Metro Council approves funding for former City Government Center project

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – In a 17-7-1 vote Thursday evening, the Louisville Metropolitan Council decided to take action after years of doing the complete opposite.

The city authorities passed a regulation establishing the City Government Center Development Area and ultimately approved a plan to build apartments, a hotel, office space, shops and a parking lot there.

It also creates Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to help pay the bill caused by the project. It allocates $20 million back to the developer over 20 years, starting as early as 2026.

As with many projects over the past decade, the project has seen mixed support, with the property changing hands and failing to make any progress on the Paristown-Pointe project.

“The current agreement will serve more people and be more equitable.” – Paristown resident Cindy Pablo he said.

Majority vote members called for action, saying it was time to hit the road.

“After eight years, we finally have a chance to do something that could make economic sense,” said 26th Ward Councilman Brent Ackerson. “We now have an opportunity to get a legal project off the ground.”

Several council members held off on giving the green light, citing concerns about the plan, pointing to a glut of vacant office space and a lack of affordable housing in Louisville.

Some quickly began to question the developer’s intentions.

“My vote against it is because this was a very unclear and opaque process, and as a new councilwoman, I cannot feel comfortable voting in favor of this decision,” said 3rd Ward Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright.

Thanks to the ordinance, the nearly 10-acre site will soon take on a new look for the first time in nearly 10 years.

“The people of Paristown-Pointe are ready for this investment, ready to improve our lives and our neighborhood,” Pablo said.

In our previous article, Steve Wiser of the Louisville Historical League told WAVE that the new plan does not fit the area as much as the 2020 plan.

Last month, Wiser wrote an editorial in the Courier Journal saying that approving the plan opens the door to possible lawsuits.