City Crafting New Neighborhood Plan For Butchertown, Phoenix Hill And NuLu

Louisville Metro Government’s Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability will host a public workshop on Jan. 29 to gather feedback from residents about the current conditions of the Butchertown, Phoenix Hill and NuLu neighborhoods and listen to their ideas for the future as part of a neighborhood planning process.

The neighborhood plan will encompass 6.3 square miles on the edge of the Central Business District. Home to historic residential areas, energetic commercial corridors, and regional destinations, Butchertown, Phoenix Hill and NuLu are unique part of Louisville’s urban fabric.

“Over the last several years, the Butchertown, Phoenix Hill and NuLu neighborhoods have experienced an influx of investment activity and development, turning the neighborhoods into destinations for locals and visitors alike,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “As they continue to evolve, it is critical that we take the time to ensure that that development is thoughtful and honors the history and individual character of these neighborhoods.”

The public workshop will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the Waterfront Botanical Gardens, 1435 Frankfort Ave. Doors open at 5 p.m., with a presentation starting at 5:30 p.m. The event is open to all Louisville residents. All are also encouraged to submit their thoughts via an online survey at www.bpnplan.com.

Neighborhood plans are used to find solutions to neighborhoods’ unique challenges, identify areas of opportunity, and provide a roadmap for future development. The success of the public visioning process is a critical step in building understanding, support, and ownership of focus areas that will ultimately lead to effective implementation across time.

The neighborhood plans for Butchertown and Phoenix Hill were last updated in 2008 prior to the establishment of NuLu. Since then, the neighborhoods have seen investment in retail, restaurants, hotels, multifamily developments, and the start of construction on major destination projects such as the Waterfront Botanical Gardens and the Lynn Family Stadium. The city also drafted and adopted the 2013 Downtown Master Plan, which envisioned the neighborhoods as prime opportunities for infill development that could be stimulated through better connections to the central business district.

Development of the new Butchertown-Phoenix Hill-NuLu Neighborhood Plan will be led by a team of consultants – landscape architecture and urban planning firm MKSK, transportation engineering firm WSP, and landscape architecture firm Booker Design Collaborative – in partnership with the Office of Advanced Planning and Sustainability.

“This plan is an exciting opportunity for Butchertown, Phoenix Hill and NuLu residents to help build on the area’s momentum and set a community-driven vision for the next ten years,” said Andrew Knight, Design Principal with MKSK. “The plan’s recommendations will be shaped by what we hear from the public, so we encourage residents, workers and visitors to get involved and share their ideas at our public meeting and through our online survey.”

The consultant team also is currently seeking volunteer ambassadors for the Butchertown-Phoenix Hill-NuLu Neighborhood Plan, who will provide grassroots outreach to residents, business and property owners, and visitors to ensure the plan include input from a diverse group. For more information or to volunteer, contact Kristin Booker of Booker Design Collaborative at kbooker@booker-design.com.