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West End board to hold second vote on buying Nia Center. How the proposal has changed
The West End Opportunity Partnership will again vote on a proposal to purchase the Nia Center and lease it to Goodwill to build affordable housing — this time with additional funds set aside to help displaced businesses.
In May, the Transit Authority of River City agreed to sell the building, which serves as a small business incubator and community resource center for those in the Parkland neighborhood, to Goodwill, which plans to build 76 affordable housing units on the land.
At a June 12 meeting, the West End Opportunity Partnership (WEOP) board considered buying the property on behalf of Goodwill, though the proposal failed to move forward after a tie vote.
The victory for those opposing the closure of the center was short-lived, however, as the WEOP announced a second vote on the proposal during a special meeting on June 18.
More: What's going on with the Nia Center? What to know about the controversy
The proposed redevelopment has come under fire from Nia Center tenants, community members and some elected officials in the weeks since TARC announced it would be selling the property.
In an effort to help those displaced by the potential sale of the center, an addendum has been added to the original proposal to provide a one-time payment of $5,000 to nongovernmental tenants of the Nia Center, according to a copy of the proposal shared with The Courier Journal.
'This is in addition to the binding promises of Goodwill Industries of Kentucky to provide cash assistance in the form of moving expenses and security deposits at new lease locations for tenants, and the offers of Goodwill Industries of Kentucky and Louisville Metro Government to provide assistance in locating new lease locations within West Louisville,' the addendum reads.
The Courier Journal reached out to representatives from the WEOP and Goodwill, but requests for comment were not returned prior to publication.
According to the purchase proposal, the WEOP would buy the property for $2.1 million and lease it to Goodwill for $1 annually. Goodwill has committed $500,000 to demolition and site preparation, and affordable housing developer Woda Cooper Companies is prepared to begin construction on a $21.5 million four-story housing complex.
According to WEOP staff, Goodwill had hoped to solidify the purchase before June 15, when low-income housing tax credits obtained by Woda Cooper Companies expire.
The WEOP is a nonprofit partnership created in 2021 that's tasked with deciding how to spend revenue from a tax increment financing (TIF) district that covers Louisville's West End.
Some in the community feel buying the Nia Center would be a misuse of the TIF revenue the WEOP was created to monitor and spend. The Coalition of West Louisville Neighborhood Associations sent a letter to the WEOP opposing the purchase, saying it is 'against the will of the residents and taxpayers of West Louisville.'
'These funds are intended to create economic opportunity, promote generational wealth, and uplift the communities of West Louisville — not to subsidize a private nonprofit with terms that offer no direct financial return of community ownership,' the letter reads.
This story will be updated.
Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: West End TIF board to again vote on buying Nia Center for Goodwill
