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In response to the passage of a Metro Council resolution, Louisville Metro’s Planning & Design Services, the city’s agency responsible for reviewing development applications and ensuring they align with our planning and zoning regulations, will hold public meetings to engage with the public on an update of Chapter 10 of the Land Development Code. Chapter 10 concerns trees, landscaping and open space.
The resolution passed by Metro Council on October 11 asked the Planning Commission to review the Land Development Code and to review the tree preservation and planting requirements to preserve and increase Louisville’s tree canopy.
The updates to Chapter 10 of the Land Development Code will only affect tree canopy requirements for development applications submitted to Planning & Design Services.
The update follows a tree ordinance aimed at preserving and increasing the tree canopy on public rights of way, which was passed by Metro Council in 2017.
“I was pleased to see the unanimous Metro Council vote to begin the process of improving Louisville’s Land Development Code, reducing tree loss and increasing our shrinking tree canopy,” Metro Council District 9 Councilman, and one of four sponsors of the resolution, Bill Hollander said. “There’s a bipartisan consensus that changes are needed. I encourage everyone to attend a meeting or make a comment as part of this process.”
The meetings will take place at the following dates, locations and times:
- November 13: Jeffersontown branch of the Louisville Free Public Library (10635 Watterson Trail) from 12-2 p.m.
- November 27: Okolona Fire Department (8501 Preston Highway) from 12-2 p.m.
- December 4: Portland branch of the Louisville Free Public Library (3305 Northwestern Parkway) from 6-8 p.m.
- December 11: East Government Center (200 N. Juneau Drive) from 6-8 p.m.
Proposed changes to Chapter 10 of the Land Development Code are due to Metro Council by March 1, 2019.
Changes related to tree requirements were last reviewed in 2014. Increases to preservation and planting requirement were deferred at that time pending the completion of an Urban Tree Canopy Assessment. The Assessment was complete in 2015 and showed a loss in tree canopy from 2004 to 2012 and predicted further losses without changes to City requirements.
For more information and a public comment form, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/planning-design/land-development-cod…
photo: Stevietheman
Mayor Greg Fischer joined south and southwest Metro Council members, and representatives from Underhill Associates and the Southwest Dream Team to celebrate the ongoing progress of the $5 million redevelopment of historic Colonial Gardens, and to highlight the work being done to create a safer pedestrian crossing, additional parking, and the addition of a new TARC bus stop next to the project.
“Colonial Gardens is a great investment that connects our city’s past with our future,” said the mayor. “We want to make the new Colonial Gardens as popular as it once was, and for that to happen, we know we need to make it accessible for all our residents. The improvements made along this corridor will benefit not only Colonial Gardens, but other area businesses, residents, and visitors to Iroquois Park.”
Metro Public Works recently completed $200,000 in roadway improvements at the intersection of New Cut Road and W Kenwood Drive where Colonial Gardens is located. The improvements include a left turn lane into Colonial Gardens from New Cut Road, curb extensions, enhanced sidewalks, and on-street parking.
Additionally, paving along Kenwood Avenue is expected to be complete this fall. With the enhanced pedestrian safety features in place, Public Works will monitor the New Cut Road/Kenwood Avenue intersection to optimize the signal for traffic flow in and out of Iroquois Park.
Construction on the $5 million redevelopment of Colonial Gardens started last fall and includes renovating the 7,000 square-foot historic structure, as well as adding three new, one-story buildings for a total of 18,000 square feet. The buildings will share a common patio and garden area. The project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2019.
The site’s developer, Underhill Associates, is in talks with local restaurant groups to occupy the four corner spaces of the building. “Underhill Associates is proud to bring Colonial Gardens back to life. This is a vital corner for the South End which will be an example of new vitality and will be a catalyst for more redevelopment,” Jeff Underhill said.
Metro Councilwoman Marianne Butler, whose District 15 includes Colonial Gardens, said “We have waited for many years for this revitalization. We are getting a vibrant community magnet complimenting the park while offering neighbors new dining opportunities. It is a win for everyone and I encourage neighbors to patronize the restaurants for many years to come.”
Councilman Blackwell of nearby District 12 said “This project is transforming the New Cut/ Kenwood corner and I am excited to see the changes occurring each day. The infrastructure improvements create a safer pedestrian experience for all, including those who want to enjoy events at Iroquois Park.”
District 25 Councilman Dave Yates said, “It is exciting to see the investment and progress we are making in South Louisville. Through this public-private partnership with the Underhills, the Kenwood and New Cut block is seeing unprecedented rejuvenation that will encourage people across the city to want to travel to our neck of the woods. Soon we will be proud to call Colonial Gardens the gateway to the South End and its success will reverberate southbound along New Cut and Dixie.”
And Vicki Aubrey Welch, noting that she is soon to retire as District 13 Councilwoman, said “It gives me great pride to know I was part of history in bringing Colonial Gardens back to a vibrant historical venue for the heart of South Louisville. Mayor Fischer worked long and hard together with the South End Council to bring this development forward. For that I will be forever grateful.”
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
On Sunday, November 4th, Councilwoman Barbara Shanklin (D-2) will join family and friends of the late Frank W. Weaver for the dedication of an honorary sign at the corner of St. Francis Street and Broadmoor Boulevard.
“Frank Weaver was a true American. He was one of the last of the famed Tuskegee Airman who came home to his native Louisville to start a family after his service to our country,” says Shanklin. “He was a dedicated husband, father and grandfather who provided for his family and was an important part of our community.”
At 3:00pm on Sunday, Shanklin will officially unveil a “Frank Weaver Way” honorary street sign. The designation was approved by the Metro Council on September 27th.
Mr. Weaver was born on December 28, 1926 in Louisville, and died on August 18, of this year at the age of 91.
At 18 years of age he was drafted into the United States Armed Forces, and after basic training was assigned to the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. In1939, training of African American pilots began and by 1941 during World War II, the first African American U.S. military pilots were trained at the Tuskegee Army Air field and Tuskegee University.
Mr. Weaver was as one of the famed Tuskegee Airman and served our nation during World War II as Hanger Chief and a B-25 engine mechanic.
After the war, Mr. Weaver came home to Louisville and worked first for the Jeffersonville Quartermaster Depot, and later worked for General Electric where he retired after 32 years. He also owned a neighborhood gas station where he put his mechanical skills to work repairing automobile engines;
He was a deacon at First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown, a volunteer in the political arena, and a member of the Brigadier General Noel F. Parrish Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. in Kentucky.
Mr. Weaver was married to the late Jewel D. Titus for 58 years.
They have two children (Gary L. Weaver, Sr. and Andre’ M. Weaver), six grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.
The Ceremony will take place at the corner of St. Francis Street and Broadmoor Boulevard.
Photo: Louisville Metro Council
Young people from all over Metro Louisville will be on hand this Saturday, November 3rd to talk about gun violence and other issues surrounding such violence in society as part of the exhibit of James Pate’s KKK Series Kin Killin Kin.
“This is an important forum as young people discuss how violence has impacted their lives and the lives of their friends. They will hear from those who are trying to help offset such violence through interactions and alternatives,” says Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5), who is sponsoring the discussion. “Young people are our future and we must bring them into any conversation about making our neighborhoods safer and curbing violence.”
The Youth Voices Against Violence Forum is set for the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage between 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
There will be a panel of young people who will examine the themes of gun violence in the context of public health, bystander action, healing through the arts and mobilizing change through community dialogues. It will be moderated by Dr. Eddie Woods.
Rashaad Abdur-Rahman Director of the Department of Safe and Health Neighborhood will be on hand as well as Metro Council members.
One of the highlights of the discussion will come from James Pate, the artist of the series, who will talk about his motivations for creating Kin Killin Kin.
The exhibit is a series of paintings in charcoals and colors that realistically show how violence is impacting young men and children. A stark feature of the works shows African Americans wearing the hoods of the Ku Klux Klan as they execute acts of violence. The exhibit will run until November 12th at the Center. It is free and open to the public.
Councilwoman Hamilton first saw the exhibit in Cincinnati at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. She was joined in bringing this exhibit to the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage Center by Council Members Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4), Mary C. Woolridge (D-3), Barbara Shanklin (D-2), Jessica Green (D-1) and President David James (D-6).
The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage is located at 1701 West Muhammad Ali Blvd.
To learn more go to www.kcaahc.org. Or you can call 502-583-4100.
Neighborhood residents in Metro Council Districts 6 and 8 have submitted more than 250 ideas to improve health and wellbeing in their neighborhoods through the Our Money, Our Voice project. Now volunteers are needed to help evaluate those ideas and prepare them for voting.
Launched in August, Our Money, Our Voice is an initiative of the Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness’s Center for Health Equity, and Metro Council President David James (District 6) and Councilman Brandon Coan (District 8). People living in those council districts will decide how $150,000 ($75,000 in each district) will be spent.
“Ideas can be submitted until Nov. 2,” said Council President James. “In our next phase, we need volunteers to serve as community scientists and research the ideas we’ve collected for cost, feasibility, and equity. This work will then lead to those projects all residents can vote on to be funded.”
People interested in volunteering for this phase of the project are asked to attend the Our Money Our Voice Civic Innovation Institute on November 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness headquarters at 400 E. Gray St.
“This is an important step,” said Councilman Coan. “At the Civic Innovation Institute, volunteers will also have an opportunity to build the kind of skills that will help them be able to directly influence how Metro government prioritizes the projects it funds in this pilot and beyond.”
Our Money, Our Voice is the name of Louisville’s participatory budgeting initiative – a way for members of a community to work together to better meet their needs while having a direct say in government decisions. In the process, people often find new ways of interacting with government and with each other to create solutions for all.
Funding for the initiative is coming from $100,000 in capital infrastructure funds ($50,000 from each district) and $50,000 from the Department of Public Health and Wellness.
District 6 neighborhoods participating in Our Money, Our Voice include Algonquin, California, Limerick, Old Louisville, Park Hill, Russell (the section north of Broadway Avenue, south of Plymouth Street, west of 22nd Street, and east of 26th Street), Taylor-Berry, University, and Victory Park.
Participating District 8 neighborhoods include Belknap, Bonnycastle, Cherokee Seneca – Alta Vista, Cherokee Triangle, Deer Park, Gardiner Lane – Upper Highlands, Hawthorne, Hayfield Dundee.
To volunteer, submit ideas or learn more about Our Money, Our Voice visit www.OurMoneyOurVoice.org.
Credit: Louisville Metro Police
Little ghosts and goblins will soon be out and about and they can get an early start on trick or treating when Family Fright Night gets underway on Sunday, October 28th.
Council members Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4) and Cheri Bryant Hamilton (D-5) will join with officers of the Louisville Metro Police’s First Division for a fun night in a special Haunted House.
“This is a great event for the entire family and it’s free,” says Sexton Smith. “This is a great way to have safe Halloween fun and get to know the officers who help keep us safe year round.”
The First Division’s Family Fright Night will feature a haunted house, trick or treating, live music and is designed for children 13 and younger.
“We want to make sure everyone has a good time and stays safe during this particular holiday,” says Hamilton. “I want to encourage everyone to come out and join us.”
The event will be held at the LMPD First Division Headquarters at 416, North 29th Street from 4:00pm until 7:00pm.
A proposed Ordinance dealing with Itinerant Vendors, Peddlers, and Solicitors is now before the Louisville Metro Council’s Public Works, Facilities, Transportation and Accessibility Committee.
The sponsors of the Ordinance are asking for public comment as the legislation moves forward.
“This is a starting point as we begin a review of how to deal with itinerant vendors, peddlers and solicitors in this growing area of our economy,” says Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (D-4). “It is important that we hear from everyone on this issue. We are in no rush to get this legislation passed. We want to make sure all interested parties and the public know where and how they can advise us on this issue.”
Sexton Smith is one of four sponsors of the Ordinance. Council member Brandon Coan (D-8), Pat Mulvihill (D-10) and Scott Reed (R-16) are also sponsors. Councilman Mulvihill chairs the Public Works Committee.
“Current regulations regarding vending are complex and outdated” says Coan. “That is why we are treating this legislation with a public process to eliminate confusion and crowdsource policy ideas.”
Appearing before the Public Works Committee, the sponsors announced the public will be able to comment online by accessing a new webpage on the Metro Council Clerk’s Homepage that shows the current ordinance, the proposed changes and offers a comment section.
“When this ordinance was recently legally challenged and changed, this prompted Metro Council to look at the ordinance governing vendors, peddlers, and solicitors and attempt to update this audience since it has not been examined since 2011. The proposed ordinance is just a proposal at this point and is seeking public input from all interested parties on what, if any, changes need to be made going forward,” says Mulvihill, who chairs the Committee.
The Committee has announced two public hearings regarding the proposed Ordinance. On October 30th, all businesses that are currently regulated as vendors will be able to testify on the Ordinance. Each person will be given three minutes to make a statement and be available for questions by any committee members. On November 13th, anyone else who would like to comment on the new proposal will be invited to speak.
Following those hearings, the Committee will begin its discussion on the Ordinance. Online comments will be taken up to Friday, November 16th.
All meetings are carried live on Metro TV, Spectrum Cable Channel 184 or on UVERSE at Channel 99. All meetings of the Metro Council are streamed live. Go to the Metro Council Home page at www.Louisvilleky.gov/metrocouncil and click on the Metro Council Agendas link.
To access the new page that explains the proposed changes in the Itinerate Vendors, Peddlers and Solicitors Ordinance, go to: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council/proposed-changes-itine…
