Plans for concrete plant near high-end Louisville subdivision win approval
Construction of a concrete batch plant near Louisville's upscale Lake Forest subdivision was approved at this week's Metro Council meeting after neighbors and developer negotiated an agreement, according to Louisville Councilman Anthony Piagentini.
The project, which would allow a concrete mixing plant to be built on an open plot at 13905 Aiken Road, won approval on a unanimous vote at Tuesday's session, the first of the new year.
Work on the site began in 2022, before the recent Louisville Metro Council vote, after the development was approved by a city committee earlier in the year. Louisville's Planning Commission gave the project the green light as well on a 7-1 vote at a meeting in November, which drew dozens of Lake Forest residents who voiced opposition to building the plant near their eastern Louisville neighborhood, which features a country club and about 1,800 homes and is near Valhalla Golf Club.
Those neighbors had filed a lawsuit against SI Ready Mix, the concrete company, and the Louisville Metro Planning Commission in the aftermath of that ruling to prevent construction. But court records show the Jefferson County Attorney's Office moved to dismiss that lawsuit in early December.
Meet Emil David:This chef opened 4 restaurants in Louisville in 2022 yet you probably haven't heard of him
The plan that won approval Tuesday had several adjustments agreed upon by the two sides, Piagentini said, including restrictions on access by trucks to Aiken Road – a narrow two-lane street that connects the Lake Forest neighborhood to nearby businesses and subdivisions – and a provision that the developer would plant evergreen trees along property lines of nearby residents. Any substantive changes to the plan would require additional council approval as well.
Donald Cox, an attorney who had represented the Lake Forest neighbors, said their biggest concern had been concrete trucks driving along Aiken Road near Stopher Elementary and other busy gathering places. With those trucks now directed north toward Old Henry Road, he said, the two sides were able to come to a resolution.
"You can imagine what it'd be like if you had a school bus coming down and meeting a concrete truck," he said. "... This agreement was a product of our negotiations with the concrete company, and it is directly different than what the Planning Commission approved."
Piagentini, who had expressed concerns about the proposal after talking with constituents, told Metro Council members Tuesday he viewed the plan as a reasonable compromise and thanked all parties involved.
"As far as the area’s concerned, the constituents and the developer, these (adjustments) were all agreed to," he said at the meeting. "… I’m very much in support of this."
Some neighbors had spoken out against the project in multiple instances, including at a public meeting in August and at the November Planning Commission hearing.
For subscribers:A new gas station and retail space are coming to Fegenbush Lane next year. What to expect
Reporter Caleb Stultz contributed. Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Concrete plant by Lake Forest OK'd by Louisville Metro Council
