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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year! 

Happy Labor Day Weekend, Neighbors! Please read through this newsletter for updates and important information. Fall is approaching and the break in the summer heat is most welcome! Children are back in school, UK and Transy are in session, and we have a little fewer daylight hours. Our pots of zinnias are declaring defeat in the face of late summer and heat. We have changed them out for early mums. Memorial Tree The APNA Board voted to establish a memorial tree to honor the long service of David Jaquith to the neighborhood. David passed away earlier this year and his steady service will be missed. We are currently identifying the location and type of tree to be planted this fall. Providing and dedicating a memorial tree is an opportunity available to APNA members. Details and guidelines are on our website at www.ashlandparklexky.com. Historic Markers Walk Later this fall we expect to hold a “Covid-appropriate” curated walk of the historic markers in conjunction with the Ashland Neighborhood Association and the Ashland Estate. Each marker will be attended by one of our neighbors involved with the project to explain its significance and answer questions. Watch for a date upcoming! Connecting Online We encourage you to visit our website and to submit pictures and pertinent neighborly info to saragrinnellsmith@gmail.com. We are also using the Next Door app, limited to Ashland Park neighborhood, to send information as well so please sign up if you'd like! Welcome Baskets APNA provides wonderful welcome baskets to new neighbors. Let us know if we have missed someone or if you know of someone about to become our neighbor. Getting Through Covid-19 In recent months we have seen a roller coaster of information, hopes and fears related to the Covid-19 issue. Currently infection numbers are up significantly. We continue to see illness, hospitalizations and some deaths. We are faced with a more vigorous virus at a time when we had begun to return to a semblance of normalcy with the knowledge that many of us had been vaccinated. As a neighborhood, we have all tried to find ways to connect safely, and we will continue to do that as we work through this new surge of cases. Our neighborhood has held an annual family picnic, usually at the end of September. That was not held last year due to the Covid -19 situation. While we have pegged September 26 as the date for a gathering, if possible, it is clearly uncertain whether that will happen. On September 12, we will send a blast email and post on Next Door and our website if that gathering WILL happen. The decision will depend on seeing significant downturn in the number of cases and positivity rate in Fayette County. If the September gathering is not held, we will send an email asking for your votes for the board seats up for election or reelection. Three board members are completing their first terms in 2021, Sara Smith (Desha), Sheila Evans (Hanover), and Andrew Smith (Ashland). Each has agreed to serve one more term in accordance with the APNA Bylaws. Therefore, your votes will be asked for reelection of those members whose bios will be included in the “Please Vote” email. ADUs Are Up For Adoption We are faced with an important issue being discussed by the Planning Commission and the LFUCG Council. The Planning Commission is reconsidering a county wide change to our residential zoning that would – in most neighborhoods including ours – allow Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) to be developed, either within a home by creating a separate living space, or by a separate structure behind the primary home. The Council will hold a hearing on this issue at Council chambers on September 14 at 5:00PM. Due to the difficulty of attending a large gathering in person, letters, emails and phone calls are critical to express our individual opinions, whatever that may be. The Planning staff has made some suggested changes since this was first passed by the Planning Commission two years ago, adding the requirement that the property owner live in one of the two living units. They have also reduced the permitted number of occupants from 4 adults to 2 adults with any children who may belong to them. Any homeowner can develop an ADU as a matter of right, with the only requirements being a building permit, consultation with the Planning staff to review the program (guidance not requirements) and if applicable, consultation with the H-1 staff. The ADU may be used to house anyone up to the 2 adults plus children limit, and can be used as a long term rental immediately. Should an ADU owner wish to use it as a short-term rental (i.e. Air B&B) they must get a conditional use permit. The older neighborhoods of our city will be the ones bearing the brunt of this change as most newer subdivisions have been developed with deed restrictions that will prohibit these changes. There are no restrictions or requirements for off street parking, design guidelines, infrastructure capacity, etc. Structures are permitted to be within 18 inches of the property line. The Planning Commission and staff are responding to a requirement to increase density within our Urban Service Boundary. It is the opinion of the APNA Board that while we agree that neighborhoods like ours which have a variety of types of housing (single family, duplex, four-plex, apartments) are beneficial, each situation calls for review and decision and should provide affected neighbors an opportunity for meaningful input. Density is a way to preserve our farmland but it should be thoughtful and appropriate. We are not in favor of the broad and sweeping change that will be a result of this change in zoning ordinances. We believe a step-by-step approach will allow us - as a community - to recognize unintended consequences before they occur and will preserve and protect our neighborhoods. We believe this is a critical issue that requires study and a response. We encourage each of our neighbors to review information from the Planning Commission, the Fayette County Neighborhood Council and other sources through the links below and your own research. The APNA is scheduling a ZOOM discussion to enable a neighborhood discussion on September 7th. Please go to the ZOOM link to register for that discussion. Please reach out to our representatives and express your viewpoint. Contact information is below. Council: 1st District Councilmember James Brown: jbrown2@lexingtonky.gov 2nd District Councilmember Josh McCurn: jmccurn@lexingtonky.gov 3rd District Councilmember Hannah LeGris: hlegris@lexingtonky.gov 4th District Councilmember Susan Lamb: slamb@lexingtonky.gov 5th District Councilmember Liz Sheehan: lsheehan@lexingtonky.gov 6th District Councilmember David Kloiber: dkloiber@lexingtonky.gov 7th District Councilmember Preston Worley: pworley@lexingtonky.gov 8th District Councilmember Fred Brown: fbrown@lexingtonky.gov 9th District Councilmember Whitney Baxter: wbaxter@lexingtonky.gov 10th District Councilmember Amanda Bledsoe: abledsoe@lexingtonky.gov 11th District Councilmember Jennifer Reynolds: jreynolds@lexingtonky.gov 12th District Councilmember Kathy Plomin: kplomin@lexingtonky.gov At-Large Councilmember Chuck Ellinger: cellinger@lexingtonky.gov At-Large Councilmember Richard Moloney: rmoloney@lexingtonky.gov Vice Mayor Steve Kay: skay@lexingtonky.gov Links to information about the proposed ordinance change: Fayette County Neighborhood Council http://fcnc.org/index.php/2021/07/12/adu-information-sheet-fcnc-issues-and-concerns/ CivicLex https://www.civiclex.org/big-issues/accessory-dwelling-units?mc_cid=b1d821cbbb&mc_eid=329ace0962 LFUCG Planning https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/08-06-2019/public-invited-give-feedback-accessory-dwelling-units-proposal ZOOM Invitation Hi there, You are invited to a Zoom meeting. When: Sep 7, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0tfuuhpj0tHNJJxXOXQd8ONZIU9icVLC6e After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Thanks for your help! Cheers to a lovely holiday weekend! Sara Sara Smith APNA Board President ASHLAND PARK NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MISSION STATEMENT The non-profit Ashland Park Neighborhood Association (APNA) exists to improve the overall quality of life in the historic Ashland Park Neighborhood and to support the commonwealth of its Members.

Greetings, Neighbors! Following the early roll out of vaccinations in Lexington and a few remarkable winter/early spring storms, I am looking toward a brighter and warmer 2021. As we hope for the lessening of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have expanded ways in which to keep and grow our connections to the neighborhood and each other. Take a look at the website we reintroduced recently for news of upcoming events (www.ashlandparklexky.com). The APNA Board is continuing to work to increase neighborliness, protect our tree canopy and landscaping in public areas, and keep our neighborhood connected, engaged, and safe. Your new officers are Sara Smith, President; Jill Marion, Vice President; Melissa Wilson, Secretary; and Rita Carlisle, Treasurer. New Board members include Rita Carlisle, Desha Road, who will also serve as our Treasurer and Brian Gardner, South Hanover. Many thanks to Departing Board members, Mark Streety and John Winn Miller whose contributions over their terms have been significant and important. Mega thanks to David Jaquith who has served as APNA’s Treasurer for years and is now critical to a smooth transition. Thanks also to Rodney Jackson, South Ashland Avenue, for accepting an additional term on the Board. While our traditional in-person activities have been postponed until a later and safer time, we are continuing to find ways to connect and share our neighborhood experience with each other. Upcoming Activities: March/April: Hello Spring! Watch for a special packet of flower seed delivered to you soon to plant in your front garden or in pots. We will be celebrating the blooming of our neighborhood together as spring moves into summer. Pots of these flowers will also be planted in some of our park and green spaces. Join in this colorful display! April: To-Go Supper from the Sage Rabbit We miss our gatherings so let’s re-connect on Zoom on Thursday, April 8th @ 7:30 PM with a To-Go supper from the Sage Rabbit. We can chat and catch up with one another as we support and enjoy a superb dinner from a favorite restaurant in our own neighborhood, The Sage Rabbit. The menu is posted on line at thesagerabbit.com. Zoom link will be emailed prior to start of our virtual gathering. So looking forward to "seeing" you! Instructions for Ordering: Just place your To-Go order no later than midnight Tuesday, April 6th by calling the restaurant’s voicemail at (859) 523-2095. Choose a time for pick up between 5:30 and 7:00 pm. (There is no option to place an order on-line.) You will receive a return call the following day confirming your order and you can pay for your order over the phone. (If the call is missed, a voicemail will confirm the order. You may either call back to pay after 4:30 PM on Wednesday, April 7th or pay when picking up order between 5:30 PM and 7:00 PM Thursday, April 8th.) For a $10 donation to APNA, a Board Member will deliver your To-Go dinner to you. Before 10:00 pm Wednesday night, April 7, please notify Melissa A. Wilson at (859) 396-3354 that you wish your dinner to be delivered for the $10 APNA donation and advise her of the time you scheduled the pick up on Thursday, April 8. Please call in your payment to The Sage Rabbit before the scheduled APNA Board Member pick up. Meet Liz Sheehan! Our new City Council representative will join us for a Zoom meeting on April 15th @ 7 PM to discuss upcoming issues that may impact our neighborhood and to fill us in on her priorities. (Zoom link will be provided) May: Ashland Historic Markers Learn about the newly completed Ashland Historic Markers and the neighbors who worked to accomplish this remarkable project. We will hear from each primary author though a Zoom discussion. Walking the trail is fascinating and provides new insight on our neighborhood and its development. (Zoom link will be provided) June: Virtual Walkabout - Wines with Corner Wine Meet Gary, proprietor of Corner Wine, and learn about the best deals in wines and wines most enjoyed by our neighborhood. (Zoom link will be provided) Stay safe and neighborly! As the winter storms we experienced in the first few months of the year highlighted, we need to continue to be aware of our neighbors and watch for ways to be helpful. Let’s keep an eye out and stay connected to see if one of our friends may need help with clearing sidewalks, picking up downed limbs and branches, or whatever makes our experience here better. Quoting Past President Mark Streety: “Go outside and select either your left or right side neighbor. Check-in with them. See if they're still ok or need anything. It will mean a lot to them, and to me. If you have extra time left over, check on the other side too. If you learn something that needs more help, every Board member can be contacted on our website. Still more time left? Pay your APNA dues, consider a donation, join an APNA Committee like Tree and Landscape. And count your many blessings.” Call me anytime with suggestions or concerns. Sara Smith, APNA President 859-221-0459