Smart Growth

BY JOAN PAULEY | PHOTOS MARY YATES

BLOWN AWAY. That’s my description for Louisville, Kentucky’s downtown renaissance. The city that gives the world the greatest two minutes in sports has shown me the greatest two years in smart growth development.

I left Louisville in 2005 and made my way home to Atlanta. By sheer chance, I landed with a group of smart growth urban planners and joined the charrette circus.

We planned cities using smart growth principles. That’s called a planning charrette, and the goals are lofty: create walkable communities to help reduce our almost complete dependency on the automobile, recycle old buildings and land for mixed uses, and focus growth in developed areas taking full advantage of existing infrastructure and access to public transportation.

With new eyes and a sharpened sensitivity for the built environment, I returned to Louisville. I walked Main and Market streets and strolled Waterfront Park. Louisville was filling in, sprucing up and paying visible homage to its architectural roots. It was smart growth on organic steroids. And, it was cool. I would not have described downtown Louisville as cool back in 2005.

I wondered what happened. Could Louisville’s downtown burst somehow point the way for other cities? Did early risk-taking developers even care about smart growth? Or, was it a natural by-product to something else?

I was determined to understand what went right through the eyes of these downtown developers.

Bill Weyland, managing director, City Properties Group, LLC
“I don’t know about other cities, but a lot of our downtown development has been driven by architects who morphed into developers,” Weyland said. “In my opinion, that’s unique.”

Did Weyland consciously think smart growth? “Absolutely,” he replied. “In the 1970s I saw the gas prices in Europe and knew where we were headed. I was aware of smart growth because of my time studying architecture and urban design in Rome. I’m an old, New Urbanist.”

Weyland returned from Europe with a conviction. Downtown Louisville could be a thriving, 24-hour community, but strong cohesive neighborhoods were needed. “All successful European cities have strong neighborhoods at their core.”

Thirty years ago, he said, downtown was like a giant factory: windowless buildings, industrial sites, tree-free streetscapes. The goal after work was a fast escape to suburbia. “Now we’re building from the human standpoint,” he said. “The city is built to enjoy, and streets are here to stroll, not just to serve as thoroughfares out. I’ve seen a spike in downtown living just in the past two years.”

Louisville also did not fall victim to the silver bullet mentality. A good urban master plan, expansion of the University of Louisville’s medical district and private development were all contributing factors.

Ultimately, smart growth is personal to Weyland. “I love old buildings and their stories. That’s what you lose when you tear down a building,” he said. “People stop me on the street and share their personal connections to these buildings. That’s just fabulous.”

Phil Scherer, president, Commercial Kentucky
Phil Scherer lived in Crescent Hill for 33 years and watched the area reinvent itself after the 1974 tornado hit. “There was a real sense of place,” he explained. “Merchants and neighborhood institutions like churches and the water company held the community together.”

He would one day play a pivotal role in bringing this same experience to downtown. 

Scherer is considered a pioneer in downtown residential development. In the late 1980s, when he could not convince the owner of the old Kentucky Lithographing site on East Main Street to develop a mixed-use building with apartments and office space, he took the project on himself and created the Billy Goat Strut apartments. “It was very well received with much less turnover for that market,” he said. “Our longest tenant was 15 years.” There was finally hope for downtown living.

Was this early effort a conscious smart growth plan? “I don’t know if smart growth was a concept that had a moniker back then,” Scherer said. “It was more a recognition in the value of our resources. We just had to find a way to take advantage of these resources and convince other people to drink the Kool-Aid. How do you convince people that sprawl costs us, and we continue to underwrite it?”

Scherer believes the geographic convenience of the 101-block Central Business District and its mix of residential options, businesses, services, infrastructure and public transportation are reasons Billy Goat Strut succeeds. He also credits tax incentives and finance products in the early 1980s as stimulating revitalization, including a tax credit for historical preservation.

Steve Poe, developer, Museum Plaza
Ask Steve Poe what accounts for Louisville’s downtown redevelopment success, and he immediately points to public policy and priorities set many years ago starting with Waterfront Park in the late 1980s.

“Waterfront Park is a visible sign of policy and investment matching up,” Poe said. “The city made the investment to give back to the community open, common space. Some people questioned that decision. Why buy up land, when we’ve got a world-renowned Olmsted park system? That’s all changed now, but government is the only institution that can take the lead and set those priorities.”

Poe believes public officials and government are looking at new priorities. “It seems the public is coming back downtown,” he said, noting the demographic shift under way. Empty nesters and young people just entering homeownership are growing in numbers. Both groups look for amenities found in smart growth areas.
Louisville has had many successful public private partnership arrangements since Waterfront Park, Poe said. “It takes public leadership to create a win-win.”

The $490 million Museum Plaza, the largest public-private partnership in Kentucky’s history, is an example. “What’s been so gratifying about Museum Plaza is the support we’ve had from both local and state representatives, including the rural areas.”

Why locate Museum Plaza in Louisville? “That’s easy. We’re making a difference in our hometown. A nucleus of strong local developers is important, but you also need to have outside investment coming in.” Poe said, citing Westin hotels’ willingness to invest in the city.

Mark Isaacs, president, Legacy Development Corporation
Katrina hit. Isaacs and his wife Sally watched the images from the comfort of their Highlands home as the storm slammed ashore and devastated New Orleans, the Crescent City that Isaacs loves almost as much as his hometown Louisville.

The tears streaming down his face were replaced with rage when he realized this devastation, an American city on its way to losing 200,000 citizens, was happening at a time when the Bush administration was denying any connection between the burning of fossil fuels and climate change.

In the face of such needless destruction and national ignorance, Isaacs realized as an architect, builder and developer, he could design and build a near-zero carbon emitting building.

Legacy Lofts was born.

Legacy Lofts makes use of sustainable energy like the sun and earth’s natural moderating temperature to reduce to near zero the need for energy supplied by fossil fuel.

The decision to locate Legacy Lofts in a smart growth area was an easy one. “I opted to build downtown at E. Main and Campbell (streets) because of the numerous walkable amenities,” he said.

“Having lived in Italian towns and cities like Perugia and Rome without a car, I enjoyed the highest quality of life. Morning coffee was (within) walking distance from my front door, as were grocery stores, fabulous restaurants, galleries, places of work, and entertainment.

And, now you don’t have to go to Italy,” he continued. “We have all that right here at this location. It’s smart growth for the 21st century.  It’s better.”

He realized as an ARCHITECT, BUILDER AND DEVELOPER, he could design and build a near-zero carbon emitting building.

Todd Blue, chairman and CEO, Cobalt Ventures, LLC
“My family was in the recycling business before it was even a word,” said Blue. “It’s in my DNA.”

He isn’t kidding. Blue’s great-grandfather immigrated to this country in the early 1900s and founded Louisville Scrap Metal Company, a rail car recycling operation. Four generations later, Blue is recycling historic buildings into projects like The Mercantile and Iron Quarter, and creating new uses for previously developed land — two hallmarks of smart growth.

Did Blue set out to be a smart growth developer? No, but add DNA, an urban college experience at George Washington University, a stint living in downtown Chicago, and you’ve got an urbanist. Throw in a winning bid for downtown housing in the late 1990s, and you’ve got an urbanist developer.

Blue readily admits downtown living is not for everyone, but offered an alternative. “People say they can’t do anything about the environment, but they can support the initiatives and businesses that support smart growth. Have a nice dinner downtown. Use the products.”

“I’d like to see citizens that want to support smart growth and live downtown incentivized,” he continued, adding that Philadelphia instituted a successful property tax abatement program to kick-start a return to downtown living.

From recycled rail cars to accidental smart growth developer, this fourth generation recycler enjoys what he does. “I think Louisville will be one of our greatest American cities and a model for the rest of the country,” he said. “But, it can only happen if the entire community supports the work we’ve put into it.” 

These downtown developers offer numerous lessons for cities around the country to contemplate. But, one lesson rings clear, best summed up as a twist to that famous “what happens here stays here” tagline.

For Louisville, the folks that stayed here made it happen here.