Louisville leaders fail to reach consensus on Redtail Ridge, push vote again

LOUISVILLE — After three City Council meetings and hours of comments from city staff, the public and a developer, Louisville leaders were still not ready to vote on a general development plan for the Redtail Ridge project.

Concerns about traffic and the quality of and quantity of open space on the site, where a large commercial development is proposed, persisted Tuesday and City Council chose after 10 p.m. to continue its discussion on the project at a later meeting. 

The decision to continue the hearing on a scaled-back proposal for the long-vacant, former Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) site next to U.S. Highway 36 until Aug. 31 came after about three hours of comments and presentations Tuesday night from representatives of developer Brue Baukol Capital Partners LLC, city officials and members of the public. 

Brue Baukol Capital Partners LLC is back before city officials about a year after those leaders sent the company’s initial proposal back to the drawing board. 

Initially, the company sought to turn the parcel into a 5.22 million-square-foot live-work development anchored by a new corporate campus for medical-device maker Medtronic Inc. and a roughly 1,500-home senior-living community operated by Erickson Living LLC. Additional planned components included offices, retail space and apartments. 

Medtronic skipped town for a nearby site in Lafayette, and locals spoke out against the housing portion of the project, arguing that thousands of new residents would strain city resources and exacerbate traffic congestion.

Under the revised plan, Brue Baukol reduced density to 3.1 million square feet and completely eliminated the residential element.

The developer has proposed dedicating 67 acres of open space, or about 17% of the commercial acreage. That’s more than what is required by city code.

Council members, along with residents who spoke during a lengthy public comment session, want not only more open space, but also want to dictate where on the site that open space should be located. 

“There’s a willingness to attempt to balance the concerns of the quality of open space,” Brue Baukol principal Geoff Baukol said, but he was noncommittal on whether the company would be willing to increase open space acreage. 

The council discussion meandered Tuesday evening with some members expressing frustration at the lack of clear direction being provided to staff and the developer. 

“We’re not going to do this quickly,” Councilman Dennis Maloney said. 

Several council members said they could be comfortable voting to approve the projects if certain conditions were placed on the developer, but the specifics of those conditions were not fully articulated Tuesday. 

City Council will reconvene for a special meeting on Aug. 31 where Redtail Ridge will be the only topic on the agenda. Council will have an opportunity to ask questions and both the developer and public will have additional chances to provide input. 

© 2021 BizWest Media LLC

on Facebook on LinkedIn