Prospect Cove affordable housing development approved by Louisville Metro Council

Louisville Metro Council members on Thursday night approved a renewed, controversial plan to build more affordable apartments near Prospect.

A long, final meeting of the year also saw debates and votes related to a rental registry, "camping" rules that could impact residents and an overhaul of the city's parks system.

Here is a rundown of some of the items that received votes during Thursday evening's meeting.

Prospect Cove gets approved

The approved Prospect Cove development is a slightly scaled-down version of a 2016 plan to build a four-story, 198-unit affordable apartment complex for seniors at 7301 River Road by Prospect, the affluent community in northeast Jefferson County.

In 2016, the proposal from LDG Development drew some 1,000 petition signatures in opposition, with residents saying the complex was too large, lacked adequate public transit access and exposed future residents to possible negative health effects due to its proximity to a gas station.

The new plans call for a three-story development featuring 123 one-bedroom and 55 two-bedroom apartments. The apartments would be for those making between 40% and 80% of the area median income, which in 2022 for a two-person household is between approximately $27,000 and $54,000.

Council members approved the plan by a 21-2 vote.

Metro Councilman Scott Reed, R-16th, who voted “no” along with Metro Councilman Stuart Benson, R-20th, said the revised plan is still “a monstrosity.”

Before the Planning Commission approved the revised plan in October, opponents of the development – who some accused of NIMBYism - again argued it would be a bad fit for Prospect, towering over everything around it, adding possibly hundreds of residents to a village of about 5,000.

Cliff Ashburner, a Louisville attorney representing LDG, pushed back on the claims, arguing multi-family, affordable housing was needed in Prospect, a well-to-do area dominated by single family homes, as it aligned with aims of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, a long-range planning document meant to guide growth and development in Louisville Metro during the next two decades.

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'Camping' ordinance: Improving public safety or targeting those without housing?

One ordinance approved Thursday that received months of revisions, scrutiny and testimony from officials and homeless advocates was related to "camping on personal property."

When introduced earlier in the year, it drew pushback from those who work with and advocate for homeless residents. It also split council members of the same party. It passed Thursday in a 16-8 vote, with the opposition coming from several Democrats.

The proposal, sponsored by Democrats Nicole George, D-21st; David James, D-6th; and Pat Mulvihill, D-10th, amends existing rules to prohibit people from storing personal belongings in public spaces, such as sidewalks and streets.

It also would bar personal items from being left on a street, alleyway or sidewalk in a manner that "substantially impedes the flow of pedestrian traffic," unless in areas "expressly permitted" by Metro Public Works. If the owner of the personal property is not present, or if a warning is issued and the person's property continues to "substantially impede" foot traffic, then the city could move the property to storage and dispose of any unclaimed items after 30 days.

Another provision, which was the subject of debate at the committee level, says it "shall be unlawful for any person to camp in any Metro Park" or park facility "at any time of day without a permit issued by the Director of Parks," with camping defined as using a park for "temporary living accommodation purposes by the occupation or habitation of the park location through the use of temporary shelters, and/or motor vehicles."

The ordinance also extends the amount of time Louisville officials have to relocate a person before a camp is considered established from 48 to 72 hours, giving city crews an extra day to take action before reaching that threshold.

A few hours before the meeting, a collection of 30 groups - including the Coalition for the Homeless and the American Civil Liberties Union - sent a letter to Metro Council members urging them to table the ordinance "until the new administration has a coordinated plan with services providers, the metro council, and the greater community."

Updates to Louisville's rental registry and inspections

In a 21-4 vote, Metro Council members passed an ordinance bolstering Louisville's rental registry for units that have contracts lasting a month or longer.

Landlords must renew the registration of these "long-term" units each year and confirm their properties meet local codes and standards, according to the ordinance sponsored by seven Democrats. The council created a rental registry in 2016 that requires owners to register their long-term rentals, but the public cannot access the list.

The new rental registry ordinance initially mandated that 10% of long-term units in Louisville undergo random annual inspections. But after months of debate and committee amendments, with some opponents arguing that costs for landlords and tenants could rise, a tweak to the ordinance said the city will instead randomly inspect units in "Renter Tenure Areas," where rental units make up over a third of total residential property.

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Rental units are currently inspected on a complaint basis, unless they are receiving a federal subsidy.

An initial registration fee ranging from $25 for smaller units to $100 for larger properties, based on their zoning classification, and an annual $50 renewal fee are included in the ordinance, which says the annual fee can get waived for landlords whose properties had no violations within the past 12 months.

Failure to register would result in a $100 penalty for landlords for a first offense, a $250 fine for a second offense within a two-year period and $500 for all additional offenses.

The online registry and its associated rules will take effect six months after Thursday's passage, with other provisions taking effect nine months later.

Council members Mark Fox, D-13th, Brent Ackerson, D-26th, Robin Engel, R-22nd, and Benson were the "no" votes.

Overhauling Louisville's parks system

Council members passed a resolution urging implementation of the Parks For All plan, which would aim to fix inequities, reorganize Metro Parks and ensure more residents are within 10 minutes of green space.

The culmination of more than a year’s work involving the Parks Alliance of Louisville, Metro Parks and a national consulting firm, the plan includes more investment in rehabilitation and maintenance, a better partnership with JCPS and the hiring of an urban parks professional to manage the department.

A new lodging district and a new hotel room tax

Metro Council members also unanimously approved an ordinance establishing a "Greater Louisville Lodging Management District."

The Louisville Hotel Association vouched for the new district that will benefit hotels and lodging properties with at least 51 rooms.

Notably, the district will have a board of directors that could impose a maximum 1.5% tax on "gross short-term room rental revenue" that will get passed on to guests, per the proposal that James and Metro Councilman Kevin Kramer, R-11th, sponsored.

The tax revenue could help Louisville attract and retain bigger events that have left the city for other destinations.

Happy trails to several Metro Council members

Seven outgoing members were set to get recognized Thursday for their service as they prepare to leave office, with two others also resigning in early January to join Mayor-elect Craig Greenberg's administration

Metro Councilwoman Angela Bowens, D-1st, was appointed in March to fill the seat that Jessica Green vacated to become a Jefferson Circuit Court judge. She did not seek to run for a full, four-year term for the district that includes several and west and southwest Louisville neighborhoods, with Tammy Hawkins winning the Nov. 8 election to take over in January.

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Metro Councilwoman Keisha Dorsey, D-3rd, has represented Algonquin, California, Hallmark, Park DuValle, Parkland, Park Hill and Shively since winning election in 2018. Dorsey, who has a background in health care administration, is resigning in early January to serve as deputy chief of staff in Greenberg's administration.

Metro Council President David James, D-6th, the former police officer who has represented parts of downtown and surrounding neighborhoods like California, Old Louisville and Shelby Park since 2010, is also joining the Greenberg administration as deputy mayor for emergency services. The Majority Caucus voted before Thursday's meeting to endorse Metro Councilman Markus Winkler, D-17th, as the next president, with a full vote coming in January.

Metro Councilman Bill Hollander, D-9th, won election in 2014 to represent several neighborhoods and small cities east of downtown, such as Crescent Hill, Clifton and Brownsboro Village. He held an influential post as the Budget Committee chair and has been an affordable housing advocate.

Mark Fox, D-13th, the retired police major who won election in 2018 to represent areas like Fairdale and Okolona in southern Jefferson County, lost his reelection bid in November to Republican candidate Dan Seum Jr.

Kevin Triplett, D-15th, who has represented South End neighborhoods like Taylor-Berry, Wilder Park and Hazelwood since 2018 and had a career in radio and marketing before jumping to politics, did not seek reelection.

Nicole George, D-21st, who has represented South End neighborhoods like Beechmont and Iroquois and the city of Lynnview since winning election in 2018, did not seek reelection. George, who has background as a social worker and in child welfare administrative roles, is joining Greenberg's administration as deputy mayor for public health and services.

James Peden, R-23rd, who has represented the suburban cities of Hollow Creek, Spring Mill and Heritage Creek as well as the neighborhoods of Highview, Okolona and Fern Creek since joining the inaugural Metro Council in 2002, did not run for reelection, instead seeking to win a state Senate seat in November's election. Peden, also retiring as a testing specialist at Jeffersontown High School after over two decades working for JCPS, lost to the Democratic incumbent, state Sen. Karen Berg.

Amy Holton Stewart, D-25th, who worked as a Family Resource and Youth Service Center coordinator for JCPS for two decades, has represented south and southwestern areas of the county, including Valley Station and Pleasure Ridge Park, since getting appointed to the council in 2021. She lost her reelection bid to Khalil "Charlie" Batshon.

Bailey Loosemore, Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, Matt Glowicki and Stephanie Kuzydym contributed to this story.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Metro Council OKs Prospect Cove plan, 'camping' ordinance