Staff Writer
By JACOB GLASSNER
Recently released plans for phase two of the "heart of St. Matthews" revitalization project include provisions to revamp the memorial.
Plans call for removing existing landscaping and the fountain, which was converted into a planter, but is overgrown with weeds. The granite memorial, which was erected in 1946 after World War II, will be moved to where the fountain stands, and decorative pavers, low-maintenance plants and trees, and new lighting will be added.
"It really will be a key signature piece to the area," said Drew Shryock, the Louisville Metro Development Authority official overseeing the revitalization project. "It will be a focal point as people drive by."
Phase two of the "heart of St. Matthews" project will be similar to phase one in that sidewalks will be built or replaced and landscaping, planters, street furniture and lighting will be added.
However, the scope of phase two is much larger.
"It's ambitious because we're covering more area, and it's also ambitious because we're working in a tighter, restricted area," said Shryock.
Initial plans show that the area will pick up about 36 new parking spaces, which will include on- and off-street parking. On-street parking will be marked by parking "T's."
The phase two area will include Breckenridge Lane from Dayton Avenue north to the Shelbyville Road intersection; Shelbyville from Breckenridge down Lexington Road to Wallace Avenue; Wallace between Wilmington Avenue and Lexington; St. Matthews Avenue between Shelbyville and Westport Road; and Chenoweth Lane from the Shelbyville intersection north to Gilman Avenue.
Wallace Avenue near the Wallace Center stands to gain at least 13 spaces by converting parallel parking on its western side near Karems Deli & Catering to angled parking.
Project planner Bob Caravona of Metro Development said Wallace is a "sea of asphalt," and that the plan calls for landscaped "bump-outs" that will give the area a neighborhood feel and slow down drivers.
He added that the project isn't just about adding parking.
"What we're trying to do is enhance the community aesthetically," and make the area "economically viable," he said.
Carol Canter, owner of the Wallace Center, said she "had reservations" when she initially saw the plan, but she has worked with Metro Development officials to change the plan to suit her needs.
"I'm really pleased," she said. "I think it's a win/win for Wallace Center and Wallace Avenue."
The plan also will add seven parking spaces to St. Matthews Station by removing the wall along Breckenridge Lane, adding a sidewalk and changing parallel parking to angled parking.
Heine Brothers' Coffee on Chenoweth also stands to gain three parking spaces, and the city of St. Matthews is looking into the cost of filling drainage ditches along Chenoweth Lane, said Shryock.
The Corradino Group currently is creating construction drawings, and Shryock expects construction to begin by late fall or early winter. The project could take more than a year to finish, he added.
Phase two will complement several other projects in the area including the redevelopment of the old Vogue Theatre property, which is well underway.
Walgreens plans to open a store at the former location of Blue Grass Automotive Jaguar, at Frankfort and Bauer avenues, and plans are in the works to replace the old gas station at Bauer and Lexington Road with retail space.
Ali Kassai, owner of the gas station property, said that old gas tanks have been removed, and construction on a 5,300-square-foot retail space is to begin in October.
Potential tenants include a coffee shop, an ice cream shop and a fast-food restaurant.
Phase one of the revitalization project cost the city of St. Matthews about $250,000 and Metro government about $160,000 for construction and $70,000 for design.
Shryock expects phase two to cost more, but Mayor Jerry Abramson and the Metro Council recently approved spending $1.7 million on the mayor's Corridors of Opportunity in Louisville (COOL) program, which includes the St. Matthews revitalization project.
The final phase of the project is tentatively set to include portions of Lexington Road, Westport Road and other small street sections not included in the first two phases, said Shryock.
