LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Lexington Fayette Urban County Council heard from residents of one of Lexington’s first African American subdivisions about a proposed development near their historic community and have voted in their favor.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Martin’s Village earns a victory in the proposed rezoning plan of the historic subdivision

  • Owners of land nearby proposed rezoning it for mobile home use

  • One couple shares how they have created over six decades of memories in the neighborhood

  • St. Martin’s Village was developed in the 1950s after World War II as one of Lexington's first African American subdivisions

In the early 1960s, Ann and Sherman Greene’s plans for a brand new house in Winchester were met with setbacks.

Sherman, a retired landscaper, says after a 10-year wait, he was eligible for a GI loan and eventually earned a deal to live in St. Martin’s Village in Lexington. Since then, the couple and their family have grown in their home. 

Ann, a retired VA nurse, is 91, and her husband is 95; they are the oldest and first family on Erie Road.

The pair helped start other homes on their street, even providing electricity and other services as homes were developed in the beginning. 

“Over here, it was right across the street and they told me that they weren’t going to be building anymore — they had built all the way down to the office,” Sherman said about the homeowner’s associations’ original plans before they built their home.

Six decades later, their home and their community have stood the test of time. But this past June, they were tested when they were notified about potential changes and rezoning to the land beside their homes.

“We hadn’t had any discussions with the change. This is the first time that they’ve wanted to come in and change things,” Ann shared.

Flagship Communities, owners of the property nearby, initially planned for a rezone of 12 acres of land between the Suburban Pointe Mobile Home Park and St. Martin’s Village from R-1d for single residential homes to mobile home use.

It would have created both land and mobile homes for rent. 

While Flagship argues their plans aligned with Lexington’s Urban Growth Service plans, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government council members voted 10 to one on Tuesday, ultimately deciding against the changes. 

Several members pointed out the influence of the history and voices of the community. 

“Our heritage would be totally gone. Because the younger people, of course, we instilled in our children things that happened in the past and everything. But now, you know, a lot of parents don’t, and the children don’t — they don’t know,” Ann explained.

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