LOUISVILLE, Ky. — PRP residents are sharing their concerns about a proposed apartment complex they feel will be a downfall for their entire neighborhood.
Developers are in the preliminary stages of a rezoning project on the land that used to be Gagel's Farm Market and Nursery. Whether it be the one-lane roads or the school nearby on Lower Hunters Trace, people in the community are fearful of the potential effects on the horizon.
Longtime neighbors aren't shy in telling you why they believe a three-story apartment complex built in the PRP neighborhood would cause major issues.
"It's the apartments that are killing us, there is just so much more traffic where you can't go from here to there," said nearly 50-year resident Jerry Hilpp. "A lot of people feel crime has gone up, and if you put another 100 plus apartments, that will raise even higher."
The land that used to be family-owned Gagel's Nursery hasn't been used for six years. New investors filed an early proposal to change that in hopes to build hundreds of apartments just beyond those gates.
"We don't have the infrastructure, we don't have the roads," said fellow neighbor Robert Akers.
Those living nearby aren't sold, fearing negative impacts on the neighborhood.
"That's really what you want to put on top of this two-lane road that is already backed up and full of traffic -- next to a school that's letting kids in and out?" said a resident who was one of more than 100 PRP locals to join a neighborhood meeting call hosted by developers.
Developers for Land Design & Development, Inc., and the attorney representing GKG Investments, held a neighborhood meeting online on Webex to address and ease concerns.
"You can see [where] the buildings will be, and the parking -- and we will have a few garages there," said Clifford Ashburner, a lawyer for Dinsmore & Shohl.
Ashburner says it's still early, and he's asking residents for their thoughts in order to consider changes and ways to best amend plans moving forward.
"As far as traffic is concerned, we just haven't studied it enough to know exactly what the impact is going to be," Ashburner said.
Neighbors on the call weren't convinced, posing a flurry of questions. One resident expressed concern that crime rates will spike.
"I have not seen any study or any indication that multi-family housing, on its own, causes an increase in crime," Ashburner said.
Some PRP locals said they didn't even receive a letter about the proposed zoning change, questioning whether they're being kept in the loop on these decisions.
"This is the first I've heard of it," Akers said.
And for many people who have lived in the southwest Louisville neighborhood for decades, there's some worry that even loyal residents might look to move elsewhere if the plan pushes through.
"They're going to move out of the city," Hilpp said.
In the meeting, Ashburner said it would likely take until the end of the year for a full plan to make its way to Louisville Metro Council for approval. If approved, he says construction wouldn't start until the spring of 2022.
We asked for District 12 Councilman Rick Blackwell's thoughts on this potential development and the reaction from his constituents. A representative for Councilman Blackwell told WHAS11 that commenting on the proposal now would disqualify him from ultimately being able to vote on the plan if/when it's presented to Metro Council.
Contact reporter Isaiah Kim-Martinez at ikimmartin@whas11.com. You can follow him on Twitter (@isaiah_km) and Facebook.
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