Louisville Metro Planning and Zoning Committee Meeting – 2026-09-01
Louisville Metro Planning and Zoning Committee – 2026-09-01 Meeting Summary
The Planning and Zoning Committee of the Louisville Metro Government met on 2026-09-01 at 1:03 p.m. (the agenda listed 1:00 p.m.) in Council Chambers and via video teleconference, pursuant to KRS 61.826 and Council Rule 5A. Chair Andrew Owen presided; Vice Chair Scott Reed and Committee Member Josie Raymond attended virtually, and the remaining five present members attended in Chambers. Committee Member Shameka Parrish-Wright was excused. The committee acted on two proposed street closures, held one ordinance, and left one item postponed.
Postponed and Held Items
- O-225-26, the Detailed District Development Plan for 8803, 8805, and 8807 Old Bardstown Road (approximately 7.02 acres; Case No. 26DDP0005), remained postponed in committee with no vote.
- O-240-26, an ordinance amending the Louisville Metro Land Development Code regarding road width (Case No. 25-LDC-0003), was held in committee with no vote.
Discussion Items
- O-241-26 (Case No. 26STRCLOSURE0008): Julia Williams of the Office of Planning presented the proposed closure of approximately 190 feet of East Jacob Street between South Brook Street and South First Street, containing approximately 0.261 acres in Council District 4. The closure was requested for the I-65 Central Corridor Project to facilitate construction of improvements. Williams said the closure would be permanent, with the area to be filled as an embankment. The Development Review Committee met on June 17, 2026, and the Planning Commission recommended approval by an 8-0 vote on July 30, 2026. Committee Member Stuart Benson expressed concern about the closure and questioned whether it was driven by cost or safety; Williams responded that it was for safety due to the nearby Brook Street interchange. Chair Owen stated that he would be concerned if many such closures were made along the corridor, but this case appeared isolated. Chair Owen also reported that Council Member Ken Herndon, in whose district the street is located, supported the closure.
- O-242-26 (Case No. 26STRCLOSURE0012): Julia Williams presented the proposed closure of approximately 9,000 square feet of East St. Catherine Street between Logan Street and Steve Magray Alley in Council District 6. The applicant intends to use the resulting property for outdoor dining, community markets, and outdoor family-friendly events. The Development Review Committee met on August 5, 2026, and the Planning Commission recommended approval by a 7-0 vote on August 6, 2026. Committee Member Josie Raymond asked whether a guardrail would prevent vehicle access from Steve Magray Alley; Williams said no such design details were presented. Raymond also asked whether former Council Member Steve Magray had been notified about the change affecting the alley named after him and offered to notify him.
Key Outcomes
- O-225-26: No action; item remained postponed.
- O-240-26: No action; item was held in committee.
- O-241-26: A motion by Committee Member Khalil Batshon, seconded by Committee Member Betsy Ruhe, to recommend approval passed 6-1. Voting yes: Owen, Reed, Raymond, Ruhe, Hudson, and Batshon. Voting no: Benson. Parrish-Wright was excused. The ordinance was sent to Old Business for the full Metro Council meeting on September 10, 2026.
- O-242-26: A motion by Batshon, seconded by Jeff Hudson, to recommend approval passed 7-0. Voting yes: Owen, Reed, Raymond, Benson, Ruhe, Hudson, and Batshon. Parrish-Wright was excused. The ordinance was sent to the Consent Calendar for the full Metro Council meeting on September 10, 2026.
The committee adjourned at 1:14 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Get started in 30 seconds. I haven't. Welcome to the regularly scheduled meeting of the planning and zoning committee. It is Tuesday, September 1st, and it is 103 p.m. I am chair of the committee, Andrew Owen. Oh, we are. I'm joined by my uh my vice chair Scott Reed online. I'm joined by uh Josie Raymond uh virtually, joined by uh Councilman Batchan, Councilman Hudson, Councilwoman Rui, and Councilman Benson in Chambers. Um I'm assuming that Councilwoman Shamica Parrish right will join us shortly. Um we're holding a couple of items today. Item number one is gonna be held. Uh item two at um item two is also gonna be held. Item three, uh-241-26. Um hold on, let me step back and say this meeting is being held pursuant to KRS 61.826 and council rule 5A. That makes us official with our virtual attendees. Um item number three, O-241-26, an ordinance relating to the closure of the portion of East Jacob Street between South Brook Street and South First Street, containing approximately 0.261 acres and being in Louisville Metro, case number 26 street closure 0008. Can I get a motion? Properly moved and seconded. Julia Julia Williams, Office of Planning. Uh, this is uh 26th Street Closure 0008, East Jacob Street. Uh so this is uh for a closure of East Jacob Street between South Brook Street and South First Street in Council District 4. Uh this is an aerial view of the proposed area to be closed. The zoning map. Uh the request is a closure of a public right-of-way. Uh they're proposing to close approximately 190 feet of right-of-way on East Jacob Street between South Brook and South First Street. The closure is being requested for the I-65 Central Corridor Project to facilitate construction of improvements. Uh so this is the subject area. This is the street closure plat. The development review committee held their meeting on June 17th, 2026. The planning commission held a public hearing on July 30th, 2026, where there was a motion to recommend approval of the street closure passing by a vote of eight to zero. Are there any questions? Um this is probably a uh not a very bright question, but um is this do these does this street closure carry with it a certain time frame, or is it a permanent street closure? And if we want to reopen it, we go back through the same process. What does that look like exactly? So it's my understanding that this is a permanent street closure. Uh the Department of Transportation or the Kentucky Department of Transportation wants to fill in the entire area. Uh so it'll be more like an embankment rather than uh having uh an underpass. Okay. Uh so I would I can only assume that that's permanent. Yep. Okay. That's very that's that's good. Uh want to make sure that that's uh on the record. Um so councilman Herndon reached out and said he was supportive of this, and this is in his district. Anyone else have uh councilman Vincent? Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh did they tell why they wanted to close uh other than save money? I guess they're just trying to save money. If you if we do that all the way along, we could go to Indiana and come back and go on the other side of the expressway.
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