Parks and Recreation System Master Plan Update (2016) parks_and_recreation_system_master_plan_update_oct | Page 11

1995 Implementation Recommendations and their 2015 Status
There were a number of priority recommendations (presented below in Bold), which
were developed to guide the initial actions in moving forward with implementation of the
Master Plan. After each recommendation is a summary of the current status as of 2015.
1. Short-term efforts should be focused on land acquisition, particularly in areas where
new development is coming on line, maximizing the acreage which can be acquired
before land values escalate in response to continued growth pressures. Since 1995,
5,500 acres of park land has been added to the Metro Parks system. In addition, about
3,600 acres have been added to the park system developed along the Floyds Fork
stream valley by the non-profit organization, 21 st Century Parks, Inc.
2. Short-term parkland facility improvements should target those neighborhoods and
communities currently most in need of additional public recreational amenities. Many
capital budget requests are based on park or trail master plans which are developed
with community participation. Other requests come from Metro Council Members who
are usually responding to constituents.
3. A detailed, financially feasible five-year action program should be developed by the
end of 1995. An Implementation Strategy was developed, but was never adopted largely
because of concerns about how the additional needed funds could be secured.
4. A thorough evaluation should be made of the extent to which existing publicly owned
land (such as the Community Improvement District lands) might be dedicated as
parkland and improved so as to meet some of the community’s recreational facility
and open space needs. Similarly, the potential for joint-use of Jefferson County Public
Schools’ and other community organizations’ facilities should be examined and
defined. The role of nonprofit land trusts and privately owned land and facilities
should also be assessed.
a. The most successful example of this recommendation is the Parklands, Inc.
which has developed approximately 3,700 acres of land along the Floyds Fork
corridor that is both in public and private ownership.
b. Over 1,000 acres of CID lands that were purchased for flood protection and
passive recreation are still largely underutilized for open space and recreational
needs. In 2011 a Southwest Greenways master plan was prepared which
identified opportunities for trails and other recreational facilities on much of
this Louisville Metro-owned land, but has largely remained unimplemented due
to concerns about management costs.
Parks and Recreation System Master Plan | SUMMARY
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