Fischer Unveils Neighborhoods Plan

Louisville mayoral candidate Greg Fischer today unveiled his plan for modernizing the city’s neighborhoods.The Democrat's ten-point plan includes the creation of the Neighborhood Development Corporation. The government organization would oversee issues related to neighborhood development such as planning and design, housing and parks. The body would be similar to the Downtown Development Corporation, but Fischer said it would not require additional staff. Rather, current Metro employees would be given new duties."We have approximately 7,500 employees in Metro Government, so we have plenty of resources already." he says. "So it's just saying 'What's the problem, what are the cross-functional people that are required to get it done?' Put them together so they can actually go take care of problems."Among the other points in Fischer's plan is a proposal to address vacant property. He says the city should be more aggressive and seize abandoned homes, then help Louisvillians rehabilitate the property. Fischer acknowledges that state law makes it difficult for cities to take control of those properties."People in Frankfort understand that," he says. "This isn't just a Louisville problem. The mayor of Louisville needs to be in Frankfort talking about those issues. We all know that Louisville is the economic engine of Kentucky and it's important that the mayor's advocating in Frankfort for laws that are good for our cities as well."Republican candidate Hal Heiner's campaign criticized Fischer for proposing a new agency, and called his plans "light on substance." Independent Jackie Green says Fischer still supports unsustainable development.