July 4, 2003

Editorial; Setting terms at Towhead

 

MENTION the word ``condo,'' and the anti-development types begin to itch and sweat. So imagine their discomfort when they read that Louisville waterfront officials are reviving efforts to develop housing on 25 acres along the Ohio River, across from Towhead Island.

They intend to call this The Village at Towhead, which implies the inclusion of commercial and social infrastructure that would make the place more than a simple collection of condos. But when it comes to development, names don't always tell you a lot.

For example, if things ran true to form, you could expect the developer of a place called, say, the Woods of Beaver Creek to eliminate every vestige of the animal and vegetable life associated with woods from his subsequently bare tract.

The truth about what The Village at Towhead will include is, well, it's not yet apparent.

Quiet meetings were held earlier this month to put all the relevant parties in the same room at the same time. Responsibility was assigned for various development efforts in and around the proposed condo site. The Village will be flanked by a redeveloped Eva Bandman Park, a new section of Waterfront Park and Towhead Island itself, the future use of which remains undetermined.

Among other things, what somebody will have to come up with are guidelines to insure The Village will be an asset. They should address issues such as scale, density, setback from the river, public access to the water and preservation of natural habitat. They should be developed with adequate public scrutiny and opportunity for public input.

Creative developers will have good ideas of their own for how to exploit, while not diminishing, this valuable and beautiful community asset. But so much has been invested in recapturing access to the river, and reconditioning the civic infrastructure there, that the public's stake in this project is extraordinarily high.