LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Metro Council member whose district includes Joe Creason Park is calling on developers to find a different location for a $65 million tennis and pickleball center planned there.
Josie Raymond, D-10, issued a statement urging a new site Thursday, two days after hundreds turned out for a developer-led open house about the project that aims to build dozens of courts and other amenities on city-owned land near the Louisville Zoo.
Raymond told WDRB News at that meeting she was formally in opposition to the proposal.
"After Tuesday's meeting, where more than 700 people waited in line to not hear a presentation, it is clear to me that Joe Creason Park is not the place," she said Thursday.
Raymond also urged the Kentucky Tennis & Pickleball Center Inc. development group to make a presentation at its next meeting and let people ask questions and offer "public feedback." That meeting is set for 8:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Xavier High School, 1609 Poplar Level Road.
She further asked the developers to conduct a study on the environmental impacts the project would have on the nearby Louisville Nature Center, which also maintains a state nature preserve there, and provide an independent traffic study.
"Councilmember Raymond's statement contains a number of different suggestions, all of which are being or have been previously considered by Kentucky Tennis & Pickleball Center, Inc.," the development team said in a statement.
"For instance, we responded to requests at our Tuesday night meeting by posting the full independent peer-reviewed traffic study on our website. That study had already been provided to WDRB and several other reporters. We have been and will continue to be responsive to neighborhood opinion, which is why we are holding these community meetings."
The project has the backing of Mayor Craig Greenberg (D), who signed a letter of intent with developers in March. That agreement sets the stage for negotiations that could result in a long-term lease for 25 of the park’s 62 acres and a $20 million city investment.
The mayor reiterated his support for the effort this week, saying Tuesday that the development "would be a huge boost for our tourism economy, for economic development and for independent businesses that are located nearby Joe Creason Park."
But some neighbors and critics across Louisville say the park is the wrong place for the privately-led development and question what they view as secretive dealings about the future of public land.
Under the terms of the letter of intent, Metro Council would have to approve any lease and final plan, along with the proposed city funding from a municipal bond.
This story may be updated.
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