Current Info: 

 

Fri Feb 23 2007 -  Poe Co Announces Corps Approval has been Secured and Groundbreaking is Scheduled

Even though construction activities have been in progress for months without an approved USACE Permit, Poe Companies has announced an official groundbreaking set for Fri Mar 2 2007. 

A regular reader of this website is aware that the developers of Riverpark Place have methodically blocked any opportunity for public hearings meant to address the many controversial issues surrounding this initiative. Instead of a transparent, public dialogue, we have been bombarded with strategically timed and misleading press releases touting the "popularity" of the developer's plans. These red herrings have been widely circulated as news by the various media outlets.  No mention has been made of the questionable ethics, inappropriate methodology, lack of public collaboration, questionable engineering and design, possible governmental misconduct, victimization of the public, or the numerous serious negative consequences  that will result. All the general public and our legislators have seen is what Louisville Metro, WDC, the developers, and their media partners have wanted us to see... sunshine and butterflies. Although many are aware of the truth, the spiders and snakes in this project have remained hidden from public view.  

It has long been suspected that the Courier Journal has been a willing partner in this effort.  With the  recent disappearance of the only  previously available public criticism of this, and other related initiatives, from the CJ StoryChat online forum and reader letters; the manipulation and rewriting of  public opinion is now complete. 

For this reason, we have reprinted our deleted response to the CJ groundbreaking article we recently posted in the StoryChat forum.

Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:13 pm    Post subject:

reasonableguy and runningart are absolutely correct on all counts.

The public, the media, the Metro Council, the Corps of Engineers, and even FEMA have been misled and bullied by Waterfront Development Corporation and its congressional political cronies (Northup and McConnell… one down one to go!) to allow construction of this abomination. WDC has abandoned its role as a builder of parks and is now little more than a private sector real estate developer who uses it's quasi-governmental status to sell off our most valuable parkland for its own gain

Besides ignoring and even actively suppressing the concerns of neighborhood organizations, preservationists, and recreational boating interests; the Native American Tribes were probably the most shabbily treated and insulted. Over their vehement protests and objections, this development is being built atop Native American graves. At one point in the negotiations, WDC suggested that Paget House (National Historic Register) might be “traded” for the proper identification and relocation of graves… I don’t know how these people can sleep at night…

The very serious public safety issues have also been suppressed. Metro Louisville is now in the business of intentionally luring citizens into an area that is historically flood prone to the extreme and has repeatedly been shown to be untenable for residential use. During the next major flood, Riverpark Place will be totally isolated a half a mile from the nearest dry land by a raging Ohio River. The residents will be cut off from even basic emergency services for extended periods of time. The only way to respond during the height of a major event will be by helicopter. They should have named it KatrinaPark Place…

The marina is also a disaster waiting to happen. When the US Coast Guard saw the plans, they joined boating activists in opposition and in calling on the Corps of Engineers to hold public hearings. This would have literally opened the floodgates to public scrutiny and probably brought the whole thing to a screeching halt. WDC somehow managed to have these blocked by trading off yet more public recreational resources to appease the situation.

And yes sharmonhammer, (they voted yes… they voted yes…. they voted yes) The Ohio River will eventually be at the doorsteps of the still half empty Waterfront Park Place’s as well. The difference is there will still be relatively easy access to that property for emergency services vehicles as required by law. No one will die because they drive into floodwaters trying to get home to their family or because they are trapped in their condo and EMT’s can’t reach them. In the case of Riverpark Place, “they voted yes” (The Metro Council) because they were not told the inconvenient truths.

This entire area should have remained the public parkland it has been for 50 years until WDC simply stopped maintaining it, MSD ignored our Floodplain Ordinance and unilaterally changed the FEMA floodplain maps without oversight, and Mayor Abramson’s Administration allowed its "preferred developer" Poe Companies to use misinformation and deception to advance this thinly veiled land grab. Is this the way we want our government to behave?

Enjoy your new condos folks. For more information, visit www.louisvilleboatharbor.com