Insider Louisville
August 26, 2015 5:26 am
Twelve and a half miles out from Louisville Metro is an area otherwise known as the ‘East End.’ Once an old farm with acres of quiet corn fields, it now plays home to a booming population of culture and community.
There’s still plenty of greenery to be seen; there have been twenty-three hundred trees planted in the Norton Commons community to date and over 150 acres of planned parks. The tree planting initiatives combined with other sustainability measures mean by the time the north village is complete, that portion of the neighborhood will be entirely geothermal.
What many may consider an exclusive planned suburbia revival is in fact a culturally, religiously and even economically diverse and accessible community. Owned and operated not by a corporate conglomerate but by a tight knit local family team, Norton Commons is a mecca of all things local. There are currently fifty-six local businesses including a plethora of restaurants, shops, doctor’s offices, a fire department, a church, three different schools and a YMCA.
Bustling and booming is the going theme in the Commons. For every new residence that is built, businesses are also being added to the village, each unique, adding to the blossoming character of the Commons. Some condos are going for $110,000 and there are also $2 million dollar homes. There is a home for everyone, and a place to belong for each of them. Just this month, a bed and breakfast along with a tequila and taco bar are being constructed.
On a typical Friday or Saturday night, a slow drive through the winding streets and neighborhoods shows a thriving community. There are athletes running, foodies eating on patios, children playing on the great lawns and families taking walks together through the village.
The Commons has a packed events calendar that is especially exciting during the summer months. Free concerts at the amphitheater on the water and movies on the town center lawn take place almost weekly with a variety of food trucks to fill the bellies of residents and visitors alike. The events here are, after all, generally free and open to the public. Other major events range from block parties which really bring the community together, to festivals like their fall celebration which offer a little something for everyone to enjoy.
The residents of the Commons aren’t the only ones expanding their horizons. The ‘new urbanist’ community is growing at exponential rates, and is only forty percent complete according to plans. Twenty-eight hundred residences, hundreds of local businesses and a lifestyle of sustainability and geothermal energy. That’s what the big picture looks like.
With growth and expansion always on the mind, it can be easy to forget the humble beginnings. Yet the Commons still house many of its original tenants. In fact, the first resident of Norton Commons is coming up on the ten year anniversary of her move-in date.
Growth is what defines this community in a multitude of ways. It’s about more than just growth in numbers, but also in the atmosphere of community, a culture of accessibility and diversity in everything they provide.
So what is Norton Commons? Norton Commons is new urbanism. Norton Commons is sustainability. Norton Commons is Louisville re-imagined. Norton Commons is home.
