4 Winter 2025-2026 Lantern Newsletter

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Louisville shared some great moments in 2025: we celebrated 25 years of Street Faire, welcomed new businesses to our community, and broke ground on some big projects. With the new year just around the corner, though, I find myself looking more and more toward our future. 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting and consequential year for our city. Our community has spent the last two years crafting the next version of our Comprehensive Plan, which will help guide our vision for Louisville over the next decade. Throughout this process, thousands of you have helped shape and refine that vision, helping to build what has become perhaps the most inclusive and collaborative plan in our community's history. The new Comp Plan also will serve as a foundation for updating our development code to streamline processes and make it easier to prioritize housing affordability, environmental sustainability, and other shared goals. During the first quarter of 2026, we expect to have a new draft ready, and City Council plans to obtain additional public input before finalizing Louisville's new Comprehensive Plan. Over in our Parks, Recreation & Open Space Department, they are hard at work creating a new Guidebook that will outline the department's priorities over the next 10+ years. This effort includes a new Long -Range Plan for Louisville's parks, open spaces, Recreation & Senior Center, and Coal Creek Golf Course, as well as a new Trails Master Plan. Right now, we need to hear from those who live, work, play, walk, bike, gather, and explore here in Louisville. ID Mayor Chris Leh Ward 1 • • Please visit LouisvilleCO.gov/ JoinTheJourneyfor information about how to get involved. Like many communities, Louisville has faced budget challenges this year, but I am proud to report that we are heading into 2026 with a balanced budget that will allow us to continue delivering the services and programs our community expects. We are mindful of changes at the federal and state levels that have impacted some of our residents. City Council recently provided additional funding to area nonprofits that address food insecurity, and the City is sponsoring the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, proceeds of which will help fund those efforts — and we encourage you, and your families and friends to take part! As construction slows down during the winter, City Staff shift their focus to planning for the coming year. Big projects like Front & Center, which will help revitalize Downtown Louisville, and the nearby South Street Underpass (a pedestrian underpass connecting Highway 42 and Downtown) are in the design phase. We heard your concerns about the original underpass design closing South Street to vehicle traffic, and City Staff are working on options to keep South Street open. I hope to see you out and about this winter, enjoying our many local businesses, parks and trails, and events like the Parade of Lights. On behalf of City Council and City Staff, I wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season and the very best in 2026! Leh@LouisvilleCO.gov Caleb Dickinson (Mayor Pro Tem) Josh Cooperman CDickinson©LouisvilleCO.gov JCooperman©LouisvilleCO.gov Ward 2 Ward 3 Deborah Fahey Judi Kern DFahey©LouisvilleCO.gov J Kern@Louisvil IeCO.gov Dietrich Hoefner Barbara Hamlington DHoefner©LouisvilleCO.gov BHamlington©LouisvilleCO.gov 303.668.3916 303.495.8219 720.391.5861 720.320.5539 720.724.5684 720.419.5030 269.277.7673 The City Council generally holds regular meetings the first and third Tuesdays of each month at City Hall, 749 Main Street, at 6 p.m. Visit LouisvilleCO.gov/Calendar for details. To find your ward, visit LouisvilleCO.gov/WardMap or call 303.335.4536. IN WINTER 2025-26 LOUISVILLE LANTERN