Plan for huge Covington by the Park subdivision by Floyds Fork raises neighbors' concerns

Revised plans for the massive Covington by the Park housing project along Floyds Fork reduce the number of single-family lots in the development, but wary neighbors aren't appeased.

The 833-lot subdivision, proposed as a special conservation district, would still be too massive, generate too much traffic and would put stress on utilities, said Steve Porter, an attorney representing Fisherville-area residents. "It's just too big," he said in an interview.

The developer and landowner, a group called Long Run Creek Properties LLC, plans the single-family homes in the conservation subdivision as part of the development of a 454-acre site.

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The project would be along Taylorsville Lake Road near Routt Road and Fisherville in far southeast Jefferson County. The property is a short distance from Floyds Fork and from Pope Lick Park in the Parklands of Floyds Fork recreational corridor that extends for miles along the creek.

Porter's client, the Fisherville Area Neighborhood Association, has said that a chief concern is traffic on Taylorsville Lake Road. The road is especially busy in the summer as people go to and from Taylorsville Lake.

Anna Rosales-Crone, a spokeswoman for the Parklands, said more information is needed but she is not sure her agency had any concerns. "But we are keeping our eye on it to make sure there is no negative impact" on the Parklands, she said.

A feature of the revised plan is an intent to sell a large chunk of the target site to a non-profit, trust-style agency for long-range preservation.

Rezoning for the subdivision is not required. But the plan, including the design, and the environmental, transportation and other considerations must be reviewed by the Metro Planning Commission, likely after a hearing.

The conservation subdivision regulations allow those developments to provide for a clustering of residences away from watersheds and environmentally sensitive areas and require extensive open space and tree cover.

The developers also propose seeking a zoning change on 19 acres at the site. The Long Run Creek group's zoning attorney, Bill Bardenwerper, said specifics of a planned retail/commercial site are not yet certain – but previous ideas expressed for the site have included various stores, a restaurant, bank and gasoline station.

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The rezoning would require a Planning Commission hearing, followed by a commission recommendation to the Louisville Metro Council, which has the final say on most local zoning cases.

Long Run Creek Properties – a partnership of Brad Rives, Jack Smith and Rick Riney – recently closed on the property, which had been owned by an estate.

The group has invited neighbors to a meeting at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at St. Michael's School, 3705 Stone Lakes Drive, to discuss the plan. The notice from Bardenwerper said neighbors can ask questions.

Plans for developing the large, mostly vacant parcel have been in the works for several years. One earlier plan called for nearly 1,400 single-family home sites on the parcel.

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Another developer took steps to develop the same property in 2009 but those plans were shelved in the face of the housing recession, Bardenwerper said.

The subdivision's 833 lots would still make it one of the larger housing developments in Jefferson County. It would be more than half as large as Lake Forest.

A key new feature of the revised plan, Bardenwerper said, is that the developers intend to sell 165 acres, or more than one-third of the site, to the Future Fund. That nonprofit, conservation-minded agency was founded by former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry. It helped assemble much of the vast land that now makes up the Parklands – which is under the management of 21st Century Parks.

Bardenwerper said that in addition to the property to be sold to the Future Fund, at least 98 acres of the 454-acre site will be set aside as open space.

He said most of the lots will be 50 feet wide and around 100 feet deep. The subdivision will probably be sold off in phases to individual builders to develop the homes. Typical residences will range from $350,000 to $450,000, Bardenwerper said.

The subdivision's development probably will take five to 10 years, he said. Sewers and other infrastructure must be installed.

Reporter Sheldon S. Shafer can be reached at 502-582-7089, or via email at sshafer@courier-journal.com.

Neighborhood meeting to discuss Covington by the Park

Date: Monday, Sept. 25

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: St. Michael's School, 3705 Stone Lakes Drive

Host: Long Run Creek Properties LLC