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Neighborhoods are more
than just a patchwork quilt of experience of place. They are valuable and important organizing units. There are 15 neighborhoods and four home rule
cities (which are neighborhoods in form, if not function) located within District
8.
Belknap, Bonnycastle, Cherokee
Triangle, Deer Park, Gardiner Lane, Hawthorne, Hayfield Dundee, Highlands,
Highlands Douglass, Kingsley, Seneca Gardens, Strathmoor Manor, Strathmoor
Village and Tyler Park are located wholly within the district.
Cherokee Seneca is
located predominantly within District 8, while the balance lies in District 9 –
and for Cherokee Gardens, the opposite is true.
Irish Hill is located wholly
within District 9, except for the triangle of Grinstead Drive, Lexington Road
and Etley Avenue proposed for development, which is in D-8.
Germantown is located
mostly within District 10, although partially within Districts 4 and 8, as well.
Bowman – the majority of
which encapsulates the airport – splits its non-aviation related territory approximately
equally among Districts 8, 9 and 26.
District 8 neighborhoods
vary widely in terms of geography and population – from Strathmoor Manor’s 349
people to Deer Park’s 5,233 – yet I have
the same goals for each of them: 1) effective and representative
neighborhood associations (or city councils); 2) neighborhood plans to guide their
destinies; and 3) the creation of a robust exchange for ideas and best practices
such that each neighborhood serves as a resource for every other.
Of all the District 8 neighborhoods, only four are
without an association: Bowman, Cherokee Gardens, Cherokee Seneca and
Hawthorne. That’s why I’m working with
the Center for Neighborhoods to build out this network as one of my first and
most immediate priorities. (In fact, we
started right after Election Day.)
Some criticize neighborhood associations as
groups of self-appointed squeaky wheels and busybodies who don’t represent them
or even necessarily the majority of their neighbors – and there is some truth
in that – but as a proud neighborhood association guy myself, I say: 1) if you don’t
vote, then don’t complain; and 2) instead of tearing associations down, help
build them up! Neighborhood associations
organize block watches and cleanups to help keep neighborhoods safe and looking
good. They’re excellent advocates in the
competitive world of seeking public infrastructure investments, and they
provide direction for elected officials in understanding opinion on controversial
issues.
I recognize that – for example – the 355
dues-paying general members of the Tyler Park Neighborhood Association (of
which I’m one) make up only 16.29% of Tyler Park’s voting-age (18+) population,
but still that is a significant faction and so, an official action or position
of the TPNA carries proportional weight with me. Of course, membership exceeding 50% of neighborhood
voters is a gold standard, and in such cases not just due consideration but deference is likely merited.
I don’t have good enough information on District
8 neighborhood associations yet to quantify their standings but I’m working on
it. Association (and council) leaders
can help me by completing this form and returning it to: brandon.coan@louisvilleky.gov
(and please copy jasmine.masterson@louisvilleky.gov). Let’s be transparent about who’s calling what
shots and figure out how to cross that 50% threshold and otherwise build
capacity together.
I’m pleased to report that a Cherokee Seneca
Neighborhood Association is nascent, and making great progress. In fact, they are holding an organizational
meeting Thursday, March 16 at 6pm at the Louisville Seminary, and I humbly
request area residents to attend. If any
residents of Bowman, Cherokee Gardens or Hawthorne are reading this and have an
interest in taking a leadership role in forming an association in your
neighborhoods, please email my office as above or call 574-1108. Not sure what neighborhood you live in (you
might be surprised!)? Check here.
As many District 8 neighborhoods as have
associations, there is an equal number (including the cities) that do not have a neighborhood plan, which
I believe is the best investment available to protect and improve the built environment. Only Belknap, Bonnycastle, Deer Park, Highlands
and Highland Douglass have plans adopted by the Metro Council (or the former Board
of Aldermen) since the current comprehensive plan (Cornerstone 2020) became law
in June 2000.
As you may know, the process is underway now to
update Louisville’s comprehensive plan – Cornerstone 2040 – and my goal is for
all District 8 neighborhoods to have plans in force by 2020 to serve us for a
generation. Once adopted by Council,
neighborhood plans become something to reckon with. They must be considered in all Metro Government
policy matters, including – for example – spending and rezoning decisions, two
areas of utmost interest to neighborhoods.
Neighborhood plans don’t come cheap or easy – nothing worthwhile ever
does – but I’m budgeting some of the resources we need now to help secure the
future we’ll want later.
Finally, it should come as no surprise that
District 8 neighborhoods currently operate mostly in silos, which is a missed opportunity,
but one that we can correct posthaste – and there’s all sorts of reasons why we
should. Almost every single District 8
neighborhood is a paragon of excellence in one way or another. Highlands (as the “Original” Highlands is
officially known) publishes a monthly crime report that all neighborhoods
should be so lucky to have. Germantown
generates Bingo income that should worry Horseshoe Southern Indiana. The Quad Cities (my term, not theirs) expertly
manage their own speed hump and snow plow programs. The list goes on and on, and they are all
things that each of our neighborhoods stand to benefit from in a new culture of
learning, doing and teaching. I’ll work
hard to facilitate this through the District 8 Advisory Board and other ways,
but I encourage you not to wait for me.
Explore D-8 neighborhoods.
Explore the world.
As always, I love to hear from you – especially
about your quests to help us get folks signed-up for this newsletter:
https://louisvilleky.gov/government/metro-council-district-8/subscribe-stay-informed
Thanks Very Much,
Councilman Brandon Coan
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