LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A west Louisville warehouse that's been vacant for 30 years will soon be transformed into a mixed-use development.
Plans were announced Wednesday for a $34 million investment on West Broadway near South 15th Street.
The Housing Partnership, Inc. (HPI) is partnering with Metro government and OneWest, a nonprofit organization created to drive growth in west Louisville to redevelop the building.
"It's just a prominent location on 15th and Broadway," HPI President and CEO Andrew Hawes said. "We have so much exciting development going on in the Broadway corridor."
The warehouse was originally built in 1922 as the National Candy Company Frank A. Menne factory. It has changed hands several times since then. HPI started pursuing the building about three years ago and finally purchased it last year.
"This is such highly visible property that's been in this state for so long that once it gets under construction and comes back to life, we hope that it helps continue the energy that's going on," Hawes said.
The new development joins about $1 billion worth of investment in west Louisville by companies like Passport Health Plan and YMCA.
The plan is to create two floors of affordable senior housing then open up the rest for retail and commercial space. The developers will seek community input about what should open there.
"West Louisville has been very clear about the types of businesses they'd like to see," said Evon Smith, president and CEO of OneWest. "They've mentioned that sit-down restaurants are important, that all kinds of medical services are needed here."
HPI isn't just committed to redeveloping the building. It's also hoping to move its corporate offices into it in the future.
"It's a very strategic move for us, because we are definitely partners with the west end and all of our local nonprofits in trying to address some of the blight," Hawes said.
The project is still in the funding phase, but construction should start sometime in 2020.
Copyright 2019 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
