TARC approves purchase of Louisville's Nia Center by west end group for $2.1 million

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An organization in Louisville's west end is purchasing the NIA Center building for $2.1 million after months of doubt about the future of the site in the city's Parkland neighborhood.

The West Louisville Dream Team Inc., an economic development group made up of west Louisville residents and business owners, will purchase the Nia Center from the Transit Authority of River City (TARC), our partners at Louisville Business First reported Thursday.

The purchase comes nearly a year after TARC approved a sale to Goodwill in late May 2025. As WDRB previously reported, 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.

Last July, Shaun Spencer, a dream team director, said the group had sent TARC a proposal to buy the property for $2.1 million.

Last August, the TARC board authorized talks to sell the Nia Center to the West Louisville Dream Team. Spencer told the TARC board during a public comment period at the time that her group plans to continue small business operations and youth and mental health programs, along with revitalizing an abandoned community space.

LBF reported the dream team board agreed to move forward with a purchase agreement Thursday that was approved Wednesday by the TARC board.

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 was occupied as of July 2025, according to estimates.

In a statement to LBF, TARC said proceeds from the sale of the Nia Center will help support future transportation initiatives, including the implementation of the New TARC Network.

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