What a mess.

It’s been a little while since we have talked about that slow moving disaster ready to stamp out so much progress being made in Louisville.  I am, of course, describing the Ohio River Bridges Project.  In an effort to bring Broken Sidewalk up to date with what’s been going on, here’s a rundown of a few major events.  Did I miss anything?

• We left off in September, 2009 after learning that River Fields had filed a lawsuit against the East End Bridge.  Check out that story and all our previous coverage of the bridges issue in our archives.
• September 2009:  Tunnel for the East End Bridge approach in jeopardy.  Removing the tunnel could open the Record of Decision (ROD)
• October 2009:  Governor Steve Beshear appoints 11 Kentuckians to the newly created Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority.  The KPTIA is an entity that can enter into bi-state agreements for mega-projects like the ORBP and can create bi-state authorities to determine financing (read: tolls) for such projects.  The KPTIA votes to create a bi-state authority to oversee the ORBP.  Without any real progress on the project, Beshear calls the vote “historic.”  Eight days later, Beshear and Abramson appoint seven people to the Kentucky side of the authority.  No Metro Council members were appointed despite a request from the body.
• November 2009:  Bob Hill pens an incisive piece for Louisville Magazine:

“I began going to the public bridge meetings with Daniel Boone. Everyone was very nice; we were asked to vote on the designs we liked best, and then 14 bi-state officials and politicians locked themselves in a room and made the final decisions. In Indiana, developers were selling land and houses to people the developers knew would be in the path of the bridge. In Kentucky, one of the main arguments against the bridge became that it would help create jobs in Indiana — a fine example of upscale regional thinking. Meanwhile, some of the bridge-path land the environmentalists were supposed to be saving was being eaten up with new houses — many of them oversized, hey-look-at-me, energy-eating monstrosities.”

• Property acquisition begins in downtown Jeffersonville and in Utica, Indiana and the Baer Fabrics building and several properties in the east end are secured for destruction as well.  A projected completion date of 2020 probably won’t be met.
• The Federal Highway Administration requests that a lawsuit brought by River Fields is moved from Washington DC to a Kentucky court.
• LEO publishes a major article on River Fields questioning the politics and obstructionism of the conservation group and River Fields allegedly pulls the issues from news stands before they can be read (video) and threaten LEO with a lawsuit.
• 8664 reminds us of how the Downtown Bridge component was added to the ORBP in 1994.
• December 2009:  Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels appoints members to the Indiana side of the bi-state authority for the ORBP.
• Beshear issues $100 million in bonds for the project and announces it’s time to “Start your engines.”  Bonds are to be used for property acquisition in Kentucky.
• The price for the $4.1 billion project hasn’t been updated in almost two years even though Federal rules specify a revised finance plan each fall.
• WFPL reports that Louisville will fail to meet the requirements of the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement calling for a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2012.  It’s estimated that 29% of greenhouse gas emissions in Louisville are caused by transportation.
• A Federal judge approves the FHA request that the River Fields lawsuit be moved to a Kentucky court.
• Gov. Beshear admits that Kentucky is facing up to a $1.5 Billion budget shortfall for 2011-12.
• Federal funding is about to be cut to local transportation projects because no financing plan is in place for the ORBP.
• January 2010:  By mid-January, the ORBP bi-state authority still hasn’t met despite an anticipated first meeting in December.  The authority has until December 2010 to determine a financing plan.  Mayor Abramson is skeptical that Federal rules will be enforced cutting local transportation funding.
• February 2010:  The ORBP bi-state authority finally has its first meeting with no real progress (by-laws are approved, a staff is hired, and a schedule set) and was largely rushed to avoid public outcry over inaction.  As usual, a non-step is declared “historic” by Beshear & Abramson.
• The projected completion date is now 2024 but no one really knows for sure and politicians throw out random numbers.  Beshear: “We want this done as fast as possible.  I don’t know what that means, but to me , it means faster than ten years.”
• Jeffersonville wants to bail out Louisville for not having a funding mechanism and Councilman Ron Grooms admits that “The majority of Indiana residents don’t want to pay tolls.”
• The C-J’s misguided editorial board lashes out at political hopefuls who want to build an East End Bridge first (basically all of them) and requisite backlash ensues from Tyler Allen who delivers an address in front of the Courier-Journal’s Broadway headquarters.
• The N & T declares that 8664 is not dead.  The bi-state authority meets again and actually talks about financing but only in a superficial way without any solutions.
• KIPDA seeks exemption from Federal rules that would cut funding to local projects because a financing plan for the ORBP is still unknown.
• Congressman Yarmuth meets with US DOT Secretary Ray LaHood to ask about funding options.
• Several trucks overturn on local highways including one carrying onions on Spaghetti Junction reminding us that a new Junction will still face delays and shut-downs from bad drivers.
• Indiana authorizes the use of public-private partnerships to be used for the ORBP meaning a private company would build the highway and charge tolls to use it.
• March 2010:  Toll Road News finds the political claims that the ORBP will create jobs “discouraging:”

“Most discouraging is the nonsense spouted by some of the champions of these projects. Senator Ed Charbonneau (Repub) for example called the bill “the jobs bill of this session” claiming it will “create 30,000 jobs.”

“Such enthusiasm is touching, but road projects are not to “create jobs.” If they were we’d ban all machinery and have all the work done with picks and shovels.

“These projects are to serve motorists by saving them time and travel expense and they have to be judged by the financial viability – whether they can attract sufficient in toll payments by motorists to support the costs – which have to minimized with the optimum mix of labor and equipment, not with “job creation” in mind.”

• ORBP bi-state authority says it won’t consider tolls on the Second Street / Clark Memorial Bridge but says all other bridges are fair game meaning the oldest bridge carrying auto-traffic in the city will now be the most congested.  Some on the authority call for a study of tolling Spaghetti Junction.  Any toll would require a Federal exemption and per Fed rule, no current bridge can be tolled unless it is reconstructed.
• Bi-state authority plans to hire an “advisory team” with potentially an investment bank like Goldman Sachs represented to study financing options.  It could be a way to pass the buck for the unpopular notion of tolling the bridges.  Approval from the KY General Assembly is first required.  Officials from Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase attended the ORBP bi-state authority meeting.
• Anti-toll groups emerging on the Internet (Facebook here and here)
• Traffic in Maryland is slow to recover meaning toll revenues are drastically down and rate hikes are imminent.  Could the same thing happen to Kentucky toll roads?

What a mess.

Sustainable City Series (Courtesy Urban Design Studio)

The thirteenth Sustainable City Series event sponsored by the Urban Design Studio will take place on Tuesday, March 16 at 6:00pm at the Glassworks on West Market Street.  This time, the Series will discuss the role universities play in regional sustainability initiatives.  Representatives from the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky will be part of the panel.  Here’s a bit of info from the Urban Design Studio:

“Universities play a key role in the promotion and implementation of sustainable practices in our communities. Not only do universities contribute to regional sustainability through fundamental research and an existing knowledge base, but also through education and training, community involvement and outreach, and the institutions’ own development of space, energy policy and environmental programming.

“Our guest speakers will be:

“Justin Mog serves as the University of Louisville’s assistant to the provost for sustainability initiatives. He is the first to hold this position at UofL and has been working with the university’s Sustainability Council since August 2009 to integrate sustainability into everything the university does – from operations and facilities to administration and finances to education and research. Justin holds environmental studies degrees from Oberlin College (B.S.) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (M.S., Ph.D.) and recently completed three years of service in the Peace Corps promoting sustainable development in Paraguay.

“Larry Owsley has served as the University of Louisville’s vice president for business affairs since 1983. He has graduate degrees from the University of Virginia and the University of California, Berkeley in public administration and public policy analysis respectively. His undergraduate degree is in history from Centre College of Kentucky.

“Brent Fryrear is the Director of the Partnership for a Green City – a collaboration of Louisville Metro Government, Jefferson County Public Schools and the University of Louisville – working together to address climate change and “green” institutional practices within the organizations themselves as well as working to achieve real results that will have long-term positive impacts on the health, education, and well-being of our citizens. Brent has been in the environmental arena for almost 25 years in industry, emergency response, consulting, government and higher education. He has a Masters degree in Higher Education Administration and Organizational Development and a Bachelors in Biology, both from UofL.

“Shane Tedder was recently hired by the University of Kentucky to serve as their first Sustainability Coordinator and reports to the Vice President for Facilities Management. Prior to this appointment, Shane worked for 6 years as the recycling and sustainability coordinator for the Office of Residence Life at UK. During this time he created the Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library (www.wildcatwheelsorg) and Earthdays in the Bluegrass (www.edbg.org).”

The event is free but seating is limited and the Urban Design Studio requests attendees to RSVP on their web site.  As usual, coffee will be provided by Heine Brothers and Ramsi’s Cafe will have snacks.  These events always fill up quickly, so I recommend reserving your spot as soon as possible.

Imaginary infill (Photo by Diane Deaton-Street, Rendering by Broken Sidewalk)

Louisville needs to start taking infill development seriously.  Infill development involves building on underutilized lots inside the city instead of on green fields (i.e. farms) on the suburban fringe.  There are vast swaths of land in Louisville, either abandoned brownfield sites, surface level parking lots, or undesirable suburban style buildings in the core that offer opportunities to increase the population density of the existing city and bring about a more walkable Louisville.  Spoiler:  This is a fake project.

While any infill site can be desirable for development, I feel corner sites offer added value in their ability to define the urban streetscape and radically change the feeling of the street for the better.  Corners are anchor sites that offer opportunities for high visibility buildings.  As such, they require a little extra design effort to create a building that appropriately addresses the challenges of turning a corner and handling two often different dynamics on each street front.

In a newly rejuvenating neighborhood, it’s cheaper and easier to renovate existing historic structures to create a viable economy to support new construction, but it’s a slow process.  (And Louisville loves nothing like a wrecking ball.)  Louisville has plenty of neighborhoods that are currently ready for such new construction in areas like Downtown, Old Louisville, Butchertown, Nulu, or the Highlands among others.

Even Bardstown Road, the most vibrant street in Louisville, has plenty of room for infill development.  (And we’re starting to see infill proposed.)  Here, I would like to point out a site as an example that could dramatically change the perception of Bardstown Road with just one building.  It’s the corner of Bardstown Road and Longest Avenue where a suburban style National City Bank branch was recently converted to a PNC branch.

The current site is dominated by a deep set back from the street, a small building surrounded by a moat of internal asphalt, and a large drive through.  Furthermore, after the merger of PNC and National City Bank, there are now two PNC branches across the street from one another on Bardstown Road.  Both buildings are inappropriate forms for an urban setting.  Check the map below.

PNC Bank Branches Across The Street From One Another (Map via Lojic)

I have spent many afternoons sitting on the patio of Heine Brothers Coffee at this location pondering the current building’s nondescript brick wall facing Longest Avenue.  Because of the angle of the historic building anchored by Carmichael’s Bookstore and the street, a well-proportioned triangular plaza is formed.  It’s spatial potential, however, is diminished by the void across the street.

For the sake of illustration, I created a quick fictional project to demonstrate the opportunity that exists on just this one site.  It’s by no means an architectural wonder, but since it’s not real and it’s not going to be built, it will do.

The theoretical building is mixed-use and includes retail space, office space, apartments, townhouses, and small parking structure in the back.  The building also demonstrates a slight increase in scale from existing historic buildings in the area without dominating the streetscape.  It will, however, be a noticeable shift from what currently exists.

While some will undoubtedly be fearful of this change, I feel it can be appropriate to build at different scales than we did 100 years ago as long as it respects the existing context.  We’re a bigger city today and growing, and we needn’t shy away from that fact.

Imaginary infill in the Highlands (Diagram by Broken Sidewalk)

In this example, the structure is divided into two segments.  The more urban side facing Bardstown Road is four stories with a fifth set back on the roof to minimize its visual presence.  Turning the corner, the height shifts downward to a series of three-story town homes forming a transition into the residential neighborhood.  The act of turning the corner is marked by a chamfered corner but architects employ a variety of techniques to better effect.

Other visual clues present a subtle architectural language that relates the building to its context.  Material changes or detailing can indicate a change of use or relate to the heights of surrounding buildings.  Setbacks and other techniques can also achieve this.

Many mixed-use structures utilize a use-pattern of retail on the sidewalk with office space above all topped by residential units.  This mix provides activity in the building at all times of the day and staggers parking demand as residents may be away during the day when office tenants use the building.  The band of office space also provides a sound buffer between residences and retail space and elevates residences above the noise of the street.

Overall, infill development has the potential to really make an impact on the urban feel of Louisville and provide the densities required for the kind of city amenities like transit that urban dwellers desire.  This kind of development can be more difficult than suburban development as it might involve environmental cleanup or additional regulatory hurdles, but it’s some of the most important for the city.

Is there a particular site in Louisville you think could benefit from an infill project?  How can we promote new construction in urban Louisville?  Are there any recent infill projects that have caught your eye in the past few years?  Discussion in the comments.

Imaginary infill in the Highlands (map via Lojic)

Does Louisville need a history museum?

Cincinnati has one.  So does Atlanta, Richmond, and New York.  But does Louisville need a museum to showcase its long and storied history at the Falls of the Ohio?  Historian and author Bryan S. Bush thinks so and has drafted a proposal for just such an institution.

Bush says Louisville already has an authoritative museum row on West Main Street but could benefit from an institution dedicated to the history of the city itself.  His proposal is only a rough draft but he wants your input to refine the plan.

Since it was released in mid April of 2009, Bush says the proposal has generated quite a bit of positive buzz from people he has spoken with but admits support from the City and many of its institutions has been lukewarm.  He hopes once the economy improves that the idea can pick up some momentum.

There’s currently no financing plan or location in mind, but Bush believes such a museum could serve as an anchor in the West Main Street cultural district.  Ideally, Bush would like to see a Louisville History Museum set up in a renovated historic structure.

It takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to take an idea like this from the drawing board to reality, but could offer many benefits for the city in the long run.  If the idea generates enough interest, it’s going to take a dedicated team to pull off a comprehensive solution – and it won’t be cheap.  A Louisville History Museum will need to establish a permanent collection, find resources to acquire a home, and fund an endowment.  But first, it starts with an idea.

From the proposal:

The purpose of the Louisville History museum is to establish a permanent location for a museum showcasing Louisville’s rich political, economic, social and cultural history. With the development of the Louisville Waterfront Park and the showcasing of Louisville’s new museum row with the Louisville Slugger Museum, the Frazier International History Museum, and the Louisville Science Center, Louisville needs a museum dedicated to Louisville’s history.

Many major areas of the country already have museums dedicated to their history, such as the Atlanta History center, which covers Atlanta’s turbulent period in the Civil War, the Richmond Historical Center, in Richmond, Virginia, and Museum Complex in Cincinnati, Ohio, which includes three museums in one area. Louisville is a great city, but has no comparable comprehensive museum for showcasing the city’s history.

Louisville is a very important city, which should have a museum showing her rich history, from the city’s very beginnings on Corn Island to the great city she has become today. Louisville citizens should be proud of their steamboat, riverboat, and railroad history. Louisville became part of the Lewis & Clark expedition. Louisville became a great center for supplies, soldiers, and transportation during the Civil War. The city became a great industrial center. With these and many other elements of our great history, a Louisville Historical Center would be an asset to the community, mostly by increasing tourism as well as unique educational opportunities for Louisville students. Most importantly, especially to historians, is that Louisville needs a museum dedicated to our history before the historical artifacts become lost, damaged or destroyed.

What do you think?  Could you get behind a Louisville History Museum?  Help to refine the proposal in the comments.  Thanks to Steve Magruder at Louisville History & Issues for helping to advance the idea.

Click through to see a proposed timeline for organizing the museum.

Louisville City Hall

Metro Council will be meeting tomorrow, Thursday, February 25 at 6:00pm.  Here are a few items on the agenda.  They might not all be addressed, but I suppose we’ll see.  Any thoughts?

• Metro Council could approve a parking waiver for the new wine shop, restaurant, and art gallery planned at the old Housman Motors building on East Market and Campbell Streets.  The waiver would reduce the required on-site parking from 28 spaces to 13 and requires the approval of MC because its a gross reduction of over 50%.  This seems like a no-brainer considering the ample street parking in the area and its inherently urban quality and it’s another step forward for an East Market Street venture.  A site plan submitted shows a new 3,650 square foot one-story structure to be built directly east of the existing 2,350 square foot structure and a one-way driveway wrapping around the new and existing structure from Market to Campbell.  In addition to a roof terrace, there will be about 600 square feet of outdoor dining space.
• An amendment to the Louisville Development Code (LDC) could create a new designation in the Traditional Neighborhood Zoning District (TNZD) governing development in Old Louisville called the “Form District Edge Transition.”  This change would provide for the proposed redevelopment of the Masterson’s block near U of L into a mixed-use project and is the result of discussions between the developer, Investment Property Advisors, and Old Louisville.  The change should provide greater design flexibility for compatible projects that respect the historic area’s character.
• The Floyds Fork Greenway Master Plan could be incorporated into the city’s Cornerstone 2020 Comprehensive Plan in the Land Development Code and would establish a relationship between the 3,800 acre 21st Century Parks initiative and future development.  The master plan “promotes a healthy relationship between the park, existing neighborhood features and future development.”  Guidelines include requiring structures lining the park to face the park, planting street trees, and preserving natural ecosystems.
• Another change to the LDC aims to preserve existing trees on new development sites by adding incentives to developers and provides enforcement measures to penalize developers who illegally remove trees.  The amendment has been worded to promote native species and offers no protection for existing invasives and also stresses preservation over replacement of trees.  It’s a move spurred by a couple recent cases where developers removed trees that were supposed to be preserved, angering neighbors.
• Metro Council could approve a new member of the planning commission, John Stockton, appointed by Mayor Jerry Abramson.  Stockton hails from the 18th district in the east end would serve a term expiring October 1, 2012.
• A couple city owned parcels, one in Portland and one Downtown, could be deemed surplus so they could be sold.  The Portland parcel is a grassy residential lot and the parcel Downtown is at 400 S. 1st Street on the southwest corner with Liberty Street.  It’s currently occupied by an ugly beige brick building and a parking lot.  Also, an alley in Shelby Park could be closed at the request of St. Vincent de Paul.  Two other alleys could also be closed.
• An ordinance could implement a geographic diversity requirement on government boards and commissions.
• A $300,000 loan could be extended to Herz Investment Group, the owners of the Starks Building on Fourth Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard.  The loan would cover fit-up costs for a planned steakhouse on the first floor.

Screen capture from Google Maps

So I would suppose most people know that there’s a wide array of towns bearing the name Louisville out there.  Wikipedia says there’s a Louisville not just in Kentucky but also in Alabama, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and Minnesota.  There’s even a Louisville in Tasmania, Australia and in Belize (not to mention an underwater mountain chain).  Seems like we have a pretty good franchise going on.

Our own beloved Louisville, however, is the only “big city” in the selection where the population range stretches from 209 souls to almost 19,000.  Why, then, doesn’t Louisville show up first in a Google map search?  It’s a minor complaint, I suppose, but imagine someone unfamiliar with our city unwittingly thinking our town is some rural enclave?

The problem arises when you type in a search like “Main Street Louisville.”  Go ahead and try it (or follow this link).  Turns out that “Main Street Louisville” is in rural Alabama, population 612.  Sure, you could tack on “KY” at the end of the search, but should that really be necessary?

And it’s not foolproof.  Sometimes, a similar search for First Street or Shelby Street will land you in good old Louisville, KY, but the former shows a trailer park off Preston Highway outside the Snyder and the latter takes you to a subdivision in Fern Creek.

It’s endearing to think that Louisville is a little off the national radar, but this seems a tiny bit absurd.  Anyone else encountered this issue?  Do you find it annoying or should it just be ignored?

Louisville, NE does have one edge on our fair city, however; it has a higher population density at 2,038 people per square mile compared to our county rate of 1,866 per square mile.

Click through for a few more examples.

A tipster wrote in this morning to report about some breaking news on Alta Vista Road off Lexington Road and now we need your help to verify the destruction.  Apparently, the Kool Aid guy has had a little trouble with a brick wall.  From our tipster:

“The Presbyterian Seminary on Alta Vista has a brick screen wall along the road.  A rather large portion of the wall has fallen or been knock down.  It has been like that for a month or two with yellow caution tape around it.  This morning I noticed that someone has positioned a large, seemingly hand-made, stuffed Kool-Aid guy atop the broken portion of wall with a big sign that says “Oh Yeah!”"

Now I hope it’s obvious a photo is required to illustrate this event.  Anyone going to be in the area today?  Send in a photo and I’ll post it here.  It doesn’t have to be fancy, a cell phone pic will do.  Send your photos, reports of other Kool Aid guy sitings, or anything else interesting to tips@brokensidewalk.com.  This must be preserved for posterity.

Information overload at Chestnut & Brook Streets (Courtesy SushiK)

[ Editor's Note:  Thanks again to guest contributor SushiK for putting together this look at street signs across Louisville showcasing the many tiny problems that can add up to information overload in our environment. ]

Sign Sign everywhere a sign 
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind 
Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign

As a person who gets around primarily by foot and bicycle, I am very aware of the nuances of my physical environment.  Traveling more slowly than I would by automobile or bus, I am more likely to notice the little details of the streetscape, such as signs.  I have recently begun to focus my attention on the large numbers of signs on our streets, and how interesting they can be.  Many signs have piqued my curiousity because they are puzzling, redundant, or ill-placed, and I find myself wondering about their history as well as their effectiveness as transmitters of information.

I am not an engineer, but I hang out with a few, and I know a bit about the policies that govern which signs are used and where they are placed.  The recently-updated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), developed by the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) has a dizzying amount of information about signs.  The Manual has an unnervingly orderly view of the streetscape which is frequently not reflected in the crazy chaos of the real world.

As I have begun to notice signs more, I have had a lot of questions.  One of the top ones is: if I can barely process all these signs when walking and bicycling, do people in motor vehicles see them?

Well-known authority on bicycle and pedestrian issues Dan Burden, when speaking at last year’s Louisville Bike Summit II, stated that signs don’t help correct problematic traffic situations; they just make us feel better about them.  If that is true, then judging by the sheer numbers of signs on our streets, we should feel pretty good.

What do Broken Sidewalk readers think about signs?  Do you have ones you particularly like or dislike?  Do you think signs are an effective way to communicate information to street users?

A few examples from Louisville streets to illustrate after the click.