Profiles in Vacant Property: Leadership and Collaboration Brownfields 2006 Boston, Massachusetts Melissa Barry, Director Louisville Metro Housing and Community Development Louisville, Kentucky

2 Profiles in Vacant Property: Louisville Metro Snapshot  Population Est. 700,000  2000 Boarded Structures  4000 Infill Vacant Lots  Numerous Historic Districts  State Brownfields Legislation  City/County Merger 2003

3 Profiles in Vacant Property: Leaders and Partners  Mayor  26 Member Council  Taxing Jurisdictions  Public School Board  Universities  Commissions and Authorities  Non-Profit Alliance  Developers and Homebuilders  CRA and Financial Institutions  Neighborhood Groups  Local Businesses

4 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy – The Mayor’s Charge Housing Policy Advisory Team Housing Choice and Planned Revitalization Urban ● Suburban ● Exurban

5 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy – The Mayor’s Charge Housing Policy Advisory Team Mission Statement: It is the Mission of the Mayor’s Housing Policy Advisory Team to facilitate the preparation of a Comprehensive Housing Strategy by discussing issues, analyzing facts, identifying impediments, defining objectives, and recommending practical policies and actions to accomplish housing choice throughout Louisville Metro. In all its deliberations, the Mayor’s Housing Policy Advisory Team will endeavor to attain an amicable and inclusive consensus of opinion.

6 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy Different Views - One Vision Diverse Membership: Private and Non-Profit Developers Home Builders Apartment Owners Financial Institutions Land Conservation Groups Housing Advocates Land Use Attorneys Board of Realtors Louisville Metro Community Development Cabinet Staff

7 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy – Urban – Suburban - Exurban

8 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy – Urban & 1 st Ring Barriers Urban blight and decay Obsolete housing Concentration of subsidized housing Concentration of poverty Racial segregation Lack of long-range planning Lack of private investment and financing Lack of support for innovative housing Land assembly opportunities

9 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy – Metro-Wide Housing Strategies Housing unit production benchmarks Long-range, neighborhood-oriented planning process Comprehensive & strategically targeted public investment Vigorous enforcement of property maintenance standards Aggressive tax foreclosure and spot-basis blight removal Proactive land assembly/disposition Technical assistance for risky development in unproven markets Community Development Fund Affordable Housing Trust Fund Streamline permit review process Public education/marketing campaign Re-align building, housing, and land development codes

10 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy Urban and 1st Ring Strategies Adaptive re-use of underutilized non-residential structures Redesign of un-marketable single-family housing stock Aggressive assembly of large tracts of land De-concentrate federally subsidized Public Housing Rental Rehabilitation Program for affordable units Tax-based incentive to encourage targeted middle-income homeownership

11 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy The Changing Housing Market Traditional(one-worker) family – less than 15 percent of American households.

12 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy The Changing Housing Market Louisville’s Future Market Potential Urban & 1st Ring Suburban—41% 2nd Ring Suburban—31% 3rd Ring Suburban—28%

13 Profiles in Vacant Property: Comprehensive Housing Strategy The Changing Housing Market Future Potential By Housing Type Urban/ 2nd 3rd 1st Ring Ring Ring SF Detached 37% 44% 55% THs/Apts 63% 56% 45%

14 Profiles in Vacant Property: The Blight Busters Initiative

15 Working Together: Not a “Duh” Scenario Fire and PoliceFire and Police Inspections, Permits and LicensesInspections, Permits and Licenses Planning and DesignPlanning and Design Transportation and InfrastructureTransportation and Infrastructure Industrial and Commercial RepresentationIndustrial and Commercial Representation Housing and Community DevelopmentHousing and Community Development LeadSafe Louisville ProjectLeadSafe Louisville Project Historic PreservationHistoric Preservation BrownfieldsBrownfields Accomplishing Land Assembly,Accomplishing Land Assembly, Creative Financial MechanismsCreative Financial Mechanisms One DatabaseOne Database Profiles in Vacant Property: The Blight Busters Initiative

16 Aggressive Leadership Abandoned Urban Property TaxAbandoned Urban Property Tax Landbank LegislationLandbank Legislation Liens/Tax ForeclosuresLiens/Tax Foreclosures Environmental/Yard/Rubbish LiensEnvironmental/Yard/Rubbish Liens Vacant Property Review CommissionVacant Property Review Commission Crime and Code EnforcementCrime and Code Enforcement “All You Can Do” Acquisition Buffet“All You Can Do” Acquisition Buffet Profiles in Vacant Property: The Blight Busters Initiative

17 Proactive Disposition Slumlords and Delinquent Taxpayers Need Not ApplySlumlords and Delinquent Taxpayers Need Not Apply Poverty Concentration and Re-UsePoverty Concentration and Re-Use Historic Preservation and Economic FeasibilityHistoric Preservation and Economic Feasibility Design CompatibilityDesign Compatibility Asset and Value for the Long HaulAsset and Value for the Long Haul Highest and Best UseHighest and Best Use Profiles in Vacant Property: The Blight Busters Initiative

18 Many Leaders - Putting Politics Aside Before - Brownfield Site

19 After: Kentucky Center for African American Heritage

20 Profiles in Vacant Property: Louisville Metro’s “Muster” Political WillPolitical Will Targeted EffortsTargeted Efforts Community EducationCommunity Education Recycling/Re-useRecycling/Re-use Blight RemovalBlight Removal Critical Mass/Land AssemblyCritical Mass/Land Assembly Emerging MarketsEmerging Markets

21 Melissa Barry, Director Louisville Metro Housing and Community Development Phone: (502) Download the Comprehensive Housing Strategy at: or browse all of Louisville’s Programs at For Additional Information Regarding the Louisville Metro Comprehensive Housing Strategy and the Blight Buster Initiative Contact: