Home is near restaurants, schools and shops in unique Lexington neighborhood

This stunning Lexington home combines luxury, beauty, and easy living with numerous amenities and hassle-free access to nearby stores, restaurants, top schools, and businesses, all in the middle of one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods.

The home is located at 306 Garden Road in historic Chevy Chase. The southeast Lexington neighborhood, developed beginning in the 1920s, sits on land originally owned by Henry Clay, the 19th-century senator whose efforts in Congress helped delay but could not prevent the Civil War. Today, Chevy Chase is a quiet area of beautiful homes, big trees and shady streets that invite relaxed bike rides and afternoon strolls.

“I think walkability probably is one of the home’s strongest points,” says Allie O’Donnell, who owns the property with her husband, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Patrick O’Donnell. “You can walk almost everywhere here. I walked both my kids to and from school, for example. You’re close to just about everything … restaurants, banks, the post office, dry cleaners, Ecton Park, all the shops on Euclid Avenue. It’s very easy to get anywhere you want walking on a pretty day.”

Allie, who is a part-time speech pathologist, also notes that her husband can get to his work at the University of Kentucky and be in the operating room in a matter of minutes if he’s on call. Downtown isn’t much farther away. “If you’re on faculty at UK or need to get anyplace near downtown, it’s an easy commute,” she said.

This home boasts three bedrooms — including a spacious first-floor master suite — three full baths and a first-floor half bath, for a total of just over 3,200 square feet. There are two gas fireplaces, including one in the comfortable living room that opens into a galley style kitchen with granite counter tops and stainless-steel appliances.

The big “people friendly” basement has its own a fireplace, washer and dryer, a small kitchenette, and an extra room suited to various purposes. Outside, there are covered porches in front and back, the large rear porch providing beautiful views of the home’s stunning, meticulously kept landscaping.

“The landscaping is the first thing you notice when you come down the sidewalk and it’s really phenomenal,” Allie says. “The family we bought the home from had Rett’s Landscaping put it in, and now the company maintains it for us. Everything is pristine, and the yard has really grown into something wonderful. It’s like an English garden out in back with all the flowers blooming in spring.”

Originally from Indiana, Patrick and Allie lived in Toronto and the Twin Cities area of Minnesota before coming to Lexington. They looked at various neighborhoods in search of a home, but fell in love with Chevy Chase because of the highly rated schools nearby.

“We really wanted a good elementary, middle and high school,” Allie said. “There was something about Chevy Chase that just felt right. So we went with it.” They bought the house in 2014.

But with their children growing — they have a daughter in high school and a son in middle school — they recently bought a new, larger home near Ecton Park. Another couple now is renting the Garden Road home. But since Allie and Patrick no longer need the house, they have decided to sell it.

The home has much to offer, according to Allie. “About the only thing we have added is a mud room; the house was pretty much totally updated when we bought it.”

Stepping through the front entrance and turning left takes you into the comfortable and welcoming living room, which has a cozy gas fireplace. The living room in turn leads you into the highly efficient kitchen. If you turn right from the front entrance you arrive at the mud room, which the current occupants use as a nursery.

Allie notes that a future owner could use it a variety of purposes. Near it is the spacious first floor master suite, which has walk-in closets and a bath with tub and separate shower.

Walking straight ahead takes you past the first-floor half bath. Upstairs are two more bedrooms with full baths, both big enough to be called master suites themselves. The emphasis here is on comfort.

“I really loved the kitchen,” Allie says. “It’s very long and has lots of storage space. When you’re working in the there you can still see people out in the living room. It’s so nice and open that you really feel like you’re a part of all the activities, even though you’re in the kitchen.”

Allie notes that the large basement features a recreation room with its own fireplace, a washer and dryer and a small kitchenette with refrigerator and plenty of additional storage. There’s also a home office that doubles as a place for doing school work.

“Someone could easily live down there,” Allie said. “It’s a very family friendly area.”

Elsewhere in the basement is a “bonus room” which Patrick now uses for working out, but which could easily be converted into a spare guest bedroom, according to Allie.

Outside, the home boasts a free-standing 2 1/2 -car garage. Allie says it has so much space that they were able to park two vehicles inside with room left over for storing bikes and outdoor equipment. The garage is located the end of a driveway with an electrically operated metal gate.

The big backyard is completely fenced, so dogs or young children can play safely without an adult having to constantly watch them.

Allie says the home should appeal to many different buyers. “I think it would be ideal for anyone who works at UK or in downtown. An active family with young children, or a family with school-age kids. Even empty-nesters looking for a home with a first-floor master.

“There’s something special about Chevy Chase. It’s nice being in a neighborhood where things kind of slow down and people can still walk their kids to school. Like a little step into the past.”

This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Home is near restaurants, schools and shops in unique Lexington neighborhood."