Council Planning Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Planning Committee convened on September 21, 2010, at 1:00 P.M., with Chair Gorton presiding. The meeting addressed four agenda items spanning a range of planning and regulatory topics, including fencing regulations, a Secure by Design initiative, Parks Master Plan funding, and tree-related regulations. Over the course of the meeting, three votes were taken and no public comments were heard. Of the four agenda items considered, two — Fencing Regulations and Secure by Design — were approved, one item concerning Parks Master Plan Funding was presented as informational, and the item on Tree Related Regulations was tabled for future consideration.

Attendance

The following members were recorded for the Council meeting on September 21, 2010:

Present: - Gorton - Blues - Feigel - Lawless - Beard - Stinnett

Absent: - Gray - James - McChord

No members were recorded as late to the meeting. Six of the nine council members were present, constituting the attendees on record for this session.

Votes and Decisions

The committee took three votes during the September 21, 2010 meeting, all of which passed by voice vote.

• Fence Orientation and Height Recommendations 13:57: Council Member Blues moved to advance Option Two for fence orientation and height recommendations to the full council. Council Member Feigel seconded the motion. The motion passed by voice vote. No individual roll call tallies were recorded.

• Resolution 311-10 – Secure by Design 1:03:06: Council Member Blues moved to forward Resolution 311-10, pertaining to the Secure by Design program, to the full council. Council Member Beard seconded the motion. The motion passed by voice vote. No individual roll call tallies were recorded.

• Tree-Related Regulations 2:01:14: Council Member Feigel moved to retain tree-related regulations in committee for further discussion rather than advancing them. Council Member Ellinger seconded the motion. The motion passed by voice vote. No individual roll call tallies were recorded.

All three votes were conducted as voice votes, so no individual ayes, nays, or abstentions were recorded in the meeting data.

Contested Items

Two items generated notable disagreement during the September 21, 2010 Council meeting.

• Secure by Design Program: This item prompted heated discussion among council members, with concerns raised about the program's funding and implementation. Questions were put forward regarding the necessity of the program itself and the appropriate role of local government in its administration. The structured data does not indicate a final resolution or specific outcome from this discussion.

• Tree-Related Regulations: Proposed changes to tree-related regulations drew concern, primarily around the participation of the Home Builders Association in the process. Members noted that the Home Builders Association had not been actively engaged in discussions surrounding the proposed changes, raising questions about whether adequate stakeholder input had been gathered before moving forward. No specific outcome is recorded in the available data.

*Note: Transcript timestamps were not available in the source data for these items. Specific council members involved in each exchange are not identified in the provided materials.*

Fencing Regulations

8:25

The Council took up a discussion on possible revisions to the zoning ordinance concerning fence orientation and height. Key participants in the discussion included Chris King, Dewey Crowe, and Council Member Blues.

The central question before the Council was how to regulate the structural members of fences — specifically, which direction the framing and support elements should face when a fence is installed adjacent to public property. Multiple options were considered, with the debate centering on the practical and aesthetic implications of each approach.

The Council ultimately favored Option Two, which would require that the structural members of fences face inward — away from public-facing areas — when the fence is adjacent to public property. This approach ensures that the finished side of a fence is visible from streets, sidewalks, and other public spaces, rather than the raw framing components.

The item was approved by the Council.

Secure by Design

1:03:06

The council took up Agenda Item 2, a discussion of the Secure by Design program, which aims to reduce crime through environmental design.

Key speakers on this item included Chief Bastin, Lieutenant Greg Jones, and Council Member Blues. The program was presented to the committee, with discussion focused on its implementation and goals of using environmental design principles as a tool for crime reduction.

Following the discussion, the committee moved to support a resolution to implement the Secure by Design program. The item was approved.

*Note: Additional details on specific arguments made, concerns raised, or the substance of the presentation are not available in the provided source materials.*

Parks Master Plan Funding

1:11:31

The council took up a discussion on potential funding mechanisms for the Parks Master Plan, with Council Member Feigel and Jerry Hancock identified as the key speakers on the item.

The central proposal discussed was the creation of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to help fund parks initiatives. The model under consideration was drawn from Louisville's parks conservancy, which served as a reference point for how such an entity might be structured and operated locally.

The discussion was informational in nature, with no binding vote or formal action taken. Rather than moving directly toward establishing such an organization, the committee suggested forming a task force to explore the concept further. This task force would presumably examine the feasibility of the 501(c)(3) model, study how Louisville's conservancy functions, and assess how a similar structure might be applied to local parks funding needs.

The outcome of the item was informational, with the next step being further exploration through the proposed task force rather than any immediate commitment to a specific funding structure.

Tree Related Regulations

2:01:14

The Council took up Agenda Item 4, a discussion of proposed changes to tree-related regulations. The item covered two primary areas: bonding requirements for street trees and the enforcement of corridor landscaping provisions.

Key speakers on this item included Karen Angelucci and Council Member James, who participated in the discussion of the proposed regulatory changes.

The item was ultimately tabled and kept in committee for further review, indicating that the Council was not yet prepared to move forward with the proposed changes and that additional deliberation would be needed before any action could be taken.