Apple Valley Property Owners Association

These are some of the great efforts that Jon (Apple Valley board member) has recently done to help stop this proposed development from coming to our neighborhood.

We also the old proposed development documented on our Apple Valley website. We believe it's the same design plan, so nothing has changed. The plan is available for everyone to view.

This topic will be updated here as information come to us.

Latest information as of June 11, 2012:

Published here are 3 email excerpts from his correspondence last week (June 6th - 2012):

1)

Mayor Fischer:

At the recent Talk to Greg event, I invited you to come to the Outer Loop Government Center to meet with area residents about your initial support for the Frontgate Apartments Government Subsidized Housing proposal. 

If this initiative has been stopped, please let me know so I can thank you for helping us stop this. 

If the proposal is still moving forward, the invitation for you to come talk with us (in honor of your pledge to be inclusive and transparent) so you can hear directly from your constituents who are being harmed by this proposal still stands.  Please ask your scheduling assistant to work with me to set up a beneficial time for you to visit with us. 

Thank you!

Jon Bingham, 40228

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2)

Jon,

As promised, I wanted to give you an update on the status of the proposed Frontgate Apartments development.  The developer of the project asked for my Administration to sign off in their request to get tax credits from the Kentucky Housing Corporation to build affordable housing at 7411 Outer Loop.  Our Administration believes strongly in having affordable housing choices throughout the community and so the Administration signed on as supporting their application.

However, this development is one of 20 other potential projects from around the State being considered for tax credits.  The Kentucky Housing Corporation will likely make its decision this month on which projects it intends to fund.  If the project is chosen and the developers move forward, then a Category 3 Review will need to be done by the Development Review Committee regarding this proposed development at a public meeting.  If you have any questions about the Category 3 review process or when these meetings are held and what they may entail, please contact Steve Hendrix with Planning and Design Services at steve.hendrix@louisvilleky.gov. Thank you for your inquiry.       

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3)

Nicole,

I spoke with Mayor Fischer at the most recent Talk to Greg meeting regarding my strong concern about his initial support of the now-named  Frontgate Apartments proposal (government-subsidized housing) next to ValuMarket on Outer Loop.  I was not alone in my concerns that evening.  I asked Mayor Fischer (and included this request on my card that was turned in) to come meet with and listen to the Apple Valley subdivision residents in a meeting that could be held at the Outer Loop Government Center. 

I was given your name regarding seeking to schedule something with Mayor Fischer.  What weekday evenings or Saturday mornings in the next few weeks might be possible for us to schedule this opportunity for constituent inclusiveness and government transparency? 

Thank you!

Jon Bingham, 40228

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Please make the effort to contact these representatives to stop this development.

Here are the people to contact about the apartments, which are now officially called Frontgate Apartments, with a proposed location of 7411 Outer Loop . 

1.       You can reach Mayor Fischer by calling his office at 574-2003 or by email at greg.fischer@louisvilleky.gov.

2.       Andrew Hawes with the Kentucky Housing Corporation.  He is in charge of reviewing the developer’s application.  He can be reached at: ahawes@kyhousing.org or (800) 633-8896 ext. 326.

3.       Sen. Seum’s home number is 749-2856 and Frankfort is 502-564-2450.  Dan.Seum@lrc.ky.gov

4.       Rep. Larry Clark’s home number is 968-3546 and Frankfort is 502-564-7520.  Larry.Clark@lrc.ky.gov

5.       Rep. Kevin Bratcher’s home number is 231-3311 and Frankfort is 502-564-8100 ext. 680.  kybratcher@yahoo.com

Thank you

Apple Valley Home Owners Association

Added the links to the archived OUTER LOOP Apartments from a couple years ago. Now called FRONTGATE.

http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/Apple_Valley/pages/54672

Plan drawing:

http://docs.neighborhoodlink.com/resources/42938/Case_No_13062_Outer_Loop_Apartments.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=0C2W8NMC9MHASRBVPN02&Expires=1339427482&Signature=Cd59RACtUlzM%2BMQCG%2Fosf78kQOc%3D

Here's the email we wrote:

Gentlemen,

We live in Apple Valley, and our neighbors, our family and we will be directly affected by the proposed subsidized apartment complex next to the Value Market on Outer Loop. We are ADAMANTLY OPPOSED to the building of this complex, as are our neighbors.  We are all concerned that building this complex will very negatively affect our community.  Subsidized complexes suffer from many problems, including and most poignantly, bringing together disproportionate numbers of poor, non-working, welfare dependent, single parent families.  These developments are inevitably plagued by high levels of truancy, higher crime rates, loss of local businesses, and in turn falling property values in surrounding areas.  When this happens, the unfortunate truth is that it hurts not only that community which resides in that very complex, but most certainly the surrounding neighborhoods.  Building complexes such as these artificially deflates the local real estate market that capitalism would, under normal circumstances, fairly dictate.

This area is full of thriving local businesses and middle class families that have worked hard to attain the American Dream, a luxury that we are all given an opportunity to achieve.  By building these complexes, not just in our neighborhood, but anywhere, you devalue this existing community and everything its members have worked for so diligently.  Unfortunately, the reality is that there are people in this country that are in need of assistance, and for a variety of reasons.  However, grouping all of these people together artificially into subsidized housing robs them of their freedom of choice as to how they could use this assistance and forces them into areas now made up of disproportionately high levels of poor and disenfranchised.  

We would like to point out that in this country we are all at a high risk for the values of our homes and properties to fall in this harsh and uncertain economy.  More to the point, this fact belies the truth--there are more than adequate numbers of homes available--and the free market dictates their cost.  To build any complex that can only be built with the help of a tax credit is an injustice to our community in more ways than one:  it denies local government of  those much needed  tax dollars when it is in an already deficient state, and it reduces the likelihood that existing and vacant properties will be rented (and certainly not at their previous true market value).  By artificially lowering the rents of these apartments, your lower the property values of the entire community.  To install a complex of this kind in our neighborhood at any time, but especially NOW, could be extremely detrimental to the livelihood of the entire community.

Your approval of this project is not lost on us or our neighbors now, nor will it be when it comes time to vote.  We understand that you believe it's important that every neighborhood in every part of our city have a variety of housing at all price points.  However, our community has this diversity already-- and it is a balance of housing that our local economy naturally supports.  Tax credits to the developer of this complex only benefit the developer.  If the demand for this type of housing was high enough for the economy to naturally support it, it would be here already.  We would like to URGE you to reconsider your stance of approval of this project, and look for more productive ways to serve the community at large, and especially the community for which this housing is intended, for it is they, who in the long term, will suffer the ill effects of this artificially produced community the most. 

Sincerely,
Chris and Heather Roberts

Update 1 - June 13, 2012 - Correspondence from Jon to Steve Hendrix steve.hendrix@louisvilleky.gov )

Mr. Hendrix,

It is my understanding that unfortunately the Frontgate Apartments proposal has been conditionally granted tax credit funding by the KHC.  According to Mayor Fischer's message below, if the developers move forward there will be a Category 3 Review.  Please provide me a complete explanation of the next steps and the Category 3 Review process and timing for how citizens in the neighborhood who will be harmed by this proposal can voice their concerns and objections to stop this project from being developed. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Jon Bingham, 40228

Update 2 - June 13, 2012 - Correspondence from Shawn Dyer to Jon sdyer@kyhousing.org

Subject: RE: Frontgate Apartments subsidy decision information

Mr. Bingham,

Attached is the link that we discussed on the telephone earlier.  You will notice that to the left are links for past funding rounds including both applications and recipients for 2013 awards.  Additionally, you will notice to the right of those links are two additional links entitled “Qualified Allocation Plan”.  The QAP, as it is referred to, explains how Kentucky Housing Corporation will disburse our annual allocation of Low Income Housing Tax Credits each year.  The plan is passed by our board and eventually approved by the Governor.  Kentucky Housing Corporation disburses LIHTCs on a competitive basis and apparently the Frontgate project met our application requirements and scored well enough to receive a conditional award. 

You also asked about the approval date for the Frontgate project.  It appears that the conditional commitment letter went out on June 7^th. 

I am happy to provide you with this public information; however, any specific questions about the project would need to be directed through our legal department as an open records request.  Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. 

http://www.kyhousing.org/page.aspx?id=327

Thank You,

Shawn D. Dyer

Tax Credit Administrator

Kentucky Housing Corporation

1231 Louisville Road

Frankfort, KY 40601-6191

Ph: 502-564-7630 ext. 762

Fx: 502-564-4598

Update 3 June 13, 2012 - Correspondence from Jon to James Peden  james.peden@louisvilleky.gov in relation to Shawn Dyer's email listed above.

James and John,

I take it that this is very bad news.  Please let me know the pros and cons of this decision.  Are there are any silver linings in this result? 

Is there anything further to be done at this KHC stage or do we simply focus on the Category 3 review?

Can you submit the open records request asap - or help us to do so?

Thanks for your consideration.

Jon Bingham