LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Collegiate School said it is "evaluating next steps" after being denied permission to tear down three aging apartment buildings to make way for a surface parking lot that would serve the elite private school's Cherokee Triangle campus.
The Cherokee Triangle Architectural Review Committee on Wednesday voted 3-2 to deny Collegiate's application to demolish the 1960s-era Yorktown Apartments on Grinstead Drive.
Collegiate, which bought the apartments site several years ago, has said it needs more off-street parking to relieve unsafe traffic congestion in the residential area near the school.
But some neighbors as well advocates for affordable housing and for tenants rights decried the plan, saying it will exacerbate Louisville's shortage of affordable housing. Members of the committee expressed similar concerns during the nearly four-hour hearing on Wednesday.
"I understand the need for additional parking, for better traffic flow and all that good stuff, but to me, trading three buildings where people live in a residential neighborhood for 56 parking spots isn't a very fair trade," said Cherokee Triangle ARC member Ashlyn Ackerman, an architect.
While Collegiate cannot demolish the apartment buildings anytime soon, the school is nonetheless proceeding with a previously announced plan to force all apartment residents out by March 31. After an uproar when the plan was first revealed, Collegiate gave tenants two additional months to find other housing.
"The school will continue to work with the remaining tenants of Yorktown Apartments with the help they need to secure alternate housing that includes direct monetary assistance, application fees, and resources provided by LDG Development such as social workers," said Elizabeth Post, a spokeswoman for the school.
Post could not say how many tenants remain in the apartments. While she did not elaborate on Collegiate's next move, the review committee on Wednesday discussed specifics it could add to the record of the case to help the committee's denial withstand a potential legal challenge.
The Cherokee Triangle is one of seven "local preservation districts" established by Metro Council for historic areas of the city. Each district has an architectural review committee that provides an extra layer of approval for land-use plans within the district.
Decisions by neighborhood districts such as the Cherokee Triangle must be appealed to the Landmarks Commission, a Metro-wide body appointed by Louisville's mayor, within 30 days. The Landmarks Commission can overturn the decision if it finds the committee was "clearly erroneous as to a material finding of fact."
Once the Landmarks Commission deals with the case, it can be further appealed in the state court system.
