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Happy Friday! I hope you've had a great week. I thought I'd focus my comments today on some items of note from our Planning & Zoning Committee earlier this week and making sure you have all the information you need to vote in the upcoming elections.
Most of the Planning & Zoning Committee meeting on Tuesday was dedicated to discussing data centers, particularly related to water, electricity, sustainable energy, etc. Representatives from the Louisville Climate Action Network and the Kentucky Resources Council were in attendance to help answer questions from committee members. If you're interested in this issue, I highly recommend checking out the discussion which starts about 34 minutes into the meeting. As a reminder, the Planning & Zoning Committee will continue consideration of the proposed data center recommendations next Tuesday at 1 p.m. with a focus on zoning issues (maximum square footage, setbacks, proximity to special uses, etc.).
The other planning item I wanted to mention is an ordinance amending the Land Development Code related to required notifications for zoning and form district changes. Why is this important? Currently, if someone wants to rezone property in a suburban form district (which covers most of District 17), they are basically required to notify first- and second-tier property owners before filing a formal request (and again prior to the Planning Commission's public hearing). This can lead to some peculiar situations. Rezoning a property next to E. P. 'Tom' Sawyer State Park, hypothetically speaking, could mean notices go to park representatives and a resident abutting the park a mile away but not to someone three houses down the street in the same neighborhood as the parcel proposed to be rezoned! Our change would require additional notification in suburban form districts to include the owner of every parcel within 1,000 feet of the subject property. This ensures more people are in the loop early in the process and is something I strongly support.
For those planning to vote in the November 3 elections, the Jefferson County Clerk's web page here is a great source of information. You can find a sample ballot, locate your polling place, learn how and where to vote early, and more. Races on the ballot include federal, state, and local elections as well as a constitutional amendment. Sometimes the wording of those ballot measures can be a little tricky, so it might be worth reading over prior to voting. One final note - your ballots will look a little different this year as, for the first time in merged government history, the races for mayor and Metro Council are nonpartisan. In those and other nonpartisan races, you must vote for a specific candidate for it to count. You'll still have an option on your ballot to vote straight ticket, of course, but doing only that means you will not have cast a vote for mayor, Metro Council, judicial candidates, etc.
As always, please let me know if my office can assist you in any way. Have a great weekend!
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