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S. BRANDON COAN’S
PLAN FOR DISTRICT 8
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S. Brandon Coan’s Plan for District 8
Dear Neighbors,
This is my Plan for District 8. These are the problems I see in our
neighborhoods and independent cities, and how I intend to solve them
through legislative action and policy change. This is a stand for: Changing Local
Politics; Reorienting the Transit System; Protecting Our Built Environment;
Keeping District 8 Clean and Beautiful; and Organizing Against Crime.
Please send me your ideas and feedback, and let’s build-out this platform
together. Help turn my Plan for District 8 into Our Plan for District 8, and
let’s give District 8 voters a clear choice on Primary Election Day, May 17.
Thanks Very Much,
S. Brandon Coan
S. Brandon Coan
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CHANGING LOCAL POLITICS
The world is a dierent place now than it was in 2003, when Louisville
and Jeerson County merged. Our city has changed with the times but
our politics have not, and that’s a problem. In this Information Age and
hyperlocal economy, we need to cycle faster, invest in diversity and inclusion
and put past dierences aside for our common future’s sake. We need to
increase involvement of the next generation in decision-making. Here is
my plan:
Follow the example of Nashville by adopting limits of no more
than two consecutive terms of four years for Louisville’s council
members and mayor, to avoid entrenchment and complacency
in our local government leaders.
It is important for our city to give new energy and ideas a chance to ourish.
After eight consecutive years of service, elected ocials should be required to
leave oce for four years and then run to serve again, if they so choose.
Create a District 8 Advisory Board composed of all
neighborhood association presidents and independent city
mayors to meet with regularly and solicit advice and counsel
on Neighborhood Development, Capital Infrastructure, budget
priorities, general community business and to explore cross-
boundary partnership opportunities.
District 8 is blessed with a multitude of strong leaders, and we need to operate
under more open source and collective impact principles to take advantage of
their talents in order to maximize our overall eectiveness at self-government.
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S. Brandon Coan’s Plan for District 8
Continue in the spirit of Councilman Owen’s “Talk with Tom”
series – but arrange to hold meetings at District 8 schools, with
programs geared towards students and young people. District8’s Jeerson County School Board representatives and other
education leaders would be invited to participate.
Engaging students and young people in civic life and bringing our city government
and school systems closer together is the most valuable succession planning
our community can have.
Experiment with pop-up town halls and other new tactics to
bring local politics into the 21st century and build interest in
civic engagement.
There is no reason why some aspects of city business cannot be conducted in
more interesting settings and, also, incorporate technology, entertainment and
more to celebrate the important work of building the community we choose to
be part of.
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REORIENTING THE CITYTRANSIT SYSTEM
Streetcar service along Bardstown Road last ran 69 years ago, in 1947. I
intend to be among the last generation of District 8 residents to want for
adequate public transportation. People can bemoan lack of funding all
they want, but what’s equally needed to get things moving is political will
and leadership. Here is my plan:
Spearhead a study to determine the possible benets of
consolidating PARC and TARC to move Louisville closer to
having a true “Department” of Public Transportation.
Currently, the Parking Authority of River City works at odds with our Transit
Authority. Rather than building more garages and lots – it has 20 and counting
– and issuing $17 million in bonds to pay for the Omni Hotel, PARC’s mission
should be to minimize parking in the central business district. Public ridership
should be encouraged, and parking revenues should be dedicated to funding
transit. Moreover, consolidation between the two agencies should save the
city millions of additional dollars that can be used for even further system
improvements. Mayor Fischer expects his similar One Water initiative involving
the Louisville Water Company and MSD eventually to yield savings of as much
as $25 million per year.
Systematically replace the most dangerous, inhospitable TARC
stops with new prototype bus stops or shelters in order to
protect people who rely on bus transportation.
No person in District 8, much less anywhere else in Louisville, should have to
wait for the bus in the dark, in the rain, at a stop with no sidewalks leading to it.
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S. Brandon Coan’s Plan for District 8
Complete the Beargrass Creek Trail to connect District 8 north
to Waterfront Park and the Louisville Loop; and explore new
trail opportunities to connect District 8 south to Germantown,Audubon, Audubon Park and beyond.
Whereas Cherokee and Seneca Parks provide safe bike and pedestrian
connections to areas north and east of District 8, Tyler Park, Deer Park and
Belknap are eectively landlocked south and west by institutional landowners.
We need to bring those parties together to nd new ways for District 8 families
to connect to shopping, schools and other destinations in a safer and more
convenient manner.
Join the international movement to slow down speeding through
neighborhood streets to 20 miles per hour.
There are too many bicyclists and pedestrians – including students and parents
on school commutes – for drivers to be going as fast as they do. Lucia Avenue
in Tyler Park, for example, could benet from being designated a Slow Zone.
Evaluate the accessibility of District 8’s existing sidewalk network
to inform infrastructure funding decisions, and work with District
8 businesses to understand and increase compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
I feel strongly about ensuring that people of all ages can move freely and
safely through our dense and bustling community. Additionally, sidewalk
improvements present opportunities for new green infrastructure and trac-
calming enhancements.
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PROTECTING OURBUILT ENVIRONMENT
In 1960, 390,639 people lived within Louisville’s historical 62-square mile
core alone; today that number is less than 250,000. There is room for
greater density in District 8, downtown and elsewhere inside the Watterson
Expressway – but not at the expense of our architectural heritage or way
of life. Here is my plan:
Start by xing demolition policy.
No urbanist likes when something ugly gets built – but it is far more important
for us to focus on preventing the demolition of irreplaceable buildings in the rst
place. The demolition of historic buildings having economically feasible reuse
potential should be conditioned on the approval of redevelopment plans and
issuance of building permits. This city has enough parking lots where iconic
structures used to stand.
Imbue neighborhood plans with the real force of law.
Under the law, in order for our neighborhood plans to eectively inuence
development, they must be reviewed and updated at least every ve years. I will
create a system that provides for all District 8 neighborhoods to guide their own
spatial destinies.
Sponsor an urban intervention and design competition to help
guide the future redevelopment of the Urban Government
Center on Barret Avenue, following the examples of ReSurfaced
and the River Metals Mediative Urbanism contest.
The fate of the nearly 7-acre Urban Government Center – though technically
situated in District 4’s Paristown Pointe neighborhood – will have a very signicant
impact on the Original Highlands and, therefore, we need to be involved in the
decision-making to lay out a clear vision of what we want that future to look like.
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Extend the Bardstown Road/Baxter Avenue Overlay District
south of Eastview Avenue, to the Watterson Expressway.
Good commercial corridor design shouldn’t stop in District 8 at the Belknap
neighborhood. Our independent cities and the Gardiner Lane neighborhood
deserve guidelines in place to support the quality of their built environments,
too.
Preserve the smaller single-family houses within District 8
residential cores, and encourage multi-family and mixed-use
development activity along transit and commercial corridors.
Both smaller houses and transit-oriented development are important parts of
good aordable housing policy and safeguarding neighborhood character.
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KEEPING DISTRICT 8CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL
The amount of litter and debris along District 8’s major roads and highways,
in our creeks and streams and woods is shameful. Littering disrespects
other people, demeans our planet and devalues our property. We don’t
have to tolerate it. Here is my plan:
Encourage enforcement of existing littering laws to equal
parking enforcement eorts, and dedicate all littering nes
paid to public education campaigns and other litter abatementactivities.
We need to raise awareness that cigarette butts are trash, too, and it is not okay
to just toss them on the street. Otherwise, oenders may be subject to a $250
ne.
Lead a local eort working with state lawmakers to pass a
container deposit bill to keep bottles and cans o Jeerson
County roadsides and out of our waterways.
States with bottle bills have seen total roadside litter reduced by between 30%
and 64%.
Upgrade and improve District 8’s network of litter baskets,
including placement, design, technology, recycling receptacles
and tools to clean-up after your pet.
Overowing trash containers are a major source of our litter problem. We need
smarter strategy and solutions to support people who want to do the right thing
and stash their trash.
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S. Brandon Coan’s Plan for District 80
Installing security cameras at parks, cemeteries and key
commercial intersections to abate and deter destructive grati
and vandalism.
The city has spent close to $100,000 on vandalism and grati repairs this year
alone. Imagine spending our money on murals and other public art instead!
The Highlands Commerce Guild has led District 8 eorts to ght grati for years
– it is time to build on their eorts and work closer with police to prosecute
oenders.
Support our parks, create new greenspaces and plant more
trees.
District 8 wouldn’t be as clean and beautiful as it is without our magnicent
parks and vital urban tree canopy. The cities of Seneca Gardens and Kingsley,
near Bowman Field, in particular, are areas under threat of losing cover.
Developing new pocket parks, like Warheim Park in Belknap and Beechwood
Park in Tyler Park, is part of the solution.
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ORGANIZING AGAINST CRIME
Too many District 8 residents have been victims of robbery, vehicle break-inand other crimes. The drug and gun epidemics infecting our city demand a
renewed commitment to preventing violent crime against persons, animals
and property. We can and must all help to keep District 8 safe. Here is my
plan:
Provide every District 8 neighborhood, independent city,
subdivision, homeowners and condominium association and
apartment complex the tools and training to operate a bestpractice block watch.
This includes improved reporting to local law enforcement and, in return, higher
expectations regarding crime report status updates, service requests and overall
community engagement.
Invest in our late night economy to make sure that it remains a
net positive for our community.
I oppose moving last call to 2 a.m. because it would hurt local independent
business, hospitality and tourism. Instead, the better way to enhance
the Baxter Avenue bar and restaurant corridor is to expand our District 5
Patrol, secure ride service sponsorships to curb drunk driving and upgrade
street cleaning to leave no trace of nightlife during the day.
Advocate for the creation of a District 8 Independent Cities
Coordinator position within the Louisville Metro Police
Department Fifth Division to optimize LMPD’s relationship with
the Strathmoor Village Police Department and better serve the
citizens of Strathmoor Village, Strathmoor Manor, Kingsley and
Seneca Gardens, and users of Seneca Park.
It is vital to coordinate police visibility within communities of unclear of
overlapping jurisdiction.
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S. Brandon Coan’s Plan for District 82
Combat illegal guns by doing everything within the city’s power,
including advocating for a dedicated police unit for gun crimes.
Kentucky’s ban on local rearms control ordinances (KRS 65.780) is strict but
not absolute, and I will seize on every available loophole to get illegal guns o
our streets.
Crack down on animal cruelty by sponsoring a local ordinance
to increase penalties from Class A misdemeanor to Class D
felony status for all oenses involving the intentional iniction
of serious suering, injury or death to an animal, including cruel
neglect and whenever any animal is caused to ght for pleasure
or prot.
There has been a disturbing amount of violent crimes committed against
animals over the last several years. Animal abuse is indefensible. Moreover,
the link between animal cruelty and both domestic violence as well as child
abuse has been shown to exist. Therefore, this issue demands a more serious
response.
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S. BRANDON [email protected]
VOTE
MAY 17,2016