West end group proposes to buy Louisville's NIA Center a month after Goodwill deal fails

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In a move backed by some Metro Council members, a west end organization is pushing to buy the NIA Center building and help revitalize it.

The West Louisville Dream Team Inc. detailed parts of its proposal on Wednesday, calling it a new vision for the embattled property now home to small businesses, a driver's licensing branch and other services.

"We see the NIA Center reborn as the beating heart of west Louisville's renaissance, humming with black- and brown-owned ventures, civic gatherings and community people and dollars circulating to build generational wealth," Shaun Spencer, a dream team director, said at a press conference.

The future of the site at Broadway and 29^th Street in the Parkland neighborhood has been in doubt in recent months after TARC, the city's transit agency and building owner, approved a sale to Goodwill in late May.

In reality, the deal involved the West End Opportunity Partnership seeking to buy the property and lease it to Goodwill for an affordable housing plan. But the board of the partnership, which invests public funds in local neighborhoods, voted down the idea in July.  

Enter the new plan.

Spencer, who also rents space for her printing business at the NIA Center, said her group has sent TARC a proposal to buy the property for $2.1 million. While she could not immediately say how much had been secured, she said she expects the full amount will be in place within the next two months.

The dream team is working with the local Center For Neighborhoods and is pursuing a mix of money from investors and citizens, Spencer said. She did not disclose the names of the potential investors but said they are "pretty close to signing."

Mayor Craig Greenberg's office referred comment to TARC. The agency's board plans to review the plan at its meeting scheduled for August 26, spokesman Alex Posorske said.

In addition to seeking to buy the site, Spencer's group has identified two anchor tenants. Their names aren't being made public yet, Spencer said, but one is a university and the other is a military branch.

The group also plans to ask Metro government for public funds — estimated at $1 million — to help make improvements and renovations.  

Two Metro Council members — Democrats Tammy Hawkins and Shameka Parrish-Wright — attended Wednesday's press conference and gave their support to the dream team's proposal. Spencer said Democrats Donna Purvis, Jennifer Chappell and JP Lyninger also back the effort.

"This building being placed in hands of any other developer (or) person that is not from the community does not speak generational wealth," Hawkins said. "It does not speak to listening to people's needs."

Hawkins, a member of the West End Opportunity Partnership (WEOP) board, also said she will encourage the dream team to seek funding from the partnership overseeing the spending of tax increment financing revenue.

"There's a lot of community members that really feel like that the WEOP is not really set up for what they tried to make the community think it's set up for, right?" she said. "I think this is a way to change the perception."

The NIA Center dates to the late 1990s and was envisioned as a hub for bus transportation, job training and business development at 2900 W. Broadway. About 37% of the building is occupied, according to estimates.

"It was put here for a reason," Parrish-Wright said, "and so it is important to be intentional and making sure that it remains here."

Metro Council member Ken Herndon, a Democrat who represents the area, said the future of the building rests with its owner, TARC. "It's their decision," he said. 

Spencer said nearly 1,000 people have signed a petition in support of preserving the NIA Center. If TARC agrees to sell, the dream team says it could close by the end of the year.

Adding the anchor tenants would increase occupancy to 75%, Spencer said, with a goal of ultimately getting to 90% within three years.

Related Stories:

TARC ending Nia Center service, making major route and schedule changes in August

NIA Center supporters pitch new deal to save west end business hub

West End TIF board sinks NIA Center deal at contentious meeting

Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.