Meet your Metro Council candidates: District 14

Apr 21, 2016

This year, Broken Sidewalk asked each Metro Council candidate to respond to a survey of questions related to the topics we cover here on the site: urbanism, transportation, health, and the environment. Broken Sidewalk will make no endorsements this year for Metro Council candidates, but we hope these survey responses—published verbatim—are helpful to voters in making up their minds.

We will be publishing the results by district. Below is District 14. Our survey included two types of questions: 1. multiple choice answers about personal behaviors and views, and 2. longer responses on a range of topics. Each candidate was also given an optional open field to expand upon a topic of their choosing, if they so desired.

Louisville Metro Council District 14 comprises part of Pleasure Ridge Park in the far southwestern part of the county.

The candidates for District 14 include, in alphabetical order, retired MSD employee Eric Bullock (R), incumbent Cindi Fowler (D), and youth pastor Shane Logan Ranschaert (R).

Eric Bullock

Did not respond.

Cindi Fowler

Did not respond.

Shane Logan Ranschaert

Blevins Gap

Have often do you walk to work or for basic errands?
A few times a month

Have often do you take transit to commute to work or for basic errands?
A couple times a year

How often do you ride a bike to get to work or for errands?
A few times a month

How often do you drive in a personal motor vehicle?
Every day

How safe do you feel as a pedestrian walking on Louisville’s streets?
There’s some risk

Louisville’s transit system should expand service, infrastructure, and offerings.
Strongly Agree

The city should invest in complete street design that promotes safety for all road users.
Agree

Walkable and transit-oriented development should be promoted over auto-oriented development.
Disagree

Louisville should repair and maintain its existing transportation network before widening or building new roads.
Undecided

Historic architecture promotes the economic vitality of the Louisville region.
Agree

Describe your favorite walk OR your favorite place to hang out in your neighborhood.
By the bridge, over looking Pond Creek. Especially in the early Spring and Fall.

What’s the biggest issue facing your district and how would you address it?
The increase of Crime, paired with the Heroin epidemic. We have a shortage of police officers for the 3rd precinct, which is also the largest in Louisville. I would fight for and work with the LMPD to recruit more officers. I would work to make sure every neighborhood had a watch program and that they would be adequately trained. We would approach addicts in a compassionate way, and try to get them in treatment. I would also try to get a local treatment center on the Southend.

In three sentences, what does Metro Council do?
Metro Council is the voice, representation, and advocates of the population of Louisville. It serves as the legislative branch of city Government and is responsible for making laws/ordinances. Each Council district has three types of funds, in which they use those moneys to improve their districts, and city at whole.

Louisville is among the most dangerous cities in the country for pedestrian collisions and fatalities. What would you do to improve street safety for all road users in Louisville? Please cite specific examples.
Living along the Dixie corridor my entire life, I have seen this first hand, with my father being a first responder. I would make sure there are side walks along each side of every primary and secondary road, with clearly marked crosswalks with working signals, with a ensured amount of time to make sure pedestrians have a safe amount of time to cross. There are many crosswalks along Dixie, that need longer crossing signals.

What does responsible development look like in Louisville and in your district? What would you do to promote responsible development in Louisville?
Responsible development for District 14 would start with repairing and repaving Dixie Hwy, all the way through, with sidewalks and bike lanes all the way through. A raised median would be appropriate as well. I would work with state, federal and city leaders to acquire funding for the project, using our local workforce to make sure the money invested into workers is invested right into the local economy.

How would you strike a balance between preservation, development, and economic development in Louisville?
I would strive to revitalize all historical or older properties in the city so that they could be reused in for commercial use. If a historic building cannot be saved, let the cite be used for development.

Seventy year old grocery closure puts last remaining Frank Fehr structure in jeopardy

By Branden Klayko -

Apr 21, 2016

For a couple years, Downtown Louisville will be without any kind of grocery store. Business First‘s Marty Finley reports that the 73-year-old First Link Supermarket, located at 431 East Liberty Street, will soon be shut down and auctioned.

The Art Deco structure, once part of the massive Frank Fehr Brewery located in the area, covers some 47,000 square feet, with 20,000 square feet on the ground floor of the original grocery building. A strip mall–style retail piece set far off Liberty includes another 4,500 square feet.

The enormous basement, below the grocery, includes a USDA-approved meat processing plant covering about 18,000 square feet of refrigerated space—a relic of the building’s old brewery days. The entire parcel is 1.44 acres, but that also includes a large parking lot.

The site of the First Link grocery store at Shelby and Market streets circa 1980. (via NRHP / NPS)

Inside the First Link grocery circa 1949. (Courtesy UL Archives - Reference) — Inside the First Link grocery circa 1949. (Courtesy UL Archives – Reference)

According to a press release cited by Finley, Bill Silverman and his son, Bernard Silverman, opened the grocery store in 1943 with a humble 600 square feet inside a local home. The store then moved to a commercial space at Shelby Street and Market Street, seen above. That building burned in 1986 and First Link moved to its present site on Liberty Street.

The structure today know as First Link Grocery seen here in 1963 as part of the Frank Fehr Brewery. (Courtesy UL Photo Archives - Reference) — The structure today know as First Link Grocery seen here in 1963 as part of the Frank Fehr Brewery. (Courtesy UL Photo Archives – Reference)

The First Link property is older than it looks, dating to sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s. While the facade of First Link along Liberty Street has been bricked up and windowless for some time, the original facade, above, featured large expanses of glass, including a layer of glass admitting light to the basement. A rounded aluminum overhang added to the structure’s Streamline Moderne Art Deco aesthetic.

Looking west along Liberty Street in 1963 and 2015. (Courtesy UL Photo Archives - Reference; Courtesy Google) — Looking west along Liberty Street in 1963 and 2015. (Courtesy UL Photo Archives – Reference; Courtesy Google)

The structure was built by the Frank Fehr Brewing Company and clearly was an effort to modernize its eclectic collection of historic buildings, long demolished for parking lots and the Dosker Manor homes. Another sleek, modern structure approximately three stories tall once stood across from the First Link site, standing in stark contrast with the older architecture.

An ornate brick structure on what is now the First Link parking lot. (Courtesy UL Archives - Reference) — An ornate brick structure on what is now the First Link parking lot. (Courtesy UL Archives – Reference)

Directly west of the First Link grocery, where its parking lot sits, once stood another Frank Fehr building of similar height, but much older and much more ornate. That structure featured six dramatic arches of brick and stone.

Finley reported previously that the property was listed for sale when Bernard Silverman became ill, and his son, Bruce Silverman, who had worked at the store for 40 years, had opted not to keep the operation following his father’s death.

The First Link property will be auctioned at 10:00a.m. on Wednesday, May 18, Finley writes. Finley said a press release announcing the closure specified no closing date for the grocery, but did say the First Link Discount Liquor Store would be open until the auction is complete. For more information on the auction, click here.

The planned urban market at the Omni Louisville Hotel. (Courtesy Omni)

Six blocks west of the First Link site, some sort of grocery or “urban market” is planned at the corner of Third Street inside the Omni Louisville Hotel, which is slated to open in 2018. That market will be operated by Omni.

How Lexington Road’s Axis Apartments could catalyze development in Irish Hill

By Branden Klayko -

Apr 21, 2016

Lexington Road winding through the Irish Hill neighborhood is a sleepy street where motorists zip along at high speeds on their way to and from the core city. It’s lined with old bourbon warehouse, the woods along Beargrass Creek, a long brick wall defining Cave Hill Cemetery, a few houses, and newer suburban-style development.

The latest rendering of the Axis Apartments. (Courtesy Cityscape Residential)

But Brian Evans, associate at Indianapolis-based Cityscape Residential, hopes a new apartment complex, the Axis, will breath some life into the corridor. The project, now well under construction at 1373 Lexington Road across from Distillery Commons and Headliners Music Hall, will bring 300 new apartments to the corridor—and potentially a little vibrancy.

“It’s kind of an underutilized stretch of road,” Evans said of Lexington. “We hope bringing 300 new units in will spur some redevelopment [around the project site]”

The Axis offices are located across the street in Distillery Commons, and Evans said many hope that residential boost will help fill that site’s office space. Another vacant warehouse on the corner of Payne Street was once considered for more apartments, but eventually fell through. Getting more people in the area might help another concept for that property take shape.

While the Axis does not have retail space of its own, Evans said having people live in the area could help spur retail development elsewhere. He said there could be an opportunity for retail directly west of the Axis site where MSD will build one of its Combined Sewer Overflow Basins at the old River Metals site.

“We’re trying to breathe some life into a part of town that’s been stagnant and stale,” Evans said.

But building the Axis next to Beargrass Creek doesn’t come without its own challenges. “Almost the entire site is on the floodplain,” Evans told Broken Sidewalk, “which is why we built the entire site on concrete podiums. That added cost to the project.”

Construction crews are currently working on concrete formwork for those podiums, on which the residential floors will sit. Parking is planned underneath.

Evans said working in the floodplain requires a lot of coordination between MSD, the city, and other agencies, which can slow down the process. To get their building permit, for example, Evans said Cityscape “had to certify to MSD that the podium deck is one foot above the floodplain.”

And while the big flood might be a rare occurrence, the Axis is including green infrastructure like bioswales to help store rainwater runoff and minimize regular flooding of the creek.

According to the Irish Hill Neighborhood Association, the entire Axis project is expected to be complete in June 2017, but parts of the project like the leasing office and clubhouse will open as soon as this September. The first residential units are expected to be available in December.

Louisville Downtown Partnership honors new development with Cornerstone Awards

Development

By Branden Klayko -

Apr 20, 2016

On Monday evening, the Louisville Downtown Partnership issued eleven Cornerstone Awards to recently completed projects in and around Downtown Louisville. The annual celebration fetes projects of over $1 million completed within the past year. This year’s event was held as Passalino’s on Market Street.

Additionally, two S. Russell Smith, Jr. Awards of Excellence were given to Phil Scherer of Commercial Kentucky and Cathy Duncan, director of Facilities Management & Fleet Operations for Metro Louisville. Scherer, who both lives and works Downtown, has been a force in its redevelopment for 40 years, the LDP said at the event. Likewise, the LDP said Duncan has been involved with nearly every Downtown project for two decades, both in her Facilities role the past two years and as director of PARC, the city’s parking authority.

Combined, the 11 projects comprising the Cornerstone Awards total some $213 million in Downtown investment. Rebecca Matheny, director of the LDP, said at the event that the number of awards in coming years is expected to grow significantly, as many projects announced or under construction continue to progress. Take a look at all of this year’s projects below.

Prev Next

1. 310 @ NuLu

310 South Hancock Street
$13 million
Developer: Jefferson Street Partners LLC
Lead Architect: CSO Architects

According to LDP: The project includes three, 4-story apartment buildings totaling 145,000 square-feet and 173 market rate units.

2. Aloft Louisville Downtown

102 West Main Street
$24 million
Developer: LouMain LLC
Lead Architect: PFVS Architecture

According to LDP: An 8-story, 107,520 square-foot boutique hotel with 175 rooms and 3,000 square-feet of meeting space.

3. Center for Women & Families

927 South Second Street
$6 million
Developer: The Center for Women & Families, Inc.
Lead Architect: Berry Prindle Architects

According to LDP: Renovation and improvements due to a major roof leak. The project includes improved shelter space and rooms with suites for large families, increased space for men, new meeting space, a large computer lab for clients, group rooms, and expanded number of gender neutral bathrooms.

4. David Armstrong Louisville Extreme Park

531 Franklin Street
$3.6 million
Developer: Louisville Metro Parks & Recreation
Lead Architect: Luckett & Farley

According to LDP: Rebuild of approximately 1/3 of the extreme park due to the relocation for I-65 Bridges Project.

5. Embassy Suites Louisville Downtown

(Courtesy Embassy Suites Louisville Downtown)

501 South Fourth Street
$85 million
Developer: Le Centre on Fourth LLC
Lead Architect: Potter & Associates Architects

According to LDP: The 7-story, 420,000 square-foot former office building includes a 304-suite hotel, 50,000 square-feet of office space, 26,000 square-feet of commercial space, and 81 lower-level parking spaces.

6. Guthrie Street Redesign

300 block Guthrie Street
$1.5 million
Developer: Louisville Metro Government
Lead Designer: MKSK

According to LDP: The project includes new sidewalk paving, granite curbs, tree plantings and street furniture.

7. JCTC Theater Arts Building

The building during renovation. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

100 East Broadway
$1.7 million
Developer: Jefferson Community & Technical College
Lead Architect: Luckett & Farley Architects and Godsey Associates Architects

According to LDP: Adaptive reuse of a 1-story, 6,700 square-foot former retail building for instructional space for the Fine Arts Program, a black box theater, and classrooms.

8. Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.

(Courtesy Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.)

120 North Tenth Street
$1 million
Developer: Flash Property Investments LLC
Lead Architect: Joseph & Joseph Architects

According to LDP: Adaptive reuse of a 2-story, 43,800 square-foot production facility with fermentation room, bottling line, aging warehouse, tasting room, and 3,500 retail store.

9. Kosair Children’s Hospital Renovation

231 East Chestnut Street
$69.7 million
Developer: Norton Healthcare
Lead Architect: HKS, Inc.

According to LDP: Phase I of renovations to the 9-story, 267-bed facility includes upgrades to the neonatal intensive care unit, infrastructure improvements, and the addition of a new extra-large capacity trauma elevator.

10. Quad Apartments Expansion

600 Marshall Street
$2.5 million
Developer: City Development Group
Lead Architect: CITYWorks

According to LDP: A 3-story, 36,500 square-foot addition with 51 apartments and lower level parking.

11. Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse

404 South Fourth Street
$5.2 million
Developer: Beam Suntory
Lead Architect: Architectural Group International

According to LDP: The project includes a bottling line, a tasting experience, and a retail store.

Fetzer Building slated to become the Hughes Lofts on East Main Street

Development

By Branden Klayko -

Apr 20, 2016

East Main Street is hot right now. This week, we broke the news that the block-long Service Tanks property is now under contract between Shelby and Clay streets, the Main & Clay Apartments are well into construction between Clay and Hancock streets, and now, another major property between Brook and Floyd streets appears to be in play as well.

Marty Finley at Business First has the news that the Fetzer Building at 209 East Main Street has been purchased by the team who transformed the former Arctic Building on the same block into the Ice House Lofts. The structure sold for $2.56 million.

The Fetzer Building in Downtown Louisville. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

Derek Engineering’s David Steinbrecher is behind a development team operating under the name Fetzer Lofts LLC. The five-story, 56,000-square-foot Fetzer Building could become lofts, as the name implies, but details are still up in the air.

“It’s going to tie in with what we’re doing at the Ice House,” Steinbrecher told Broken Sidewalk. “We’re still figuring out how we’re going to market it.” He said the name Fetzer Lofts is changing to Hughes Lofts, a reference to the original occupant, E. L. Hughes Lumber Company. The building dates to at least 1905 when it appears on a map of the area. “Mr. Fetzer preferred we didn’t keep his name on the project,” Steinbrecher said.

The structure viewed from Washington Street. (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

The building will include commercial space on the first floor along the sidewalk. “It could end up being commercial, it could end up being residential,” Steinbrecher said of the upper floors, “depending on market demand.” Carlton Bruce Rogers of Louisville-based CBR Architects is designing the renovation.

Steinbrecher said he will begin focusing on the Hughes Lofts projects later this summer once all the units at the Ice House are complete next door. The new project will tie in with its neighbor to create a more cohesive streetscape and share parking.

The Fetzer Building has been for sale for a long time. We last reported on the property in January 2015 when the structure, built sometime before 1905, was listed for $3.1 million. Back then, Bob Trabue, senior advisor for Sperry Van Ness Ward Commercial Group, told Broken Sidewalk that there was a lot of interest in the property for uses ranging from office space, residences, or a boutique hotel.

Study: Air pollution from traffic, factories leading to rise in premature births

By Branden Klayko -

Apr 20, 2016

Pollution from traffic, factories, and other industrial activities may be causing thousands of premature births each year and costing the U.S. billions of dollars, according to a New York University School of Medicine study recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives, Chelsea Harvey reported for The Washington Post. The study, which “focuses on a type of pollution known as fine particulate matter—tiny particles, less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter,” found that more than 3 percent of preterm births in 2010—nearly 16,000 in all—”could be attributed to fine particulate matter,” leading to direct medical costs of $760 million and an estimated $4 billion lost in reduced economic productivity.

A study published in February in Nature Climate Change found that reducing carbon emissions to avoid a 2-degree Celsius increase in global warming could prevent up to 175,000 pollution-related premature deaths nationwide by 2030 and generate health benefits of about $250 billion annually.

The mechanisms behind premature births caused by particulate matter “are not entirely understood, but it’s believed that exposure to air pollution can cause inflammation of the placenta during pregnancy, which can ultimately lead to an early delivery,” Harvey writes. “Preterm birth—which is usually defined as delivery that occurs more than three weeks ahead of term—is associated with a variety of medical problems including an increased risk of infant mortality, breathing and feeding difficulties, cerebral palsy, increased risk of developing other diseases and developmental delays that can lead to cognitive impairment throughout life… Researchers were interested in estimating the economic losses that result from these disabilities—essentially, the economic productivity that’s lost over the course of an individual’s lifetime as a result of cognitive impairments and the reduced ability to work.”

[Editor’s Note: This article has been cross-published from the Rural Blog. Top image by Brett Ciccotelli / Flickr.]

How Travis Provencher is remaking Smoketown one shotgun house at a time

By Branden Klayko -

Apr 20, 2016

07-travis-provencher-smoketown-shotgun-house-renovation — (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

“I’m a preservationist at heart,” Travis Provencher said of his love of rehabbing old houses. “I’ve been in this business 25 years. I started out in Nashville doing affordable housing, HOPE VI projects. I worked for nonprofit housing developer there.” Provencher has accumulated the knowledge of how to redevelop urban housing and grown a passion to painstakingly consider every historic detail.

“We’d go into target neighborhoods like Smoketown or Portland, and buy up properties and rehab them using low income tax credits, HOPE VI money, or Community Development Block Grants,” he said. The situation on the ground is different in Louisville, but Provencher’s first project here, now well underway at 937 South Jackson Street, is very much a model of how to renovate shotgun houses in Smoketown—and the rest of Louisville.

The house before Provencher began working on it. (Melissa Gowan Photography)

“It’s an 1860s Italianate on Jackson Street right in the middle of Smoketown,” Provencher said of his current project. “I’m spending roughly $100,000 on the remodel. It’s high quality.” When he began work on the house last year, it was in rough shape, but you’d never know that today. Provencher kept the original brick shotgun house, which he purchased for about $6,000 in 2010, but replaced a low-slung addition on the back with a camelback pop-up that provides more space.

Exterior details. (Melissa Gowan Photography)

During a recent tour of the house, Provencher was clearly devoted to getting the details right, often rebuilding historic doors and windows himself to make sure they fit with the space.

Completed drywall inside the house. (Melissa Gowan Photography)

Inside the house, Provencher added a new HVAC system with a high-efficiency furnace and foam insulation. At the back addition, he used Hardy plank that gives the feel of original wood siding with the durability of concrete. He brought back a mantel and added a working gas fireplace filled with lava rocks that emulate the original coal-burning fireplaces from the 19th century using an original coal basket.

Details of the foyer and front room. (Melissa Gowan Photography)

Throughout the original house, Heart Pine floors have been refinished, adding a warmth to the house’s oversized ceilings. Provencher found old shutters at Architectural Salvage, added a light fixture in the front room from a renovation project in Old Louisville, completely rebuilt and restored a water-logged door he found in the house’s basement, and brought in historic transoms from Joe Ley.

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“When I do a remodel, I like to keep every piece of historic fabric that exists and then add on new amenities,” Provencher said. He’s not afraid to mix a bit of modern into the historic interiors, either. “I like that eclectic feel when you mix in new materials with the old, he said. “The house’s bathrooms, for instance, are covered in travertine, giving it a distinctly modern feel.

937 Jackson Street is currently listed for sale by Weichert Realtors for $240,000. The house includes four bedrooms, two full baths, and covers over 2,700 square feet. You can view the full listing here.

But despite the widespread sourcing of materials, 937 Jackson is no Frankenstein. The house feels historic and modern at the same time, and that’s exactly what Provencher was going for. “It’s essentially a new house, but you still have the old fireplaces and millwork and moldings,” he said. “It’s unusual for Smoketown, for sure.”

“The kicker is, will the market support it?” Provencher asked rhetorically. “Will the neighborhood support it? I think it will. We’re on the periphery of the Highlands, we’re bounded by Downtown and Old Louisville, with the resurgence of Shelby Park.”

“It’s yet to be seen, but I believe if you build a good product people will live in it,” he said. “You’re paying a premium in Germantown, you’re paying a premium in Schnitzelburg. And now Shelby Park has jumped up. Where’s the last undeveloped part of town on the east side? It’s Smoketown. There’s no hurdle any more. It used to be there was the housing project that was the real drawback, but with the Hope VI redevelopment, now that hurdle’s gone.”

And he’s set to keep the momentum going with more of his own projects in the neighborhood. Provencher has slowly been collecting houses to renovate. “Most of what I do for profit is in Old Louisville or the Highlands, but otherwise for five years or so, I’ve been acquiring properties in Smoketown,” he said. “I’ve got three right now.”

The other two houses are located on Breckinridge Street, and Provencher said he stepped in to save them when the city wanted to tear them down. “Those two are wood frame camelbacks,” he said. “They’ll be renovated the same way.” The shotguns date to the 1880s, Provencher said, and still feature much of their original gingerbread detailing.

“I inquired about them, and this guy was going to turn them over to Metro, and Metro was just going to bulldoze them,” Provencher said. “I went through them, and really there’s nothing wrong with them. Structurally, they’re perfect. Ninety percent original. They haven’t been touched in probably 30 or 40 years.”

While they’re far from requiring demolition, they’re not pristine, either. “Vandals have gotten into them and ripped out the copper and anything of value and scrapped it,” Provencher continued. “Kids have gone through and busted out the glass and spray painted it. I take projects like that and rehab them them completely.”

Provencher said even though the two Breckinridge Street houses were destined for the scrap heap, it wasn’t easy getting them out from the hands of Metro Louisville. “I bought one of these houses houses from Metro at auction,” he said, “and they drove the price up. I’m sitting here bidding against Metro.” He said the abandoned property had thousands of dollars worth of code violations. “No one would have bid on it,” he continued, noting that bidding started at $500. “They wanted to get their code violations out of it.”

Provencher is a firm believer that rehabbing old houses is always better than tearing them down. “It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “It takes roughly $9,000 to demo a property, and that’s taxpayer money. The best use of that property is to turn it over to somebody who is going to put it back on the tax rolls.”

And he says that it takes a lot before a house can’t be saved. “If you have a foundation, you have an asset,” he said. “If you have a frame that’s not rotten, you’ve got $20,000.” In the worst cases, the houses can be stripped back to their bones and rebuilt from there.

But Provencher is quick to note that he’s not running a charity. These renovations are serious business. “I’m an urban redeveloper,” he said. “I’m doing everything that a for-profit developer would do to redevelop these areas. I think you can make money doing this.”

But beyond a money-making venture, it’s clear that Provencher also thoroughly enjoys the process and taking time to ensure a quality product. “It can take a little bit of time,” he said. “It’s just me, really, and a few guys that work for me. I like to keep everything fairly small and do what I can do by myself.”

937 Jackson Street is currently listed for sale by Weichert Realtors for $240,000. The house includes four bedrooms, two full baths, and covers over 2,700 square feet. You can view the full listing here.

Hole-y Butchertown: Main & Clay Apartments dig down before building up

By Branden Klayko -

Apr 20, 2016

03-louisville-main-clay-apartments-construction-april2016 — (Branden Klayko / Broken Sidewalk)

While the Omni Louisville Hotel opted to put its parking in a massive above-ground garage along Third Street, the Main & Clay Apartments by Nashville-based Bristol Development Group is stashing its parking underground. And that means there’s a big hole in the ground at its construction side in Butchertown—with a bright blue tower crane hover high overhead.

“We’re completing shoring of the hole so the sides don’t collapse,” Bristol Principal and CEO Charles Carlisle told Broken Sidewalk while waiting to catch a flight in Dallas on Monday. “That’s all the stuff you see going around the perimeter.” He said the white material visible in these photos is waterproofing.

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“Next, we pour concrete for the parking garage structure, which will take an extended amount of time,” he continued. The garage will eventually rise two stories above grade, but will be shrouded by the apartment building and not visible from the street, except for its entrance on Clay Street. The building’s structure is comprised of a two-story concrete podium with five stories of wood construction built atop that, for a total of seven stories.

The Main & Clay project includes over 260 apartments, comprised of 20 studios, 154 one-bedroom units, 87 two-bedrooms, and two three-bedrooms. A tiny 2,400 square feet of retail is planned at the corner of Main and Clay streets. The project is expected to be complete in the summer of 2017.

Carlisle and three other out-of-town developers currently building in Louisville recently met for a panel discussion convened by the Urban Land Institute. Read what they had to say about their projects and about Louisville development here.

Combined with the enormous Service Tanks property adjacent to this site now under contract, this stretch of East Main Street forming the boundary between Butchertown and Nulu could, in a few years, be drastically transformed into a critical mass of new residents and people on the street that will fuel a true urban renaissance in the area.

Meet your Metro Council candidates: District 16

By Broken Sidewalk -

Apr 20, 2016

We will be publishing the results by district. Below is District 16. Our survey included two types of questions: 1. multiple choice answers about personal behaviors and views, and 2. longer responses on a range of topics. Each candidate was also given an optional open field to expand upon a topic of their choosing, if they so desired.

Louisville Metro Council District 16 comprises Prospect, Glenview, Indian Hills in the far northeast corner of the county.

Current District 16 incumbent, Kelly Downard, has decided not to run. The candidates for District 16 include, in alphabetical order, businessman and filmmaker Gill Holland (D), printing company executive and former Tea Party leader Scott Reed (R), and online news network co-founder William “Chip” Sobel (R).

Gill Holland

Have often do you walk to work or for basic errands?
No response.

Have often do you take transit to commute to work or for basic errands?
No response.

How often do you ride a bike to get to work or for errands?
No response.

How often do you drive in a personal motor vehicle?
No response.

How safe do you feel as a pedestrian walking on Louisville’s streets?
No response.

Louisville’s transit system should expand service, infrastructure, and offerings.
No response.

The city should invest in complete street design that promotes safety for all road users.
No response.

Walkable and transit-oriented development should be promoted over auto-oriented development.
No response.

Louisville should repair and maintain its existing transportation network before widening or building new roads.
No response.

Historic architecture promotes the economic vitality of the Louisville region.
No response.

Describe your favorite walk OR your favorite place to hang out in your neighborhood.
No response.

What’s the biggest issue facing your district and how would you address it?
Transportation infrastructure improvements and investments are crucial to families of the 16th District and the area as a whole. The uncertainly regarding how the East End Bridge will impact the community, an increasingly difficult commute to the downtown central business district and, just like communities across Louisville, a transportation infrastructure in desperate need of upgrades all need to be addressed in sooner rather than later.

Additional issues that need require quick attention include smarter zoning to grow our community intelligently, improving and clarifying Jefferson County’s property taxation process and continued investment in our parks and green spaces. The 16th District must also work to encourage better integration and relationships between all the towns and 6th-class cities, and others, greater Metro Louisville.

In three sentences, what does Metro Council do?
Louisville Metro Council is the legislative branch in our local government and approves and helps administer the budget and shape policy for our community.

While our city has what it referred to commonly as a “strong mayor system” I think Metro Council is not presently as effective as it could be and could provide more pro-active leadership and collaboration with the Mayor’s office.

However, the single most important responsibility of individual members of the Metro Council is to be an advocate for the citizens they represent and help them navigate the channels of their government through quality constituent services.

Louisville is among the most dangerous cities in the country for pedestrian collisions and fatalities. What would you do to improve street safety for all road users in Louisville? Please cite specific examples.
One common sense solution would be to actually hold cars to the posted speed limits and, in some places reduce the speed limit. One downtown example is East Market Street which turns from an urban street into a super highway during rush-hour each day.

Prospect is working on a very interesting streetscape with QK 4 Architects which will is aimed improve the pedestrian experience and safety. If it proves to be a success it could be held as a model for other communities dealing with pedestrian safety issues.

What does responsible development look like in Louisville and in your district? What would you do to promote responsible development in Louisville?
I have been meeting with the mayors and leadership of each of towns and cities in the 16^th District along with the leaders of homeowner associations to hear their thoughts on development and what kind of community the citizens they represent want to see us become. In doing so I’ve found common themes: more green spaces, smarter traffic planning, development that encourages locally owned small businesses

Louisville is among the fastest warming cities in the country. Please describe your stance on fixing Louisville’s Urban Heat Island Effect. What specific steps need to be taken to solve this problem?
Louisville needs to commit itself to a 10 year, one million tree planting which will help address the issue of urban heat islands as well as benefit the health of the city’s population and economy. Additionally, we must improve zoning ordinances to discourage the development of vast, treeless surface parking.

How would you strike a balance between preservation, development, and economic development in Louisville?
As Louisville begins a multi-decade growth cycle, the balance between development – both community and economic development – and preserving our unique character and history is one of the most important issues facing our town. To grow without losing our character and what makes Louisville special is a challenge we must tackle before it’s no longer an option for us.

Cities like Austin and Nashville, have experienced tremendous growth, both in the their urban landscapes and in population, but I think they have lost some of what made them cool and unique in the first place. We have great history, great building stock from the late 1800s, great cultural heritage with arts and parks, and also a great entrepreneurial and independent mindstreak that wants to do new innovative things. Adaptive reuse (see The Green Building) is one way, renovating old buildings creates more jobs as more money goes into labor than materials for building.

Scott Reed

Did not respond.

William “Chip” Sobel

Harrods Creek/Prospect

Have often do you walk to work or for basic errands?
Never

Have often do you take transit to commute to work or for basic errands?
Never

How often do you ride a bike to get to work or for errands?
Never

How often do you drive in a personal motor vehicle?
Every day

How safe do you feel as a pedestrian walking on Louisville’s streets?
There’s some risk

Louisville’s transit system should expand service, infrastructure, and offerings.
Agree

The city should invest in complete street design that promotes safety for all road users.
Agree

Walkable and transit-oriented development should be promoted over auto-oriented development.
Undecided

Louisville should repair and maintain its existing transportation network before widening or building new roads.
Agree

Historic architecture promotes the economic vitality of the Louisville region.
Strongly Agree

Describe your favorite walk OR your favorite place to hang out in your neighborhood.
Garvin Brown Preserve. Adjacent to Hays Kennedy, the only Metro Park in District 16 other than Historic Locust Grove, Garvin Brown Preserve maintains the flavor of this once pastoral part of the county. 46 acres with 1500 feet of scenic Ohio River shoreline, it is among the last unspoiled land in the district open to the public.

What’s the biggest issue facing your district and how would you address it?
Maintaining and improving quality of life; residents choose to live in this particular district. To amplify citywide business growth and development, district residents who are job creators have identified the need for a skilled workforce education and training facility to provide a pool of well qualified employable Louisvillians. Local government red tape presents ongoing impediments and bureaucratic obstacles discouraging even the most ardent entrepreneur because of excessive fees, permits and licenses. Business must be allowed to concentrate more on value and less on expense. Regarding issues Broken Sidewalk examines, within the 16th District preservation of remaining natural beauty and limiting commercial development and new high density housing are priorities. Additionally, exhaust, noise pollution, and traffic caused by future use of the east end bridge must be addressed and INDOT must account for unanticipated structural damage to property beyond the official 500 foot danger zone.

In three sentences, what does Metro Council do?
A better question is “What doesn’t Metro Council do?” Members should link citizens with local government, yet many residents don’t know their member’s name, their stand on issues, or available services. District 16 residents will be on a first name basis with me, and will always have an advocate championing their needs and best interests.

Louisville is among the most dangerous cities in the country for pedestrian collisions and fatalities. What would you do to improve street safety for all road users in Louisville? Please cite specific examples.
Better marked crosswalks, possibly color-coded. Use reflective paint or strips on all lane markings for improved visibility and safety at night and in the rain. Stricter enforcement of proper road usage and all existing traffic laws, possibly with increased fines and penalties. Use smartphone technology to disengage texting while in motion. Recreational bikers and walkers need more safe connections between streets and the Louisville Loop.

What does responsible development look like in Louisville and in your district? What would you do to promote responsible development in Louisville?
Louisville should look and feel like Louisville. Just because you can build it doesn’t mean you should. Public opinion matters. Strengthen the approval process with stricter architectural design standards. When possible, repurpose/rehab existing structures instead of new construction. Incentivize LEED certification/green technology such as solar, geothermal and water conservation. In District 16, two high-rise condos are more than enough. To encourage more suburban TARC usage, change to shuttle-sized busses running more frequently with expanded neighborhood routes and covered, seated bus stops.

Louisville is among the fastest warming cities in the country. Please describe your stance on fixing Louisville’s Urban Heat Island Effect. What specific steps need to be taken to solve this problem?
Mandate tree preservation, planting new trees and adding greenscape citywide. Greening of flat roof buildings including JCPS. Create center lane landscaped median with trees on widest downtown streets. Prohibit new surface parking lots. Develop formula for shade tree planting and permanent landscaping in existing large parking lots.

How would you strike a balance between preservation, development, and economic development in Louisville?
Encourage public/private partnership projects. View historic structures as assets not liabilities. Focus on renewing urban core over suburban sprawl. GLI should not stand for Giving Louisville to Indiana. Regional growth can wait until this city is on more stable economic footing.

Optional open response. Discuss any issue in Louisville relating to land use, development, transportation, preservation, or health.
Too many decisions affecting Louisvillians are reached through backroom deal making by parties who stand to profit from such decisions. Advocating for development should be encouraged however those with conflicts of interest should be exempt from all decision making. Elected officials cannot represent constituents if they are unable to vote on multiple issues.

Many of the suggestions made herein are expensive, and Louisville residents’ combined local tax burden is already among the highest in the country. We must do a better job to efficiently allocate limited resources so that collected dollars may be used to do for citizens what they cannot do for themselves.

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