Planning Commission Agenda and Packet 2015 12 10

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Planning Commission Meeting Minutes November 12, 2015 Page 7 of 41 remember years ago, I promised City Council we would have a parking problem with all the efforts we were putting into Downtown. I made the argument a long time ago that we shouldn't make the parking fee too high because people would buy the building next door, level it, and create their own personal parking lot. There would be no opportunity to do something different. That's why this is the way it is now. We could level the existing house and make it a parking lot. I personally know how this town has gone over the last 15 years and know that no one wants us to demo old buildings. They would rather keep it. We came up with this as a good solution to that. Staff asked us to take off the garage which goes right to the alley, and they like a 20' setback. By taking off the garage and removing the driveway, the City gains two spots on South that I don't get credit for, but the City gets back. Even though we are providing five, there are two more spaces, making the total seven. Staff talked about their interpretation of City documents. Sometimes it was their interpretation; sometimes they said it was their opinion. When it came down to the design guidelines and the framework plan many years ago, Eric Hartronft, my architect, and I and others sat in a meeting and drafted these documents. I know the intent in the room was guidelines and I know what we were trying to do. It was to give Downtown a certain feel and keep it going in a direction, but not to thwart any new properties or make everything look like it should already be 50 years old. I think we have done a very good job with this design. The gables actually match the existing house, so we put them there on purpose. There are a lot of flat roofs in town, including the Chase building, and ;1 don't think they are very attractive or maintaining the character and feel what's around. If you look at the documents, that house and two other houses down on Main Street have gable roofs and fit in quite nicely. I think the courtyard we put in the middle is very similar to Bittersweet. Right now on Main Street, we are allowed 35' and two stories. We tried to push down the Main Street frontage to 25' and give it a smaller face on the Main Street, side. The loft on the third story is where I would like to retire. I have been working in Downtown for many years; November 16th is my 29 year anniversary with my company; I have been in Louisville since 1987; and I would like to retire here. That is why that-aloft is there. We have pushed down the profile on Main Street and made it a very small loft set in the back corner so you can't see if from Main Street or South Street. The building next to comes up at least 27'. It is not overwhelming and much smaller than the profile you could get with a 35', two-story building, versus the little loft set back on top. We changed the materials because I don't like stone either. We wanted wood and trim. I like things painted and it gives a fresh look to things. Change colors and it makes the building look fresh and new and vibrant and happy. This could be one of the only, if not the only, Class A building in town. We are losing businesses because they are outgrowing Downtown, and they need more square footage. Staff put this project on your website, not realizing that it is a spot for people to look. I have gotten three phone calls from complete strangers saying they want to move here in about year and "can they rent my building ?" It shows you how many people want to come to Louisville. There are retailers and small businesses here that are not thriving. They are doing better, better than they were 15 years ago, and we have made significant changes, but they need more foot traffic. This building will bring people down here. With the loft and the existing house, you have an opportunity for people to live here and still go out. The existing house is rented by Allen Hahn who has been working and managing the Street Faire with us for many years. I went to great pains to keep the house, not only for parking and historic reasons, but because we want to keep him downtown. In addition, I own 916 Main Street and that is where Creative Framing is. When it moved here, there was hardly any retail in town. My business was there. When Janet Russell moved in, not only was she an incredible business person, but she brought destination retail that brought more people to know Downtown. Her energy brought us First Friday Art Walk and the Louisville Arts District. Retail brings many things to Louisville that have additional benefits besides just the business. I am asking you to look past some of these things that Staff calls negative. Eric will present them better as positive. We have done this design on purpose and we think there are really good reasons for it. I am asking you as citizens of Louisville to vote for this project and support it.