Wednesday October 15, 2025
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The city has announced it has purchased the former Parkland grocery store located at Virginia Avenue and South 28th Street with plans to explore redevelopment options.
“The acquisition of this property is an important first component of the Parkland Neighborhood Plan,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Our vision for Parkland in the future is of a vibrant, connected, and greener neighborhood with a commercial area along South 28th Street between Virginia and Dumesnil avenues.”
The city hopes to use the building as a catalyst for community economic development in the neighborhood. This property has been used as a grocery store and meat store over the years and holds a place of importance in the Parkland center.
“We are extremely excited about the acquisition of this property. Everybody agrees that this is in an important step to ensure that Parkland will continue to rise,” said Councilwoman Jessica Green (D-1). “I will be holding a series of neighborhood meetings about the future development of the site and I encourage all residents to come out and get involved in the process. This is a win for the Parkland community and for all of District 1.”
Other key activities happening in Parkland include the opening of Irma Dee’s restaurant, the Parkland Neighborhood Plan, and the continued growth of a community garden.
The public input phase of developing the Parkland Neighborhood Plan was completed earlier this year and the city expects to begin the formal adoption process in May.
Key recommendations of the plan include:
- Promoting the revitalization of the former Parkland Commercial Corridor as a place of health and wellness.
- Establishing cooperation and control of key real estate parcels identified in the Corridor Improvement Study Master Plan.
- Redeveloping and reconfiguring the vacant corner grocery and the associated parking lot.
- Creating destinations within walking distance of housing and workplaces. Preserving historic structures and encouraging first floor retail uses by restoring original commercial facades and transparency.
To learn more about the Parkland Neighborhood Plan, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/parkland-neighborhood-plan
Mayor Greg Fischer proposed a new city budget that focuses heavily on public safety, including significant investments in LMPD, while continuing the city’s momentum, with investments in affordable housing, paving and a new Northeast Regional Library.
The $593 million general fund operating budget anticipates $23 million in new revenue, with the greatest chunk of that – $19 million, or 83 percent – earmarked for LMPD and the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, including 112 new LMPD recruits.
“Public safety is our top priority,” the Mayor said in remarks today to the Metro Council, adding that his budget is evidence of that: “This will bring LMPD’s projected average strength to 1,293 the new fiscal year, the largest number of sworn officers serving our citizens since merger.”
Learn more about the budget here
Considering retirements and natural attrition in LMPD, the proposed FY2017-2018 budget will result in 55 net new police department positions since last year’s budget. That includes 44 new officers and 11 other positions, from crime scene technicians to firearms analysts.
The mayor’s budget also includes other public safety investments:
- Hiring an additional prosecutor in the Commonwealth Attorney’s office to focus on violent criminals;
- Hiring a new arraignment court prosecutor in the County Attorney’s office to work with low-level, non-violent offenders to get cases resolved efficiently, helping reserve limited bed space at Metro Corrections for the most violent offenders;
- Hiring 30 firefighters and 60 corrections officers;
- Spending $4 million on new police cars, ambulances, firetrucks and equipment;
- Funding to move LMPD headquarters, make repairs to the Louisville Fire Department headquarters in Russell and the city’s aging jail; and to relocate the 911 backup center.
Stressing the need to take a holistic approach “to fighting crime, and preventing crime,” the Mayor said his budget includes an increased investment in the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, and its Cure Violence program, and $200,000 to hire additional staff and support in the city’s Office of Addiction Services.
And recognizing that investments in people and places help make the community safer and keep the city’s economic momentum going, the budget also continues a commitment to workforce housing, with $2.5 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $12 million to the Louisville CARES revolving loan fund. That’s the highest level of city funding dedicated to affordable housing since merger.
“Investing in affordable housing is investing in our future. And it is critical to keeping communities safe,” the Mayor said.
Continuing his theme of building on momentum, the Mayor announced that the city, with the help of a state grant, is officially moving forward with construction of the Northeast Regional Library, which will feature 40,000 square feet of space and have a sustainable, eco-friendly and cost-efficient design.
“When this library opens, my administration will have fulfilled our commitment under the Library Master Plan to provide a full-service library within five miles of 90 percent of Louisville residents,” he said.
He also highlighted significant announcements in west Louisville over the last few weeks: the West Louisville YMCA is a go; Passport Health Plan is moving its corporate headquarters to 18th and Broadway; and plans for Waterfront Phase IV are moving forward.
Complementing all that, he said, his budget includes funding to begin the revitalization of Beecher Terrace and Russell. “We’ll use the Choice Neighborhood Grant to leverage more than $200 million in public and private funds to transform Russell into a sustainable, mixed-income community offering citizens of west Louisville quality services and schools, as well as better transportation and job opportunities,” he said.
“Overall, there’s more investment in this part of the city today than we’ve seen in a generation or longer,” he added, “with more to come.”
Other budget highlights:
- $25 million for paving, street improvements and sidewalk repairs, as part of the city’s Move Louisville plan and fix-it first strategy. In addition, there is $500,000 for bike lanes.
- $5.4 million to work with Kentucky Wired to lay extra fiber optic cable in the city, an investment that will pay for itself as the city leases the cable to private internet service providers, and will help bring high speed internet fiber to west Louisville, closing the digital divide.
- $1.7 million for Metro Parks upgrades and maintenance, and funds to continue building the Louisville Loop, implement the Tyler Park master plan, and to build a walking path at Joe Creason Park and a new boat ramp at Shawnee Park.
- $100,000 each for Dare to Care for its food bank.
- $100,000 to implement Imagine Greater Louisville, the community’s arts master plan.
- $600,000 to plant trees.
- A 2 percent raise for non-union employees. (Union employee salaries are set by their contracts.)
The Mayor noted that, “When you look at this budget as a whole, you’ll see that it’s balanced in more ways than one. This budget balances the need to honor our past commitments with the need to invest in our future.”
Louisville Metro Government has agreed in principle to a settlement that would significantly reduce a proposed utility rate increase by Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E).
Wednesday’s settlement agreement is more than $40 million below LG&E’s initial request for new revenue and includes a drastic reduction in LG&E’s proposed fixed monthly charges of $46 for residential customers who have both electric and gas service. The settlement requires the approval of the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) and could be altered following the PSC’s hearing on the case that begins May 9.
“This settlement protects LG&E customers of all types but also supports the utility in providing safe and reliable service for its users,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “Louisville Metro’s efforts in this case benefit all cities within Jefferson County and the rest of the LG&E service area.”
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell, in his authority as legal representative for Louisville Metro Government, has personally represented the city in the case, including settlement negotiations last week in Frankfort.
“Our work to limit the increase on fixed charges and to the rates cities pay for street lights is a big win for everyone in Jefferson County,” said O’Connell. “Listening to the input of our citizens, the Mayor and other city officials, along with members of Metro Council, guided me throughout this case. I hope that the PSC views this stipulation as fair, just and reasonable and ultimately approves it.”
LG&E asked the PSC in November to grant an increase to its electric and gas rates that would boost the company’s annual revenues by $107.5 million. Louisville Metro Government intervened in the case on December 2 and has since presented facts and expert testimony that called for a substantial cut to LG&E’s request. The settlement represents a 38 percent reduction from what LG&E requested in additional revenue.
Louisville Metro’s intervention paid especially high dividends in the debate over the fixed electric service charge. LG&E proposed to more than double the current service charge of $10.75 to $22 per meter. This increase raised concerns about impacts on low-income families, seniors and others living on fixed income, and from those in Louisville who had invested in energy conservation efforts, including solar technology. The high level of proposed increases in fixed charges was a significant factor in Louisville Metro’s decision to intervene.
The settlement raises the electric fixed charge only 75 cents each year in 2017 and 2018. The new fixed charges will be $11.50 and $12.25, respectively, a fraction of the company’s request.
When the fixed gas service charge is also taken into account, Wednesday’s agreement includes combined monthly charges of $27.85 for residential customers starting July 1, 2017. This combined $3.60 increase from current charges is drastically lower than LG&E’s request for an immediate $21.75 monthly boost in fixed costs outside of monthly electric and gas use.
Louisville Metro spends more than $17 million annually on utility bills. The city estimates $650,000 in cost avoidance compared to LG&E’s original request that would have resulted in more than a $1.23 million hike in Louisville Metro’s yearly utility bill.
This is the city’s first significant intervention in a LG&E rate case heard before the PSC in more than 30 years. Of the Louisville Metro Council members present and voting on Dec. 15, they unanimously approved (20-0) a resolution in support of intervention. Councilmen Bill Hollander and Kevin Kramer both have offered written testimony in the case.
Other notable pieces of the settlement include:
- Low-income customer support: $700,000 to the Association for Community Ministries (ACM) for utility assistance and $180,000 for Home Energy Assistance, both to remain in effect through June 30, 2021. This is a $200,000 increase to the contribution to ACM.
- Electric bus infrastructure and rates study: LG&E and Kentucky Utilities (KU) commit to fund a study concerning economical deployment of electric bus infrastructure in the Louisville and Lexington areas, as well as possible cost-based rate structures related to charging stations and other infrastructure needed for electric buses.
- LED lighting collaborative: The Utilities commit to engage in good faith with Louisville Metro, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and any other interested parties to these proceedings in a collaborative to discuss issues related to LED lighting to determine what LED street lighting equipment and rate structures might be offered by the Utilities.
Parties to the settlement include LG&E, Louisville Metro, the office of Attorney General Andy Beshear and numerous other intervenors in the case, including large-scale commercial and industrial customers and nonprofits like the Metropolitan Housing Coalition and the Sierra Club.
“The outcome of the rate case for residential customers in Louisville Metro is much improved over what had been requested,” said Tom FitzGerald of the Kentucky Resources Council, which represented the Metropolitan Housing Coalition. “Louisville Metro and County Attorney Mike O’Connell worked with the other intervenors and were instrumental in keeping customer charge increases small, and in helping to expand low-income energy assistance for the most vulnerable LG&E customers. We appreciate LG&E’s continued commitment to low-income assistance, which they pledged to increase and continue through 2021.”
This is a partial settlement as intervenors AT&T Kentucky and the Kentucky Cable Telecommunications are not parties to the agreement.
Attorney Gregory Dutton from the law firm of Goldberg Simpson has served as outside co-counsel for Louisville Metro on this case.
A full version of the stipulation can be found here.
Photo: Louisville Metro Government
Bridges of Hope Neighborhood Place will host its Second Quarterly Community Resource Fair for the Park Hill neighborhood this Saturday, April 8. Themed “Sowing the Seeds of Peace”, the event will be held at the Park Hill Community Center, 1703 South 13th St. from 12 – 4 p.m.
Focusing on residents who live in or near the Park Hill neighborhood — an area just west of Old Louisville which has experienced a disproportionate number of violent deaths – this event is open to all members of the public. More than 30 public, private and non-profit agencies will gather to meet with residents and share information about programs and services.
A giant Easter Egg Hunt will take place at the Park Hill Park directly behind the community center at 3 p.m. for children ages 2-10, sponsored by the Louisville Metro Community Policing Unit. DJ Samosa will spin tunes throughout the day and there will be several prize giveaways including an Easter basket valued at $50.00 and a Microsoft Application online training course valued at $295.00.
The Smile Academy of Kentucky, a mobile dental unit, will provide cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants for children 2-18 years of age during the event.
Resources and information will be provided in the following areas:
- Employment opportunities and career preparation
- Educational programs
- Housing
- Legal Issues
- Family services
- Mental and physical health
- Public safety
- Activities and employment for youth
- Community building
“We’re excited to host this great day of community building to once again bring together much needed resources and to support families in breaking the cycle of violence”, stated Nannette Dix, Administrator of Bridges of Hope Neighborhood Place, located in the Park Hill neighborhood.”
The following groups plan to participate: Louisville Metro Government (including Community Services, Parks and Recreation, the Mayor’s SummerWorks Program, the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods and Community Policing Unit), REimage, Louisville Urban League, Exploited Children’s Help Organization (ECHO), KentuckianaWorks, Family Scholar House, Louisville Metro Housing Authority, Louisville Metro Healthy Start, Smile Academy of Kentucky and many others.
For more information about the Park Hill Community Resource Fair, contact Nannette Dix at 502-634-6057 or Nannett.Dix@louisvilleky.gov.
Credit: Louisville Metro Police
Mayor Greg Fischer appointed former U.S. Attorney Kerry B. Harvey to conduct a wide-ranging special investigation into allegations surrounding the LMPD Explorer program.
The Mayor also ordered a separate extensive inquiry into all city programs that involve children and teenagers. This inquiry will determine if adequate steps are in place to protect youth and will review and recommend national best practices and policies.
Mayor Fischer has also asked the FBI’s Louisville Office to investigate potential violations of federal law related to sexual abuse allegations in the LMPD Explorer program.
“We have to get to the bottom of these disturbing allegations — for ourselves, for our citizens, for the thousands of LMPD officers who are honest, compassionate, courageous people of integrity,” Mayor Fischer said. “We need to know the truth. And, most importantly, for the victims of anyone who may have committed a crime while wearing an LMPD uniform.
“We have to get the whole story — and we will.”
Special investigator appointed
Until this year, Harvey served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, a position from which he oversaw the high-profile investigations of former state Personnel Cabinet Secretary Tim Longmeyer and state Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer.
Louisville Metro Government today contracted Harvey to examine the allegations of sexual abuse in the LMPD Explorer program, and also actions of city employees and others regarding the alleged abuse.
Mayor Fischer’s office began discussion with Harvey on Tuesday and signed a contract today. Harvey will also periodically update the Metro Council Government Accountability committee on his work.
“Kerry Harvey has a reputation for conducting dogged investigations and holding public institutions accountable,” Mayor Fischer said. “That’s exactly what I expect he’ll do here — conduct a full, comprehensive investigation that will lead to accountability.”
Harvey is being commissioned to look into LMPD and other city entities — conducting interviews, reviewing documents and other activities — to fully ascertain what happened within and around the Explorer program. His investigation will parallel a criminal investigation of the allegations underway by Louisville Metro Police.
“The allegations surrounding the Explorer program, if true, represent unacceptable conduct involving children, and the citizens of Louisville deserve to know what happened,” said Harvey, who assumed the U.S. Attorney post in 2010 and currently is with the Lexington office of the Dickinson Wright law firm.
Citywide inquiry to ensure safety
A separate inquiry will examine all city departments and agencies that have programs for children and teens — or interactions with youth — to determine if adequate steps are in place to protect youth.
The inquiry will also lead to recommendations of national best practices and policies.
“I believe the vast majority of our programs operate effectively, safely and are following best practices, but I am extremely disturbed about the allegations that have surfaced in the Explorer program,” Fischer said. “My concern is that children are protected – and I want parents and grandparents to know that we are taking the welfare of their children seriously.”
The review will be wide-ranging because many departments offer programs for or interact with youth, from Metro Parks to LMPD to Youth Detention Services. The inquiry will also appraise the policies of agencies that partner with Louisville Metro Government, to ensure that they align with the best practices followed by the city.
The first step will be an inventory of all programs involving youth, which the city’s Human Resources Department will undertake. Then, the city will hire an outside national agency to review the programs.
The Mayor said the inquiry is necessary because Louisville Metro Government offers programs or partners with many local agencies on children and youth programming – and a fresh perspective is important. He will direct that the inquiry is both comprehensive and undertaken swiftly.
Fischer said that “no stone will be left unturned” as the city investigates the allegations that have surfaced in the Explorer program. The Mayor also said that transparency is of utmost importance. That is why he asking the courts to unseal the civil lawsuit while the criminal investigation continues.