in more information on the Clays Mill Widening Project? Check out the city website: https://www.lexingtonky.gov/clays-mill-road-project

There is a lot to enjoy about September. The temperatures are finally cooling down as we enter the fall season. CATURDAYS are back! & Local elections are right around the corner. Including elections for the Picadome Neighborhood Association.

On Friday, September 16th, PNA is hosting our annual board elections in addition to Food Truck Friday. We will be meeting at the Lone Oak Amphitheater (566 Lone Oak Drive) from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. We have invited the candidates running for election in District 10 to join us. If you have any feedback on the projects through our neighborhood or general city concerns, this is a great opportunity to talk to your potential representatives.

Food will be available for cash purchase from Porterhouse BBQ. Come bring a folding chair & hang out with your neighbors.

RAIN LOCATION:

In case of rain, PNA Elections and Food Truck Friday will be moved to Lafayette High School Library at 401 Reed Ln, Lexington, KY 40503

New Construction Updates for the Clays Mill Expansion Project

First off, some good news. Construction crews had marked a glorious tree on the corner of McCubbing & Clays Mill with a red X in preparation for cut downs as part of the Clays Mill Rd expansion. Thankfully, residents took the initiative to organize & sign a petition to save this beauty. If you live on Clays Mill & have lost a tree due to the expansion, be on the lookout for a letter from the city in September for tree reinstatement (up to two per household).

Next, you might have noticed some traffic changes on Rosemont Garden to streamline the flow of traffic through the Lafayette Parkway and Southland Drive intersection. Motorists traveling on Rosemont Garden away from Clays Mill Road and toward Nicholasville Road will find that the left lane requires cars to turn left onto Lafayette Parkway. The right lane will now allow cars to pass straight thru the intersection and to make right turns.

Finally, your feedback has been heard by the City of Lexington on the impacts of the Clays Mill project in combination with the start of the academic school year. To alleviate the burden of the project on residents, construction crews are working diligently to reopen the intersection of Clays Mill Rd & McCubbing Dr by September 5th. Additionally, crews will work heavily during the fall break from October 3rd- October 7th & limit traffic during that time. Residents can expect to see the further road reopening by the end of October.

Interested in more information on the Clays Mill Widening Project? Check out the city website: https://www.lexingtonky.gov/clays-mill-road-project