LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As the new year begins, a new group will form to increase engagement with Louisville Metro Council members. 

The Louisville Metro Watchdog Alliance aims to keep neighbors aware of new developments and proposals.

The group wants to keep neighbors informed about how to take part effectively in the Metro Louisville Planning and Design process, like zoning changes.

Some members of the group say they decided to join together after they felt like their voices weren’t being heard.

One community advocate of the alliance, Tina Burnell, said, “There’s just this narrative that seeks to shut down conversation that needs to be taken place.”

Burnell said a developer originally planned to build townhomes on Cane Run Road. Then, that plan changed and the developer wanted to build apartments.

The city’s planning committee initially approved the project, but earlier this month, Louisville Metro Council voted to overturn the approval for the development. 

Burnell also felt like she was neglected in the city planning in her own community.

Burnell said, “We had a development that was proposed for our area. We felt like the developer’s attorney treated us with indifference and a lack of respect. And that’s very disheartening when someone is coming into your community, and you feel like they’re going to railroad that plan through.”

Moving forward, the Watchdog Alliance hopes to engage with Metro Council before projects are approved. 

Burnell said, “With developments, the first thing you need to understand is that very few people in the area are notified. The requirement is very small, so it takes one or two people taking charge of that to make people aware.”

The group says they also want to increase citizen engagement at all levels to advocate for transparency and accountability and to encourage communication between people and their metro council members on all local matters.