LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The Greenberg administration has chosen a group of well-known local developers to move forward on potential projects on roughly nine acres of publicly-owned downtown real estate.
The city’s Cabinet for Economic Development announced Friday afternoon that Weyland Ventures, Poe Companies and LDG Development were selected to continue work on yet-to-be-revealed proposals. LDG, a developer of affordable housing, is partnering with Lincoln Property Co. of Dallas.
The land includes parcels once envisioned for the ill-fated Museum Plaza skyscraper on Main Street, the recently demolished former Louisville police headquarters and parking lots near City Hall and Ninth Street.
In seeking developers, Metro government sought firms with a track record in downtown and urban development and experience in renovating and converting historic structures, among other qualifications.
The companies now will have access to the sites and tentatively have agreed to enter into development agreements with the city in six to nine months.
The sites are:
Main/Washington streets. These properties includes a vacant lot at the northeast corner of West Washington St and North 7th Street; a surface parking lot at the northwest corner of West Washington and North 7th Street; and two lots at 615-621 West Main Street. Poe Companies was chosen to continue its preparation for the land.
The city wants a "unified development" there, public documents show, ideally saving the existing building facades on Main Street, access to the Muhammad Ali Center plaza and a "larger scale tower" north of Washington Street.
A vacant lot at W. Washington and Seventh streets. The property is part of Mayor Craig Greenberg's redevelopment plan for parts of Main and Washington streets once associated with the failed Museum Plaza project. (WDRB photo)
Civic Center. The collection of land includes the Fiscal Court Building at 531 Court Place; the demolished Louisville Metro Police Department headquarters at 225 South 7th Street; a parking garage at 536 West Market Street; and surface parking lots on the south side of Market Street between 6th and 7th streets. A city committee selected Weyland Ventures for the work.
The city's plan prefers keeping and rehabilitating the Fiscal Court Building and other uses that could include retail, hotel and entertainment venues, along with a parking garage that replaces the surface parking for Metro employees that would be lost.
The site of the former Louisville Metro Police Department headquarters, Seventh and W. Jefferson streets. The property is part of Mayor Craig Greenberg's Civic Center redevelopment plan. (WDRB photo)
Mud Lot. Lincoln Property Co., which is working with LDG, was chosen to continue its due diligence for the lot at the southeast corner of Jefferson Street and 9th Street.
The preferred use for the site is housing.
The Mud Lot at W. Jefferson and Eighth streets. The property is part of Mayor Craig Greenberg's redevelopment plan for downtown. (WDRB photo)
In all, seven companies submitted proposals. The national Pennrose company vied for the work, as did FISCHER'S Real Estate Brokerage & Betterment Haus, Re:Land Group and WorK Architecture + Design -- all based or with offices in Louisville.
Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement that the “underutilized” properties can be turned into “centers of activity in our downtown.”
“These properties will also give us the opportunity to create more quality housing for our residents. By redeveloping these city-owned lots, we will create new opportunities to engage Louisvillians and visitors and add to the vibrancy of our downtown,” he said.
Representatives of Poe and LDG did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Friday.
Mariah Gratz, CEO of Weyland Ventures, said her company's plans for the site are in the early stages, but Weyland generally aims to "drive additional activity downtown" in similar ways to its other projects like the Henry Clay and Glassworks buildings. She disclosed that Weyland would repurpose the Fiscal Court building with aid from historic tax credits.
This story may be updated.
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