Groundbreaking participants pictured from left to right: David Tandy, Metro Councilman, Fourth District; Doug McGee, Phoenix Hill Neighborhood Asso.; Manfred Reid, Chair, LMHA Board of Commissioners; Mayor Jerry Abramson; Carolyn Tandy, District Director, Office of Third District Congressman John Yarmuth; Krista Mills, HUD Field Office Director; and Tim Barry, LMHA Executive Director.

LOUISVILLE KY - Mayor Jerry Abramson and other local officials broke ground today on the 801 East Broadway building, which will be located at the corner of Broadway and Shelby streets. The $3.5 million project will include mixed-income housing and retail space.

"This development shows that the system can really work," Abramson said. "The city took a piece of property that was rundown and dilapidated and is now we're creating an opportunity for people of all income levels to live in an exciting and vibrant neighborhood."

The Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA) development will be constructed in a vacant lot that was once home to the old Broadway Meat store. The property has been vacant since 1988. LMHA purchased the lot for $1 from the land bank and demolished the old building because it was an eyesore and structurally unsound.

The new, three-story building in the Phoenix Hill Neighborhood is part of the revitalization of the old Clarksdale public housing complex. The city received HOPE VI funds to demolish the old complex and create a mixed-income development called Liberty Green. LMHA made a commitment to replace each public housing unit that was part of the old Clarksdale. The 801 East Broadway development will help the city meet its one-for-one replacement requirement.

"The Phoenix Hill neighborhood is certainly experiencing a renaissance with Liberty Green, several private projects and this new retail and housing development," Abramson said. "When you redevelop urban neighborhoods you start to see the influence spread outside the boundaries of a particular project and into surrounding blocks."

The property will contain 22 units - 16 one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom apartments. Almost 3,500 square feet of retail space will be available for rent on the first floor of the development. LMHA will hire a leasing agent to coordinate rental of the building.

Designs for the property were created by Kersey and Kersey Inc. of Louisville. Construction is set to begin later this month. The project should be complete next summer.