The blight study that created the Hwy 42 Revitalization Area in Louisville has started a snowball of economic development dreams that should have residents asking more questions. The city that is facing budget shortfalls because of decreasing sales tax income is coming up with some really big ideas for a rebound.
How about a 230-acre urban renewal area that reaches west over the railroad tracks running along old town, and curves north and east to include new commercial and housing developments on the old Pow-Wow grounds on South Boulder Road? Some folks in old town don't feel like being "revitaltized", thank you very much.
The County Commissioners told Louisville in August they thought the scope of the project was unecessarily ambitous, especially when Louisville proposed to keep over $11 million in property taxes from the county to fund the redevelopment.
The five-member Louisville Revitalization Commission has been doing good work, however they're throwing in everything and the kitchen sink to this plan. Plus their status as an appointed Board with no direct accountability has some residents worried. Using millions in tax revenue to lure otherwise wary developers is usually how things work, but this plan is looking like a bigger give-away than usual.
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