Louisville Conservation Subdivision Proposal Hits a Snag

James Bruggers reports on a controversy outside Louisville over logging in an area targeted for a conservation subdivision.

"Photographs taken Monday from an airplane show hundreds of logged trees near Floyds Fork on land where developers have been planning to seek approval for a "conservation" subdivision that emphasizes protection of natural areas," according to Bruggers.

Subsequently, city officials "determined that unapproved logging occurred in a zone that's designed to protect Floyds Fork" and ordered the logging to stop.

The area is a hot topic for local planners, after developers "submitted a preliminary application for zoning changes in mid-January on 135 acres of the 448-acre parcel slated for single-family homes. A design map identifies nearly 1,400 lots and an 18-acre commercial area."

The developers purchased the site last fall and entered into a logging contract shortly after. The article quotes developer's attorney saying that the loggers might have gone beyond a simple removal of dead or dying trees under attack by the emerald ash borer. There is also some speculation that the logging might be a threat to the approval fo the pending conservation subdivision.