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Council approves one-year below-market lease of 140 Evergreen Place to Lexington family
Summary
City council unanimously approved a one-year lease of the city-owned house at 140 Evergreen Place to a local family, citing the property’s vacancy and the city’s interest in short-term affordability while staff prepares rezoning and disposition plans.
Lexington City Council unanimously approved Resolution 2025-02 to lease city-owned property at 140 Evergreen Place to a Lexington family for 12 months.
City staff explained the city acquired the roughly three-acre property in 2023, later transferring nearly two acres to the adjacent Evergreen Cemetery and leaving a residual parcel of less than one acre that includes a vacant house sometimes called the Knox House. Staff said the house has been vacant since acquisition; the proposed lease is intentionally priced below fair market to aid housing affordability and move a vacant property into occupancy rather than continue city-paid utilities.
The proposed lease runs Feb. 1, 2025, through Jan. 31, 2026. The resolution directs staff to use the year to complete rezoning work and to develop a plan to sell the residual parcel and house; staff said the lease will shift utility costs to the tenant and produce modest rental income while staff finishes disposition planning. The city manager said other storage alternatives for municipal operations remain available and that the short-term lease will not preclude those options.
No members of the public had signed up to comment on the matter. Council recorded a roll-call vote: Driscoll (aye), Betts (aye), Strawn (aye), Ziegler (aye), Smith (aye), Alexander (aye). The motion carried unanimously.
The council thanked staff for identifying a housing use that both reduces city expense and supports affordable housing objectives. Staff will return to council with rezoning and disposition recommendations within the year.
