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DRAFT <br />Applicant Presentation: <br />Mike Koertje, Chairman Historic Preservation Commission, introduced the other Commission <br />members that were present. He continued with an overview of the purpose of the Ordinance with <br />the following points: <br />Promote the protection and preservation of the City’s historic and cultural heritage. <br /> <br /> <br />Promote the enhancement of property values and the stabilization of historic <br /> <br /> <br />neighborhoods. <br />Increase the economic and financial benefits realized through the City’s attraction to <br /> <br /> <br />tourists and visitors <br />Promote the provisions for educational opportunities to increase public appreciation <br /> <br /> <br />of Louisville’s unique heritage. <br />He reminded the Planning Commission that it is the intent to create a method to draw a <br />reasonable balance between private property rights and the public interest in preserving <br />Louisville’s unique historic character by ensuring that demolition of, moving, or alterations to <br />properties of historic value shall be carefully considered for impact to the property’s contribution <br />to Louisville’s heritage. <br /> <br />Members of the Public: <br />Rhonda Grassi, property owner, business owner and member of Downtown Business Association <br />(DBA) expressed her concern with the following areas of the Ordinance: <br />The ability to have a property designated without property owner’s permission. <br /> <br /> <br />Any incentives should be well defined and have only those that make it more feasible <br /> <br /> <br />to improve the property. <br />City should consider the needs for parking and the height limitation of downtown and <br /> <br /> <br />adhere to the already established requirements even for their own projects. <br />City could consider purchase of properties of great historic value. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Nancy Love, property owner for 841 Front and 800 Jefferson, expressed concerns with the <br />following areas of the Ordinance: <br />Age requirement of 50-year is not a very old building. <br /> <br /> <br />The designation without property owner’s permission. If the owner is not interested <br /> <br /> <br />then leave the alone. <br />The incentives should be formalized before the Ordinance proceeds. <br /> <br /> <br />There is already a costly process for development in Louisville and we don’t need to <br /> <br /> <br />increase the cost and time with another permitting process that is required with the <br />Ordinance. <br />The DBA has struggled to keep the downtown viable and the Ordinance creates <br /> <br /> <br />another obstacle for us. <br />City could consider purchase of properties of great historic value. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Ron Richardson, 932 Walnut, made the following points: <br />The building he owns is 100 years old. <br /> <br /> <br />His experience as a real estate agent indicates that having a Historic designation on <br /> <br /> <br />the property causes the building to be valued less. Future buyers of real estate see <br />only problems associated with Historic designations. <br />4 <br /> <br /> <br />