Two Keys files plan to add patio in Lexington despite neighbor concerns
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- Two Keys Tavern owners filed city plans to add a fenced patio on Upper Street.
- The patio proposal would remove at least seven parking spaces and add vegetation.
- Owner Carlo Vaccarezza said there are no plans for outdoor or indoor live music.
The owners of the future Two Keys Tavern have filed paperwork with the city to add a proposed patio to the restaurant.
But neighbors say the patio is already built.
This is not the first time the tavern owners have acted without proper permitting: The city stopped work on the property twice in March and the owners have been fined at least $300 for starting work before having proper permits.
On Wednesday, the city reviewed the plan filed for the patio and determined it does not meet the requirements for vegetation and will have to request a variance by May 1 or add vegetation. If a variance is requested, Two Keys will need to come before the City Planning Commission for approval.
The plans, filed with the city on April 3, show the patio on the Upper Street side of the building, surrounded by a fence. According to the review, the plan only shows 3% vegetation, less than a third of what is required.
Neighbors who live in the homes behind the restaurant have expressed concern about the proposed patio, which will replace part of an existing parking lot at 503 S. Upper St. At least seven parking spaces will be eliminated by the patio and additional new vegetation buffers, according to the plan.
Building owner Carlo Vaccarezza said there are no plans to have live music inside or outside at this time, something that has worried the Historic South Hill neighborhood.
“We are not going to put in a stage, just dining,” he said.
Vaccarezza also said that he plans to meet with representatives of the neighborhood this week.
He and business partner Seth Bennett hope to open the new Two Keys Tavern soon, he said, with a menu of bar food including quesadillas and rotisserie chicken.
But homeowner Quincy Glass, who shares a property line with the restaurant, said the neighbors are still worried about noise and late-night outdoor crowds.
Glass said music is not the only concern. If Vaccarezza and Bennett plan to use the space for showing UK games, then speakers and a projection TV would disturb the neighborhood as well.
“If they are allowed to use it at all — they post on their social media photos of tons of kids on a patio watching games, listening to music — if that were to happen, five or six houses next to them would be affected,” Glass said. “If they go until 1 or 2 a.m., we wouldn’t be able to sleep. It would be awful.”
Two Keys Tavern a longtime UK student haunt
Two Keys Tavern was a staple of nightlife for the University of Kentucky students on the nearby campus for generations.
Bennett owned Two Keys Tavern when it closed at 333 S. Limestone in the summer of 2020 after 66 years and entered bankruptcy. Three months later, Bennett reopened Two Keys down the block at 380 S. Limestone in the former Pazzo’s Pizza Pub space, but it since closed.
The original Two Keys Tavern space is now a bar called The Hill. The building was purchased by developer Diversified Properties last summer.
Beth Musgrave contributed to this report.
