LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) — The Louisville Planning Commission has recommended approval of the TopGolf zoning change, moving the vote to Metro Council.
The commission voted for approval unanimously, with members saying TopGolf's updated plans quieted any concerns.
It was a packed house for the meeting, with solid showings from both supporters and opponents of TopGolf. Each commissioner took the time to talk about the reasons behind his or her vote. All of them said they've never seen a debate as emotional and passionate as this one.
Many brought up the concerns of traffic, lighting, sound and the height of the structure and poles, however the commission said they feel like TopGolf has done a good job addressing all of those, and feel confident moving forward with the project.
Several commissioners also talked about how many malls across the country are struggling right now and ways we can help them survive in the future. They think businesses like TopGolf are a great option and make sense for the area. TopGolf officials agree.
"It's a big investment. That's part of the reason why we are particular about where we need to be is to make sure that we can be successful,” TopGolf Director of Real Estate Development Tanner Micheli said. "Unanimous approval is always good. It speaks volumes, we believe. We believe we provided the data we needed to to give them to allow them to make their decision."
However, opponents think this development shows a lack of consideration.
"I think that there's an innate bias that the planning commission has towards development, and I think that showed in today's discussion,” Land Use Attorney for TopGolf Opposition Steve Porter said. "This is probably the biggest mistake I've ever seen the planning commission make in my many years working in land use law and zoning."
"It's up to the Metro Council now to correct that mistake. Members of the metro council, I think, are much more attuned to the needs and the desires and the problems that a neighborhood has. If the council doesn't do it, then there's the possibility of an appeal to Jefferson Circuit Court," Porter said.
Porter said he's visited eight TopGolf locations in different cities and sees push back at each one.
"People who live there say don't let this happen in your neighborhood. They said it is just horrendous, and I agree. I've seen them. I've seen them at night. I've seen them in the day. You can see the lights for miles. You can see the poles for miles. This changes the character of that neighborhood with 175 foot poles. As I've described it before, it looks like Godzilla's cage, and Godzilla's cage does not belong next to a neighborhood."
TopGolf officials argue that couldn't be further from the truth.
"More than half of our locations are near residences. If we really truly felt like there was going to be a substantial impact to these neighbors, we wouldn't be in this position today,” Micheli said. "We're in this deal with Brookfield, and we're excited about this opportunity at Oxmoor Center."
Opponents are hopeful Metro Council will say no to the project, but their attorney said a lawsuit is possible for violating the land development code if things don't go their way. TopGolf officials said that doesn't worry them or make them any less excited about coming to Louisville.
Metro Council still has to approve the project. From there, TopGolf said it'll take about 18 months from the time it gets the green light to when we see it open for business.
