LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The roots of a Greyhound bus station in downtown Louisville go all the way back to the early 1900s, an Art Deco-style terminal gracing the corner of Broadway and 5th Street for decades.

But in 1970, it was demolished, a new sandblasted-concrete station built at what is now 7th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard. And now, that second station's days are numbered, soon to be replaced by a brand new affordable housing complex.

A demolition permit was filed with city government in August 2023.

"This site is underutilized," said Christi Lanier-Robinson, executive vice president of LDG Development, which plans to build on the old Greyhound site. "It will be coming down. It's imminent."

LDG Development plans to build a five-story building, including a ground level of parking, on Muhammad Ali Boulevard between 7th and 8th streets. The complex is expected to have first-floor parking and consist of 256 one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Renderings were released in 2022 of plans that show space for two courtyards within the complex, each more than 4,000 square feet. 

LDG Development manages more than 20 apartment, condominium and patio home complexes in Kentucky, and works in seven states. The developer purchased the old Greyhound bus station property at 720 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. in October 2021 for $2.8 million. 

"We'll have all of the things that are typical with our type of development," she said Wednesday.

Greyhound station in downtown Louisville

The Greyhound station in downtown Louisville at the corner of West Muhammad Ali Boulevard and South Seventh Street. Aug. 18, 2021

Lanier-Robinson said the new complex will help address the ongoing homeless problem in Louisville.

"This site, this housing, we have no doubt will absolutely fill up and is much needed for this area," she said. "... no one should be homeless. We in this community have a right and a responsibility to take care of it."

One of those who've struggled in Louisville, Donny Green said he was unhoused for about 22 years. Now, he's trying to help others get off the streets.

"I didn't want anybody to have to go through what I had to go through," he said.

Perhaps the affordable housing unit won't prevent people from sleeping on the streets, but Greene said it's a much-needed start.

"We have to address the problem," he said. "We have to start somewhere, and it's not always going to be pretty, and not everyone's always going to agree with it."

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