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In December 2015, Metro Council passed an ordinance to regulate the use of short term rentals; customers often book short term rentals through online platforms such as AirBnB, VRBO, and others. City leaders have been monitoring implementation of this ordinance and the evolution of the new shared economy. Louisville Metro Department of Develop Louisville, Metro Council District 8 and Louisville Tourism have partnered to propose changes to the short term rental ordinance (Chapter 115.515-521 of the Louisville Metro Code of Ordinances and Chapter 4 of the Land Development Code) in response to the growing popularity of this tourist experience and how to best integrate it into our neighborhood fabric.
“Tourism is flourishing in our city and in addition to the number of hotels opening, we are also seeing a growth in the use of short term rentals, which allow visitors a unique way to experience our beautiful neighborhoods and vibrant commercial corridors,” said Jeff O’Brien, Director of Develop Louisville. “When welcoming this new form of the shared economy, we must also make sure that short term rentals and their occupants harmonize with neighbors and these proposed changes to our ordinance will help us better achieve that.”
“Short term rentals are good for our city but these changes are needed to upstream and toughen enforcement against illegal operators,” District 8 Metro Councilman Brandon Coan said. “Neighbors deserve these additional protections and they will serve all legal operators well.”
“As destinations around the country work to keep up with growing shared economy options for travelers, Louisville Tourism is proud to be among those that are embracing their short term rental community,” Louisville Tourism President & CEO Karen Williams said. “Now, like with traditional lodging, the transient room tax collected can be invested in marketing Louisville and we are working with our local partners, in Airbnb for example, on efforts to attract even more visitors using their properties as assets.”
Proposed changes include:
- Limiting the number of individuals eligible to reside in a short term rental to ten (10). The proposed changes would permit the number of individuals who can reside in a short term rental to two (2) times the number of bedrooms plus four (4) with a limit of ten (10) individuals.
- Allowing short term rental in properties zoned EZ-1. A map of EZ-1 zoned properties that would be eligible can be found here: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/planning-design/short-term-rental-in….
- Requiring that an emergency contact for each short term rental reside in Jefferson County.
- Eliminating an initial registration fee, which was $25. Under the proposed changes a $25 fee will be required upon renewal.
- Prohibiting the advertising of a short term rental if it is not registered with the city of Louisville. Enforcement for advertising a short term rental without registering it results in a notice of violation for a first offense and a $50 fine for every additional day that the short term rental remains advertised.
- Introducing a new enforcement process: a first offense results in a $50 fine, a second offense results in a $250 fine, a third offense results in a $500 fine, and any additional offense results in a $750 fine.
To view the proposed changes in their entirety and to provide feedback, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/planning-design/short-term-rental-in….
Develop Louisville staff will be presenting these proposed changes to the Planning Commission after all public feedback has been reviewed. Once approved by the Planning Commission, then the changes will go before Metro Council. Not all municipalities with zoning authority in Jefferson County have approved a short term rental ordinance.
Mayor Greg Fischer helped break ground today to begin construction of the long-planned realignment of the intersection of Eighteenth Street, Dixie Highway and Broadway.
The $1.1 million project will ease traffic conditions at an intersection that is the hub of a major revitalization of the area. The Republic Bank Foundation YMCA and the new corporate headquarters of Passport Health Plan—projects totaling nearly $160 million and bringing over 500 jobs to the area—are both under construction at the intersection.
Dixie Highway becomes Eighteenth Street as it moves northbound across Broadway. Navigating that intersection from any direction presently requires moving through two traffic signals less than one hundred feet apart because the street zigzags at Broadway.
This project will reroute Dixie slightly eastward along the YMCA to align it directly with 18th Street, eliminating the zigzag and one of the traffic signals in each direction. Completion by contractor TSI Construction is expected by the end of October.
Mayor Fischer said, “This realignment will improve the connections between north, south, east and west as it helps to make this critical intersection a foundation for even more investment in West Louisville.”
Joining the mayor in the groundbreaking were Steve Tarver, President and CEO of YMCA of Greater Louisville; Jill Bell, Vice President and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of Passport Health Plan; Metro Council President and District 6 Councilman David James; and Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith of District 4, which includes the Broadway/Dixie/18th Street intersection.
The realigned intersection will be a Bus Rapid Transit stop at the northern anchor of the $50 million New Dixie Highway project. That project will improve safety, mobility and livability along a 14-mile corridor to the Gene Snyder Freeway. Mayor Fischer noted that the realignment is part of a long string of development announcements across Louisville, and particularly west of Ninth Street.
In addition to the YMCA and Passport projects, the list includes a $29.5 million grant to convert the Beecher Terrace public housing development into a mixed used, mixed income community, the planned $30 million Heritage West track and field facility at 30th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard, development of Google Fiber, the Chef Space kitchen incubator in the former Jay’s Cafeteria, and more.
Guests can create a customized Kentucky State Fair experience next month by downloading a new software program for mobile devices. The app is designed to connect users to all the unique events and attractions that make the Kentucky State Fair unforgettable.
The 2018 Kentucky State Fair mobile app is now available free on both Google Play and the App Store.
Highlighted features include:
- Attractions: check out which entertainers are on stage and what animals are in the stalls
- Trending: see what’s popular at the Fair
- Schedule: create daily schedules of must-see music and entertainment
- News & FAQ: get weather, parking and breaking news updates
- Maps: find locations of exhibitors, attractions and food
Advance tickets and parking for the Kentucky State Fair are available and can be purchased online via the app through 10 p.m. Aug. 15, as well as at participating Kroger locations.
Ticket prices are:
- General (Ages 6+); Children under 5 are free with adult
- In advance: $7
- Online During Fair: $8
- At The Gate: $10
- Parking
- In advance: $5
- Online During Fair: $8
- At The Gate: $10
The 2018 Kentucky State Fair is Aug. 16-26 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. For more information, visit www.kystatefair.org or find the Fair on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or its blog.
The two leaders who most recently guided the Kentucky State Fair Board agree its future is in good hands with new President and CEO David Beck.
Beck officially began his new role at Kentucky Venues on July 1.
Secretary of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, Don Parkinson, and Chairman of the Kentucky State Fair Board, Dr. Mark Lynn, who recently served separate terms as interim CEO at Kentucky Venues, predict David Beck will be the most consequential leader in the organization’s history.
“David successfully led a large organization, involved in major state and national legislative regulatory issues, affecting agriculture and rural Kentucky,” said Secretary Parkinson. “He brings a wealth of business expertise to the sixth largest convention operation in the nation.”
Kentucky Venues operates the Kentucky Exposition Center (KEC), the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) and produces the Kentucky State Fair, National Farm Machinery Show and North American International Livestock Exposition.
“The blend of leadership capability, knowledge of Kentucky and ability to unite diverse industries set David apart in his role as CEO,” said Dr. Lynn.
Beck sees tremendous opportunities at Kentucky Venues. Beck will preside over grand reopening of KICC on August 6. The downtown Louisville convention center has been closed for 24 months to allow $207 million worth of building renovations to be completed.
Beck says the 540 acre complex at the Kentucky Exposition Center is an ideal location for additional private development such as hotels and entertainment venues.
“KEC sits at the corner of Interstates 65 and 264. That is some of the most valuable property in Kentucky. We are asking private companies to give us ideas on how we can collaborate with them to enhance that area for our citizens and guests to our state. I’m excited about developing something special there.”
Beck said other priorities in his new job include bringing together the urban and rural communities and forming strategic partnerships across the state.
“I want Kentucky Venues to serve as an example of how government entities can operate effectively and efficiently,” said Beck.
Additionally, Beck is reimagining facility use at both properties. Beck plans to increase revenue through new business events and agriculture shows.
“I not only want to preserve the rich tradition of our properties but also enhance it for future Kentuckians and guests,” said Beck.
After 41 years with Kentucky Farm Bureau (KFB), Beck brings to Kentucky Venues experience in agribusiness, government affairs, and executive management. Prior to his retirement at KFB, he served as the company’s Executive Vice President. A five-member search committee was appointed in January by Kentucky State Fair Board Chairman Dr. Mark Lynn to review applications for the president/CEO position that had been vacant since September 2017.
Visit www.kyvenues.com for more information about spaces and events at Kentucky Venues.
Due to the recent fire at The Kentucky Center, Dan & Phil World Tour 2018: Interactive Introverts, previously scheduled for Whitney Hall, has been moved to Iroquois Amphitheater. The event will still be held on August 2nd at 8 pm.
Ticket holders were carefully reassigned into comparable reserved seating at Iroquois Amphitheater. The Kentucky Center box office is sending new tickets to those patrons per their original delivery method. Anyone who purchased tickets in-person will receive their new tickets by mail.
The Kentucky Center remains the OFFICIAL ticket service for this event and open seats for the event at Iroquois Amphitheater are now on sale. Tickets are available online and by phone (584-7777).
A fundraiser for Breslin Park, hosted by the Louisville Parks Foundation and Home Skateshop, will take place at Headliners Music Hall on Thursday, July 26 at 7 p.m. Proceeds from the event will go towards improvements to the park, including a new skateboarding element and shade structure.
The all-ages show will feature Miracle Drug, The Hot Wires, Adventure, Comforter and Legs Akimbo with DJ’s Sam Sneed and Matt Anthony and Sean Cannon as emcee. Custom artwork, tee shirts and stickers designed by local pop artist, Matthew McDole, will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance at headlinerslouisville.com, Headliners Box Office, Home Skateshop, Guest Room Records, or at the door the night of the show. All tickets bought in person, will come with a free Matthew McDole Breslin sticker.
Funding for the project is the result of a partnership between the Louisville Parks Foundation, a non-profit that supports Louisville Parks and Recreation, Home Skateshop, Councilman Bill Hollander and individual donors.
Anyone interested in donating to the Breslin skate spot should visit lpfky.org.
The 2018 Kentucky Legislature passed a three-foot bicycle passing law sponsored by Rep. Jerry Miller that will take effect July 14, 2018.
The law requires vehicles passing a bicycle to use the adjacent lane if available. If an adjacent lane is not available, then the passing vehicle should pass to the left at a distance not less than three feet between the vehicle and the bicycle. If the bicycle is in a bicycle lane, the passing vehicle should still be at least three feet from the bicycle.
Distance is measured from the outmost portion of the vehicle to the outmost portion of the bicycle. A pickup truck with wide view mirrors would require a space of three feet from the mirrors to the end of the bicycle handlebar.
If the roadway, the distance from the edge of the pavement to the other side of the pavement, is too narrow to give three feet clearance, then the passing vehicle should use reasonable caution. Typically this will occur on one-lane roads less than 10 to 12 feet wide.
The new law also allows passing vehicles to legally cross a double yellow line to pass a bicycle – if there is enough sight distance to safely pass, considering the slower speed of the bicycle and greater visibility around the bicycle.
Thirty-four states have similar safe passing laws to use the adjacent lane or give three feet or more.
Like all states, Kentucky law also requires cyclists to follow the basic rules of the road. Like any operator of a vehicle, a bicyclist must ride with traffic, obey traffic laws and stop at stop signs and red lights.
When following the rules of the road, a cyclist has the same right-of-way as any car, truck or bus driver.
However, state law requires a bicycle to operate as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable. While the word “practicable” is undefined, there are many exceptions cited when it would be unreasonable or unsafe to ride on the right side of the lane – for example, to avoid parked cars, surface hazards, or moving vehicles.
Cyclists are also permitted to ride two abreast, meaning side-by-side, in the same lane.
Cyclists must also use a white light on the front of the bike and a red reflector or red light in the rear between sunset and sunrise or whenever the weather makes lights necessary.
Laws related to bicycles are in Kentucky Administrative Regulations, KAR 14:020. The three foot law is at KRS 189.300 amended.
For more information on Kentucky bicycle laws, visit http://bikewalk.ky.gov/ , contact Troy Hearn, Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, (502) 782-5060, troy.hearn@ky.gov, the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, Phone: (502) 564-1438, highwaysafety@ky.gov or Dixie Moore, dixiemoore1501@gmail.com
