LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Neighbors and conservation advocates say a potential middle school near the Parklands of Floyds Fork would trigger sprawl, harm the iconic creek and strain an inadequate road network.
Jefferson County Public Schools is considering buying 40 acres on Echo Trail and building a new school to ease overcrowding in a fast-growing part of eastern Louisville. No plan has been submitted to the school board.
The proposal is the latest example of development pressure on land near Beckley Creek Park, the northernmost of the award-winning Parklands that stretch from Shelbyville Road to Bardstown Road. Neighbors have sued to stop a 556-lot subdivision that would be next to the school.
About 90 people, including 15 speakers, attended a public meeting on the JCPS plan at Eastern High School Wednesday night. The overwhelming majority of those who spoke took issue with a school on Echo Trail.
Among them was Harrell E. Hurst, chair of the Fisherville Area Neighborhood Association, who said he agrees that more schools are needed in eastern Jefferson County. But he contended that the Echo Trail site is the wrong choice.
He cited data showing that 200 cars per day use the two-lane road bounded by low-lying land. He said a school would increase traffic to 2,000 vehicles each day, while a subdivision envisioned nearby would result in 5,000 vehicles each day on “roads that are ill-prepared to handle this.”
Hurst also warned of “environmental damage” to Floyds Fork.
“The increased sewer load and runoff from this development would pollute Floyds Fork, in my opinion,” he said.
Opponents argue that there are better locations than land that doesn’t have existing sewer access and isn’t a direct threat to Floyds Fork.
They’re especially concerned about development in an area that requires extra scrutiny because of the proximity to Floyds Fork. A special district there aims to “protect the quality of the natural environment,” according to the city’s land development code.
A new school would fall inside the Floyds Fork Development Review Overlay district, which requires buffers of 100 feet on each side of Floyds Fork and 50 feet for tributaries. Among other guidelines, structures like school buildings must be 200 feet from the creek’s banks.
In the 2000s, developers spent up to $8 million to add sewer infrastructure for 4,000 acres in eastern Jefferson County, farmer David Kaelin said.
“The Echo Trail site lays outside this area,” he said. “There are hundreds of acres available for sale within the new sewer area where a school could be built to have a more immediate impact now and into our future.”
Other concerns raised at the meeting include the cost of the land. School officials have not disclosed how much they would spend, although they acknowledged that appraisals for the land are based on sewers being available once the school opens.
The 40 acres being considered by the school district are part of a larger 230-acre tract owned by Long Run Creek Properties, which also is seeking to build the adjacent subdivision. Long Run Creek bought the land for $3.5 million in 2018 – just under $15,000 per acre.
But Steve Henry, president of the land conservation group Future Fund, told WDRB News that the school system would pay a “record price” for land in the development overlay district. He said lawyers who have seen the contracts indicated the per-acre cost would be between $50,000 and $60,000 per acre.
The Future Fund was instrumental in conserving land along Floyds Fork that ultimately was included in the Parklands project. Henry, a former Kentucky lieutenant governor, said he has bought more than 100 parcels along the creek but “never have I seen it go over $15,000” an acre.
“You’re enriching the developers, who should have donated that land,” he said at the public meeting. “We were in negotiations with them for the last year to be given that land.”
If JCPS moves forward with the project at Echo Trail, the school could open by fall 2022 and enroll 1,000 students. The assessed value is based on sewers being available once the school opens, according to school officials.
The school board approved a $120 million facilities plan last year with plans for a new middle school and three new elementary schools. Carrithers, Crosby and Ramsey middle schools exceed capacity; Kammerer and Westport middle schools are almost full.
JCPS Superintendent Marty Pollio said a decision on whether to move forward with the acquisition is expected by the spring. Overall, the school district is looking for areas east of the Gene Snyder Freeway near the Parklands.
“Clearly there’s a lot of things we have to take into consideration when choosing land,” he said, “and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Reach reporter Marcus Green at 502-585-0825, mgreen@wdrb.com, on Twitter or on Facebook. Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
