LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A brownfield property and eyesore in west Louisville is ready for development.
The group behind the project, Re:land, said more than six acres of the 17-acre property have been cleaned up.
Jim Beckett, one of four partners behind the real estate firm, showed WDRB News their plans for 233 affordable housing units and space to fit needs in the Park Hill and Algonquin communities.
"Food and retail, and gathering space and incubators," Beckett said. "Education and health and wellness."
The property near the corner of 11th and Hill streets was once home to the Rhodia chemical plant. The land had been vacant since 1994, and the process to get to the point of development has taken years.
Metro Government, which bought the land in 2002, selected Re:land in 2020 to eventually buy and redevelop the property.
"We're at the goal line for the first phase," Beckett said.
The property sits across from Parkway Place, which is home to hundreds of residents, including Rena Malone and Bruce Sherrod.
"At first, I thought they were just playing with us," said Malone. "Because you're so used to people promising, promising, and it never happening."
Malone and Sherrod have been involved in the plans for the property. Beckett said neighbor buy-in is crucial to the development.
"And most importantly, we've got community as the tip of the spear," Beckett said. "Because at the end of the day this doesn't happen without community."
Malone walks from 13th Street to the fence line, now believing in a brighter future.
"Once I started seeing it happen, I almost cried because I was like, wow, they weren't lying and it really happened," Malone said.
"From the first piece of sand to the last brick," Sherrod said. "Knowing that it's all uplift a lot of folks in the community."
Beckett said between grants, community partners, the city and investors, they've raised more than half of the money for the first phase. He said they expect the first phase alone to cost around $60 million.
"It's a huge huge step toward legacy that these courageous people are going to leave for generations to look back on," Beckett said.
Beckett said if the stars align, construction could start before the end of 2024 or by the first quarter of 2025.
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