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Louisville planning office reviews 2024 work, HUD grant lifts 2025 agenda
Summary
Office of Planning Director Brian Davis told the Metro Planning Commission the office processed 4,539 applications in 2024, saw a drop in dwelling-unit approvals, and won a $7 million HUD pro‑housing grant that will fund code updates and other work over multiple years.
The Louisville Metro Office of Planning on Thursday reviewed its 2024 annual report and outlined priorities for 2025, including a new federal grant to fund land‑development code updates.
Director Brian Davis told the Planning Commission the office accepted 4,539 applications in 2024, down about 9.5% from the prior year, and that total application fees rose after a fee schedule update that took effect Nov. 1, 2023. He said the office approved fewer preliminary multifamily units last year — 1,937 of the 2,565 dwelling units tracked — and that overall approved building square footage was down from the previous year.
The office said several code changes and regulatory milestones were completed in 2024: factory‑built home regulations, new rules for first‑floor uses in a rezoning area, amendments to vape‑shop rules, and updates tied to state medical‑cannabis legislation. Staff also noted work on three rezonings of Metro‑owned properties intended to enable residential development tied to the Office of Housing and Community Development, and draft neighborhood‑meeting requirements and changes to how zoning violations are treated in court were being prepared for Metro Council consideration.
Davis emphasized staff workload changes: the office started 2024 with 55 positions, transferred seven positions to Codes and Regulations in July, gained two paid internship positions, and is in the process of moving eight positions to the Department of Transportation. As reorganizations complete, the office reported about 40 permanent positions plus two staff‑helper (intern) roles.
In “breaking” news during the presentation, Davis said Louisville‑Jefferson County was awarded $7,000,000 through HUD’s pro‑housing program; about $4,000,000 of that award will go toward land‑development‑code amendments and related work over the next four to five years. He said the city would coordinate implementation with the Office of Housing and Community Development and bring more detail to the commission soon.
Commissioners asked about reasons for the drop in residential permits; Davis attributed it partly to the post‑pandemic surge in earlier years and to higher interest rates slowing new construction starts, as well as the continuing processing of previously approved development plans. Commissioners also pressed staff on tracking average case time and on staffing shortages; staff said they generally issue initial comments within roughly 16 days of submittal but that the overall timeline depends on applicant responses and can span months. The commission discussed plans to reclassify some entry‑level planner positions to reduce turnover.
Davis said the office will evaluate long‑range planning approaches after the recent organizational changes that combined advanced planning and community planning into one office and that staff had engaged a consultant to recommend development‑review process improvements. He said staff will continue outreach to new local officials and the public.
The commission did not take formal action on the annual report; the presentation served as an informational update and to set expectations for code work and community engagement in 2025.
