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Business Retention & Development Committee <br />Meeting Minutes <br />November 4, 2013 <br />Page 2 of 3 <br />Successful partnerships between public and private entities are important. Thus ensued a <br />brainstorming session on McCaslin: <br />Commissioner Rob Lathrop said that the “big box” concept is probably not coming to Louisville <br />– more likely medium to small clusters of retail. The west side of McCaslin may be a good <br />area for a redevelopment opportunity. <br />Deb Fahey asked about attracting smaller local businesses ie: Woodley Furniture. <br />Commissioner Chris Pritchard expressed his support for Planning Director Troy Russ and the <br />Planning staff. He said there are some underutilized, aging properties. People want walkable <br />shopping areas and places to live near the areas. <br />Councilmember Jasiak said that Economic Development is pro-mixed use but politically, it is <br />unpopular. Hearing from retailers is needed in the planning process. <br />Commissioner Angell asked if the DBA can help with any marketing. Pritchard said the DBA <br />had marketing funds for downtown retailers, but none asked for the assistance. <br />Commissioner Menaker said more businesses are needed as members in the DBA. He said <br />that part of the problem is that property owners do not live in Louisville. He said that land use, <br />predictability, consistency and fairness matter to developers. Open space is not development <br />friendly. <br />DeJong stated that McCaslin is a traditional auto-centric area. Downtown is a traditional <br />pedestrian focused area. <br />Commissioner Pritchard stated the McCaslin area needs walkability and to take advantage of <br />the Superior development. <br />Reichenberg stated that we need to focus on the macro: why do people want to go elsewhere? <br />Why do people want to come to the McCaslin area? What is the mission statement? Focus on <br />“why”, what is the desire to be there? <br />Commissioner Pritchard said the best asset Louisville has is its small town feel. <br />Councilmember Jasiak stated that the Centennial Valley hosts a lot of open space. Perhaps <br />that could attract an outdoor retailer. <br />Commissioner Menaker stated that the Centennial Valley thrives on a daytime population. <br />Scott Reichenberg said Centennial Valley businesses are very convenient. <br />City Manager Fleming said that changing the block structure on McCaslin might make it a <br />better experience. <br />3 <br />