LEXINGTON, Ky. — Much like baseball, the redevelopment of Marquard Field is a team sport. Multiple banks came together to purchase the land from Transylvania University in January; it was home to Pioneers baseball for nearly 20 years.

What You Need To Know

  • $10 million in the state's onetime budget will be put toward affordable housing in Lexington 

  • The project is located at Marquard Field and will have multiple types of housing, from rental to ownership 

  • Transylvania University sold the land to a group of banks for $2.8 million in January 

  • A group of local affordable housing developers will work together to build homes

Now, a group of local affordable housing developers will build numerous types of housing on this land, from rental to owner.

Darryl Neher, CEO of Lexington Habitat for Humanity says the former home of Transylvania baseball is a field of dreams to build homes for families making 30 to 80% of the city’s median income.

“It’s not just Lexington, affordable housing is an issue across this country, and you take a look at what housing prices are on the market that idea of starter homes just doesn’t exist,” Neher said.

Transylvania University sold the land to a group of banks for $2.8 million. Neher said Habitat for Humanity and other developers are collaborating to build affordable housing for renters and eventual home buyers.

“There’s tremendous hope because this is really a unicorn location; 12.5 acres of buildable land and it was only made possible by a group of people sitting in a room dreaming about how we can make a bigger impact for affordable housing,” Neher said.

The Urban League of Lexington-Fayette County has been fighting for housing access since 1985. President PG Peeples says the nonprofit has renovated or built safe, sanitary housing around Lexington.

“The need is not new, it’s just that recently over the last couple of years I think we’ve gotten the community to focus on that need,” Peeples said.

Peeples said the most difficult part for nonprofits is acquiring land to begin building. For this project, the conglomerate of banks has already taken care of that. Peeples and Neher hope this serves as a model for other communities across the commonwealth.

“We’ve got a long, long way to go, but this is just so good for what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s a model that shows what can be done when everybody puts their shoulder to the wheel and push,” Peeples said.

An official groundbreaking for the development is expected in summer of 2025.

Marquard Field opened in 1999 and was the home for Transy baseball until 2019. Now the Pioneers play at Legends Field, home of the Lexington Legends.

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