Hello again, Louisville!
Please take a moment to write to the Planning Commission NOW about Redtail Ridge 2.0. They will be hearing the proposal on Thursday, May 13. If we don’t speak up now, the proposal will pass as it is.
We need a plan that is right for this last large parcel representing 8% of our city’s land area. Despite promises from Brue Baukol, the draft Planned Community Zone District Zoning Agreement posted on the city website last week shows no legally binding commitments to sustainability or habitat protection!
- The total area of public land dedication remains minimal and unchanged from previous proposals. Nothing in the agreement requires preservation of habitat and wildlife.
- The agreement references a DRAFT Traffic Demand Management Plan with strategies but no commitments to reduce single occupancy vehicles.
- Nothing in the agreement binds the developer to implement the sustainability goals they are touting. They only agreed to use “commercially reasonable efforts” to implement the commitments and goals in a DRAFT document, prioritizing the bottom line over sustainability.
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The agreement allows for “common open space” in exchange for height waivers. Common open space is “for the use and enjoyment of the owner” with fencing allowed. This is not the same as dedicated open space that would be gifted to the City of Louisville. This type of exchange will not protect habitat because it is not protected from future development.
- Brue Baukol has been promising a habitat management plan. This has not been finalized nor is it referenced in the agreement. 110 acres of prairie dog habitat (5,500 prairie dogs) is planned for destruction. Nothing prohibits rodenticide use on site where federally up to protected bald and golden eagles feed.
For an excellent perspective by Chris Wheeler, a Louisville-based photojournalist and documentary film producer, read this:
Thank you!
The Team at Louisville Southeast Gateway
