Public Input Sought for Historic Preservation Plan
January 2006 - Those interested in learning about and contributing to a preservation
plan for the River Road, Country Estates Historic District will have their opportunity
at a public meeting on January 24. The Ohio River Bridges Project team will meet
with the community to discuss the results of a stakeholder information-gathering
process and get additional feedback from interested citizens. Meeting information
follows:
Historic Preservation Plan Public Meeting
River Road/Country Estates Historic District
Tuesday, January 24
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Kentucky Country Day School
4100 Springdale Road
Questions from the community regarding the meeting can be directed to Steve Roberts
at 513-287-7700 x 116 or at
.
This meeting is part of the development of a Historic Preservation Plan (HPP) for
the Country Estates Historic District/River Road Corridor. Located in Eastern Jefferson
County in the vicinity of River Road and U.S. 42, the historic district of more
than 700 acres is one of seven historic districts or properties in the Project area
for which an HPP will be developed.
Along this stretch of the Ohio River, the historic district contains a string of
contiguous estates, many with historically significant cultural landscapes. Most
of the properties were built in the early 1900s and fall in the architectural category
of ‘High Style’ and some feature Olmsted landscape design.
This HPP process will outline ways in which the designers of the Kentucky East End
Approach can maintain, and in some cases enhance, the historic character of the
district with advance planning and implementation of aesthetic treatments. The plan
will also be a tool for local leaders to retain and improve the vitality of the
historic area.
“This district is a valuable resource for the community and we certainly want to
maintain the historic character of these beautiful homes and landscapes. We intend
to work with the community to ensure that this piece of history is still preserved
well into the future,” said Jeff Vlach, Environmental Commitments Manager for the
Bridges Project General Engineering Consultant, Community Transportation Solutions
(CTS-GEC).
A team of historic preservation and urban planning experts from CTS-GEC, is developing
the plan with involvement from the section design team in the area, team led by
H.W. Lochner.
The plan development process includes historic and field research, interaction with
area stakeholders and consultation with members of the Project’s Kentucky Historic
Preservation Advisory Team. To begin the process, the team conducted a charrette
Nov. 2-5, 2005, which included one-on-one interviews, open working sessions and
field research.
The HPP is mandated in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), part of the Record of
Decision, the document that concluded the Project’s environmental process.
The Ohio River Bridges Project addresses the long-term, cross-river transportation
needs in the Louisville-Southern Indiana region. The Federal Highway Administration,
Indiana Department of Transportation and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet agreed
that the only feasible way to meet cross-river transportation needs was to construct
two new bridges and rebuild the Kennedy Interchange. Of a variety of options studied,
the alternative selected would best achieve the transportation needs with the least
amount of impact on environmental resources and the communities.
The Bridges Project is currently in the design phase and is tentatively scheduled
to be complete by 2020. For more information, visit the Project Web site, at
www.kyinbridges.com.