LOUISVILLE (Oct. 31, 2022) – Metro Council District 5 Representative Donna Purvis joined with Russell: A Place of Promise (RPOP) and Louisville Forward today to announce an important next step in the development of an approximately 5-acre property located at the corner of S. 30th Street and W. Madison Street, immediately to the south of the Urban League Sports and Learning Center. Councilwoman Purvis introduced a resolution declaring the property to be surplus and authorizing its future transfer to RPOP. The Madison Street Property is currently owned by Louisville Metro Government and was originally acquired to support a project that would offer wealth-building opportunities for area residents. The legislation to declare it surplus will be heard Tuesday, November 1 at 3:00 P.M. at the Metro Council’s Labor and Economic Development Committee.
“I’ve been a proud supporter of this project since its inception and am excited to see the next phase moving forward. I hope all my colleagues join me in support of this resolution, which will declare this property surplus and allow the future transfer to RPOP. This is a great day for the Russell neighborhood and residents,” said Councilwoman Donna Purvis (D-05).
RPOP was created in 2018 through a partnership between Louisville Metro Government, Cities United and the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, and is currently a fiscally sponsored project of the Community Foundation of Louisville. RPOP has engaged Russell residents since 2018 in conversation about the development of the Madison Street Property.
The property was once home to a cigar manufacturing operation and then housed several other industrial uses. The redevelopment of the brownfield property is part of Louisville Metro Government’s strategy to prevent displacement through support for community-led projects.
“Located just south of the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Complex, a formerly city-owned lot, the Madison Street property is a key part of the west Louisville revitalization strategy created by Mayor Fischer when he took office, and the repurposing of this property into a community use will complement existing efforts to revitalize the Russell neighborhood, including significant investments in Beecher Terrace, OneWest’s 18th Street Row Houses, The Village @ West Jefferson, and Goodwill and Norton’s Opportunity Campus,” said Marilyn Harris, Director of Develop Louisville, a division of Louisville Metro’s community and economic development arm, Louisville Forward. “We are happy to take the next step forward on the redevelopment of this property and continuing to support RPOP’s community engagement efforts.”
Plans for the project, developed with community members’ input, decision-making and guidance, include a mix of office, retail, restaurant and intergenerational community uses, including green space. RPOP has hosted two public pitch sessions to introduce potential partners to Russell residents and collect feedback on residents’ impressions of how each partner would fit into the development. RPOP also is working with Russell residents to develop an innovative community ownership structure through which residents will have long-term decision-making power and the ability to co-own the development.
“The Madison Street development is about our voice, our choice and our community. Russell residents are involved at every step of the process. I am proud that when it’s all said and done, I will know that my neighbors and I were involved not just in choosing colors or what kind of trees to plant at this site, but in the design, tenant selection, financing, and management of the project from day one,” said Jackie Floyd, Russell resident and Lead Outreach Specialist for Russell: A Place of Promise. “And I’m especially proud that my neighbors and I will be co-owners and managers of this development with Russell: A Place of Promise.”
RPOP has partnered with residents like me to make the development of Madison Street a reality,” said Pat Clay, a Russell resident who lives near the Madison Street site. “We are currently working to identify businesses and organizations that will be part of the project, to create a community ownership that gives Russell residents long-term control over what happens in this space and opportunities to actually own part of the development, and to design what this space will look like. When I close my eyes and picture this space, I can see a day when I can open my front door and head down the street to grab brunch with a friend, pick up a book or a magazine, or maybe a coffee, and walk through a beautiful outdoor space where kids are playing, trees are shading the walkways, and Russell’s history – and my voice and choice – is reflected in everything I see.”
RPOP’s Madison Street development project has benefitted from pro bono assistance from Arcadis, Louisville Metro Government’s EPA-funded Brownfields Assessment Grant Program, and design support from Perkins + Will. RPOP also has secured grant funding and technical assistance through the Louisville chapter of LISC’s CAP Map Program to enhance its real estate development capacity, and grants and access to community development lending capital from Fifth Third Bank through its Empowering Black Futures Program that will help finance the project as it moves forward. RPOP is in talks with a number of other potential funders about the project, which is projected to carry a price tag of at least $40 million.
“The development of the Madison Street property is a major step for economic development in Russell, but it represents so much more for this community,” said Pastor David Snardon. “There is no other community organization that prioritizes resident involvement in decision-making and no other organization that centers Black wealth creation as a core value in the same ways that RPOP does. This project represents the power of both these values and demonstrates what’s possible when residents are considered partners and prioritized in decision-making. RPOP is a model for how to engage in community development in a historically Black neighborhood.”
“We are excited to take the next step in the development of the Madison Street property. We believe that Russell residents are assets to this project and to the community, creative capable and whole, and deserving of new, equitable investments like the Madison Street project that build increased levels of wealth for them and their families,” said Theresa Zawacki, Executive on Loan and RPOP Co-Lead. “The support RPOP has received from residents, community partners, Council Members, the Mayor and his team, and our funders has been overwhelmingly positive and incredibly meaningful to our success. We appreciate the support we have received from Councilwoman Purvis and look forward to sharing more about our work with the Metro Council as they review our request over the coming days.”
RPOP will incorporate as a nonprofit organization in 2023 and currently is working to complete a set of milestones related to the development of the Madison Street Property. If the Council approves the pending resolution, once RPOP incorporates and completes these milestones, Louisville Metro Government will transfer the land so that RPOP can move forward with its plans for development.
ABOUT RUSSELL: A PLACE OF PROMISE:
Russell: A Place of Promise is a justice-based initiative focused on generating investments in the people and places that make the Russell neighborhood special. Our vision of building Black wealth through investment without displacement includes sharing decision-making and leadership with residents through an innovative stakeholder agreement written in partnership with Russell residents, connecting individuals and families to resources leading to homeownership and traditional and nontraditional business ownership; building pathways and opportunities to strengthen existing Black-owned businesses; creating innovative connections to career-track jobs; and community ownership of neighborhood assets. RPOP’s theory of change involves investing in people first to solidify long-term, authentic, and meaningful partnership with Black residents and centering resident leadership in organizational decision-making, direction, and strategy. This approach relies heavily on direct, sustained, and wide-ranging relationship-building with residents. Investing in people before substantial investment is made in the “place” of the Russell neighborhood results in capital investments structured to be responsive to and rooted in the interests of Russell residents, restorative, equitable, resilient, and beloved by community. Russell: A Place of Promise is fiscally sponsored by the Community Foundation of Louisville, a 501(c)(3) public charity, and incubated for up to five years within partner organizations Louisville Metro Government and Cities United. For more information: www.russellpromise.com.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF LOUISVILLE
Founded in 1984, the Community Foundation of Louisville mobilizes people, networks, and capital to spark meaningful change in and beyond Louisville. With more than $800 million in assets, over 2,300 charitable funds, and collaborations with hundreds of local partners, we connect real investments with relevant causes to advance racial equity and open opportunity for all. Working with neighbors, changemakers, and community investors, we’re inspiring greater generosity to move us all forward.
Media Contacts:
Kyle Ethridge (District 5), 574-4137/ 526-3622
Theresa Zawacki (RPOP), 593-4508