City Council Minutes 1998 09 01 - Laserfiche WebLink

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including tourists who came downtown specifically for its historic district. She stated that even the Los Angeles film crew who was filming for Quaker Oats filmed in downtown Louisville because it was so much like small town America. She expressed concern for the lack of information she has received as a DBA board member on what is intended for downtown. She expressed support for the proposed Downtown Design Guidelines. JeffKatz, 900 Main Street, Louisville, Colorado, stated that he feels the City is sitting on what could be the next gold rush for downtown. He feels that if you don't build downtown, people will not come downtown. He suggested that Council implement a parking plan now. He felt that stopping growth downtown now would create a situation from which they could never recover. He predicted that the immediate future of downtown depends upon what Council does tonight. Jay Berger, 1016 Main Street, Louisville, Colorado, asked to present his view as a downtown resident. As a member of the Downtown Design Guidelines Steering Committee, the citizen comments they received indicated that residents liked the small town feel of Louisville, the scale of the structures, and the pedestrian atmosphere. He felt that without the threat of a moratorium or restrictions regarding parking and building heights, the business owners would not be in attendance tonight. He suggested presenting the proposed parking plan at a public hearing for citizen comments prior to its adoption. Davidson called for Council comments and questions. Sisk asked to provide a brief synopsis of the proposed ordinance limiting the building height in the downtown commercial district to twenty-seven feet. He stated that he is opposed to a moratorium but feels Council should preserve the historic nature of downtown Louisville. He said that he had an opportunity to view the video tape from the August 4, 1998, Council meeting. During that meeting, Levihn commented that he did not want to see buildings along Main Street reach a point where they would only allow the sun to shine through from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sisk agreed with Levihn. Lathrop agreed with Jay Berger's comments and does not feel a moratorium is the answer. He stated that the owners of Business Answers are not prepared to get started immediately yet they appear to be pressing Council for a quick decision. He stated that the business community appears to be coming together and making progress on parking issues. He is hesitant to make a quick decision due to lack of information or from pressure to do so. Howard asked to address an earlier question on why retail use is being excluded from the parking discussions. He stated that current parking is adequate for retail, as that use is transient; however, office users occupy a parking space all day. Howard stated that he is not in favor of moratoriums either. Levihn stated that he has long been opposed to any building in downtown until solutions for parking, height limit and design guidelines have been adopted. 4