City Council Minutes 2000 02 15 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Brown mentioned in other jurisdictions, management standards are typically found in management plans rather than in Ordinances. He felt that the City could implement strong classifications that will protect the land and lay forth a whole new program. Brown commended everyone's hard work and stated he hoped an election could be avoided. Davidson opened the pubic hearing. Matt Jones, 265 Dahlia Drive, asked Mayor Davidson if amendments were to be made to the Ordinance and would the public be afforded the opportunity to comment. Davidson stated that once the public hearing and official public presentation are closed public comment is not received but that if there were amendments to the Ordinance Council would be interested in listening to the Petitioner's comments. Matt Jones, 265 Dahlia Drive, thanked the Mayor and City Council for being open to changes in the Ordinance and to a compromise position. He stated that he helped draft the Ordinance which includes environmental standards, provides an open space and trails documents, an inventory, and standards. He addressed the standards of the open space documents noting the standards are the heart and core of the document and drive management. He stated he appreciated the concern expressed on the "shall" and "intends to" language, however he felt that the "shall" is very clear in the categories, and strengthens the document. He felt being involved in the process was a rewarding experience and he thanked Councilman Brown for the opportunity to participate. He expressed his appreciation to the Petitioners for their willingness to participate and stated that the City of Louisville will be well served by this document. Brown commended and thanked Matt Jones for volunteering his time and service, stating that Matt stood out as an intermediary who was tremendously effective. Michael Gheleta, 761 Pear Court, stated he was recently appointed to the Urban Wildlife Management Task Force and felt there would be a lot of crossover issues managing urban wildlife and open space. He stated the open space advisory board has been an issue of great importance and interest to the citizens of Louisville. He felt early on the process was quite polarized but later that there was positive compromise and accommodation, leading to Ordinance No. 1329, as amended. He felt the end product of such a process is better than either side's original idea. The original ordinance started with the idea of ecologically sound management of open space lands. However, there were some practical and other problems recognized by the City Attorney. The alternative ordinance resolves those issues. He stated the ordinance is now a more systematic statutory scheme, with sensible steps of inventorying open lands and classifying those lands under the open space management plan. He stated it provides for public input on City decisions and urged the Council to adopt the Ordinance No. 1329, and urged the Open Space Petitioners to withdraw their original ordinance. He noted the original ordinance created an awareness of this issue in the community and has led to a very strong alternative. He 12