City Council Minutes 2005 06 20 SP

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City Council/Planning Commission Special Meeting Minutes June 20, 2005 Page 2 of 9 REGULAR BUSINESS 2005 CITYWIDE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE Mayor Sisk thanked the members of Planning Commission for their long dedicated work on the plan. He asked Chairperson Lipton to introduce the 2005 Citywide Comprehensive Plan. Chairperson Lipton expressed the Planning Commission pleasure to present the findings and recommendations resulting from their review of the proposed Louisville Comprehensive Plan. Since February of 2005, the Planning Commission conducted nine public hearings over five months. The public hearings consisted of over 35 hours of staff and consultant presentations, public input, and Commission discussions. He noted the citizens, consultants, and City Staff should be commended for conducting a process that was inclusive, participative, and provided sufficient opportunity to all citizens to participate. City Character: Maintain the extraordinary quality of life experienced living in Louisville. There was broad agreement that the quality of life must be protected by maintaining the existing community character. One of the key decisions that the Planning Commission had to consider early in its deliberations was what the optimal population should be that preserves the City character and quality of life. Original Draft Framework Plan: The build-out potential of the City was a population of approximately 25,267, which would have the City grow by an additional 6,187 people over the next 20 years. The public and the Planning Commission were uncomfortable with this proposed level of population growth. The Planning Commission's recommendation targeted a population growth of approximately 3,846 additional people over the next 20 years. Housing: The draft report suggested that while Louisville is rich in single-family, detached, medium density housing, it has gaps in the diversity of its housing stock. There are needs to increase certain segments of the housing stock, especially for lower income and entry housing level residents as well as for empty nesters and senior housing. Employment to Housing: Louisville should act responsibly in growing its housing stock as it grows its employment base. The Commission did not specifically set any targeted employment -housing goals. An overriding goal was to attempt to locate most of the additional residential units within close proximity to major transit opportunities, existing commercial and retail areas, and locations that already have or already plan to have City infrastructure. The single exception was a small development of medium density in Area 4 for single family, medium density cluster homes, in Area 4, in the close proximity of Avista Hospital.