Louisville Collegiate wins approval to move forward with demolition of Yorktown Apartments

Louisville Collegiate School can move forward with the demolition of three apartment buildings next to its campus, following a successful appeal with a city commission.

On Thursday, members of the Historic Landmarks & Preservation Commission voted 6-2 in favor of overturning a March ruling that stopped Collegiate from tearing down Yorktown Apartments, a 48-unit complex the school purchased in 2015.

Collegiate has proposed adding a 56-space parking lot on the property to relieve traffic issues in the surrounding neighborhood. And the school can now file for a wrecking permit to demolish the buildings – pending any appeals that could be made with Jefferson Circuit Court.

At the center of both rulings regarding the demolition was a question over whether the apartments contributed to the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood's historic characteristics, which are protected by its designation as a local preservation district.

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While city staff members who reviewed the buildings' architectural style said the apartments did not meet design guidelines to be considered contributing, opponents argued the low-cost units do contribute by showing the neighborhood's architectural evolution and by adding to its housing diversity.

"History is evolving," said Martina Kunnecke, president of Neighborhood Planning & Preservation, an advocacy nonprofit. "And with each generation, it is up to us to reacquaint ourselves with why certain structures were built and what that represented at one point in time. These apartments are so important on so many levels that we need to recognize."

The Cherokee Triangle Architectural Review Committee initially sided with opponents, denying Collegiate's demolition request in a 3-2 vote on March 8.

Ashlyn Ackerman, a member of that committee, said the city does not have a firm list as to what is considered contributing in the Cherokee Triangle district, and she did not want to set a precedent for demolishing similarly designed buildings by approving the request.

Two historic preservation officers employed by the city, however, stood firm in their stance that the apartments do not meet the district's contributing standards. And following a nearly three-hour meeting, members of the landmarks commission overwhelmingly agreed.

Emily Liu, director of Louisville's Office of Planning and Design Services and a member of the landmarks commission, said she understood both sides, but she also did not want to set a precedent of labeling buildings contributing to stop undesirable development – such as a parking lot replacing naturally affordable housing.

"The decision made today ... will have consequences in the future, the future of Louisville, the future of the community that I love," Liu said.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Collegiate wins appeal to demolish Yorktown Apartments