Cabbage Patch - plan revised - July 5, 2006

Concerns addressed....

The Cabbage Patch Settlement House has briefly returned to the drawing board in its $3.5million expansion.
To address neighborhood concerns, the nonprofit Christian community center in Old Louisville has ditched plans to construct a 15,000-square-foot underground structure beneath the backyard green space of its buildings.
Instead, officials are proposing a 4,000-square-foot underground space between its gymnasium and backyard that would include above ground multi-use and classroom space.
Along the east edge of the untouched yard space, the organization would like to build a two-story carriage house for parking, storage and fitness activity. Connector breezeways would be added to the rear of existing buildings.
Over several months some Old Louisville leaders have balked at the larger underground proposal, saying they feared the changes would prevent the buildings from being converted back into homes if Cabbage Patch, at 1413 S. Sixth St., ever left.
Concerns also surfaced from at least one neighboring resident over the construction's impact on nearby century-old sidewalks, home foundations and alleyways.

The future...

The Rev. Tracy Halladay, the center's executive director, said the changes most likely won't save Cabbage Patch much money, but he believes they go a long way toward addressing concerns.
"If for some reason Cabbage Patch weren't here, the space could easily be converted into a home, and would include an addition that could be used for a guest room," he said. "And carriage houses exist for many homes in the neighborhood.
"There have been two major concerns ... and I think we've addressed them."
Herb Fink, a longtime Old Louisville resident and chairman of a neighborhood preservation committee that reviews such projects, said he supports the center's efforts and has seen the early plans.
"I'm hoping that this will satisfy concerns," Fink said.
The 95-year-old Cabbage Patch, which serves children from low-income families, will need a conditional-use permit for the work, Halladay said. It plans to hold a public meeting showing the changes by the time the Metro Board of Zoning Adjustments hears the case sometime next month.

Than and now...

Cabbage Patch's proposed expansion has been delayed before. The current proposal is the fourth plan the group has brought to the neighborhood over several years to address various concerns.
Cabbage Patch was founded in 1911 and was near Ninth and Hill streets before moving to Old Louisville in 1929. The organization says it serves about 1,100 children and families each year.

Reporter Sheryl Edelen, Courier Journal, can be reached at (502) 582-4621.

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