Citizens’ Initiative to Ban New Gasoline Stations in Louisville

As promised in my public comments at the Louisville Planning Commission meeting on Thursday 13 October, I am organizing a citizens’ initiative that would prohibit the construction of new gasoline stations in Louisville. I have explored the reasons for opposing new gasoline stations in two previous blog posts (Conoco-7-Eleven and Murphy Express).

You can find the initiative’s complete language here. The initiative’s official summary, composed by the City clerk, reads as follows:

This proposed citizen initiated ordinance amends Title 17 of the Louisville Municipal Code to make gasoline service stations and automobile service stations a prohibited use in all zone districts in the City. It also amends Title 15 of the Louisville Municipal Code to prohibit the construction of a new gasoline station or the expansion, reconstruction, or relocation of an existing gasoline service station within 2 1/2 miles of an existing gasoline service station.

The City clerk approved the initiative’s petition this past Monday (24 October). A few fellow Louisville citizens and I have started to gather signatures. We need signatures from approximately one thousand registered voters in Louisville before City Council will consider the initiative. At that point City Council has two options: adopt the initiative as an ordinance or put the initiative to a popular vote.

Please contact me if you would like to sign the initiative’s petition or if you would like to help gather signatures.