A Louisville MSD effort to deal with homes in flood-prone areas in Jefferson County could now become part of a planned revitalization of West Louisville. MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott spoke Tuesday during a community meeting at the Chestnut Street Family YMCA focused on progress concerning the Republic Bank Foundation YMCA and Passport Health and Well-Being campus planned for West Louisville.
Parrott discussed the more than 18 acres of land acquired by MSD through the use of FEMA grant funding to buyout homes in flood-prone areas. Eligible property owners within the Maple Street area were offered current fair-market value for their homes, allowing them to purchase comparable homes outside of the flood-prone area. Homes in the area were demolished, and Parrott said the resulting acreage would be perfect for community use.
“We now have green space that MSD wants to give back to the community,” Parrott said. He added that MSD is looking for community leaders to collaborate with to ensure the space is reincorporated “with the appropriate amenities that will bring value and long-term sustainability to a corridor in West Louisville that is going to be totally revitalized by the Passport Development, the YMCA project, and the Louisville Urban League proposed sports facility.”
A groundbreaking was conducted in October for a planned new Louisville YMCA to be located at the intersection of South 17th Street and West Broadway and to be called the Republic Bank Foundation YMCA. The nearly 78,000-square-foot facility will also be home to Norton Health Care, Republic Bank, a physical therapy center, a counseling facility, a gymnasium, a pool, and meeting rooms.
Parrott said MSD would remain involved in the area as planned projects developed. “We will continue to be at the table, to ensure on-going success for the transformation of the Broadway corridor,” he said.
