Louisville Metro Council James H. Peden John N. Torsky, It District 23 Councilman March 1, 2016 Donnie Blake, Chairman Louisville Metro Planning Commission 4445, 5" St., Suite 300 Louisville, KY 40202 RE: Conservation Subdivision Regulations Land Development Code Chapter 7, Part 11 Dear Chairman Blake: As Chairman of the Louisville Metro Council's Ad Hoc Committee on the Land Development Code (LDC) for the last two years, | have presided over meetings wherein the Committee has considered comprehensive changes to our zoning regulations, which, as you know, the Louisville Metro Planning Commission has forwarded to the Council in the form of recommendations as part of Louisville Metro’s wholesale effort to update the LOC. On behalf of the Ad Hoc Committee, | want to offer our appreciation for all of the Commission’ tireless work during the past few years, as this LDC Update has proven to be quite an extensive and tedious undertaking. This Commission’s diligent involvement throughout the Update has provided the Council essential instruction and direction for modernizing our community's zoning regulations as well as addressing current regulations in the LDC proven to be inadequate and/or problematic. | thank the Commission for its tireless work. That said, an area of the LDC that has raised significant concerns among a number of Councilpersons, including myself, is the Conservation Subdivision Regulations. Conservation Subdivision Regulations were adopted in 2008 as an alternative as to the LDC’s standard subdivision regulations and were intended to serve as a mechanism of subdividing property to. provide for well-designed residential development while emphasizing preservation of meaningful open space and natural resources of the subject property. However, since 2008, a number of conservation subdivision plans have been approved that, when examined together, have raised the question whether Louisville Metro's Conservation Subdivision Regulations are in fact accomplishing the objectives and expectations we as community initially set forth for them prior to their adoption. 601 West Jefferson Street + Louisville, Kentucky 40202 + (502) 574-1123 + www.louisvilleky.govAccordingly, | request the Planning Commission cease accepting new applications and suspend the processing of pending applications for conservation subdivisions so. the Department of Planning and Design can conduct a study and make a recommendation to the Metro Council on the conservation subdivision regulations in light of the initial intent behind their adoption and the conservation subdivision plans that have been approved thereunder. Such study should necessarily include a thorough evaluation of the substantive standards of the regulation as well as the process for approval of conservation subdivisions in Louisville Metro. ‘Thank you for your consideration of this request. Very truly yours, James Peden Louisville Metro Councilman, District 23 Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee on LOC Ce: