Metro Council will be meeting tomorrow, Thursday, February 25 at 6:00p.m. 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 percent. 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.
Founder and Editor at Broken Sidewalk
Branden founded Broken Sidewalk in 2008 while practicing architecture in Louisville. He continued the site for seven years while living in New York City, returning to Louisville in 2016. Branden is a graduate of the College of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, and has covered architecture, design, and urbanism for The Architect's Newspaper, Designers & Books, Inhabitat, and the American Institute of Architects.
Latest posts by Branden Klayko (see all)
Who took this pic( (And more to the point, how?)
Tilt-shift photography! I love this stuff.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt-shift_photography
could be a tilt shift shot, but also could be a graphics program tilt shift treatment of the original shot. i’ve seen some pretty convincing post-shoot manipulations.
great image. i think i remember branden saying he had been messing with tilt shift. is it yours, branden?
Any chance anyone could get the city to do anything with the lot that used to be home to Broadway Chevrolet? North side of Broadway between 7th and 8th.
The metro property at First and Liberty used to be the home of the Louisville/Jefferson Co. Convention and Visitors Bureau. It still has that awful slogan “Looavul, Loisvile, etc.” on the side of the building. And can the current Visitors Center on Fourth St. get the slogan out of their window? It’s been long dumped by Metro.
The photo is a digitally induced tilt-shift photo I took a year or two ago from the top of a parking garage behind the old jail building. There was a storm coming in from the north and a clear sunny day to the south that created a really interesting lighting condition. If a (non-thumbnail) photo does not have a credit attached to it in the caption or article, it usually means I took it.
Check this out: http://vimeo.com/9679622