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HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDIANANCE BRINGS OUT CRITICS
Historic Preservation took center stage in Louisville on the March 1, 2005. A BARA review of the proposed ordinance found it sensitive to protection of private property interests compared to similar ordinances on other communities. A combination of property owner provisions to limit unwanted designations and a requirement for a super majority vote of City Council to over-ride property owner objections only in cases where the subject property is of “overwhelming historic importance” provides a balance that furthers broad community interests and private interests. That did not stop residents from showing up top pan the regulations as unacceptable. Other provisions for demolition permit review for properties 50-year old or more, coupled with a demolition delay of up to 180 days also drew objections. The demolition provisions are standard fair in virtually all preservation/landmark regulations. The delay is imposed if further review is needed to determine a building’s historic value. Another area of interest is relatively low 40% of property owners’ approval to consider forming a district, but that is tempered by another provision that allows written objections by 40% of property owners in a proposed district to halt the process. The City council will consider the ordinance again on April 5 and is expected to pass it substantially unchanged.
CRITICS CONTINUE TO ASSAIL GROWTH IN COMP PLAN UPDATE
Citizens had an opportunity to react to a draft update of the Centennial Valley Comprehensive Plan at a public meeting on February 24. When the hearing resumed on March 10, critics continued to hammer on plans to allow 2,600 new homes to be built in the City, representing about a 30 percent increase to the current 20,000 resident population. The Plan calls for an addition 1600 housing units above the 1000 that are currently planned and much of the new housing would be developed in connection with redevelopment of the StorageTek headquarters, in Centennial Valley, along South Boulder Road straddling Colo. 42, and in the Colo. 42 corridor east of downtown and south of South Boulder Road that is slated for redevelopment as part of the rail station and transit oriented development planned in conjunction with the implementation of FasTracks. Results of a blight study of the area(s) will be presented to city leaders and property owners on April 6. Citizens have been critical of any additional housing but were strongly opposed to high-density projects in most parts of the city. City officials expect to revise the Plan before final adoption. Insiders say little new (high-density) housing is likely to survive, transit oriented development accepted, but may be reconsidered at future major comp plan updates. Louisville has a well-developed infrastructure capable of easily handling a much larger population with little or no negative impacts.
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