Louisville has no shortage of bold ideas for economic development, but too many of them still launch before residents have a seat at the table. The latest example: the Transit Authority of River City’s plan to sell the TARC-owned Nia Center to Goodwill— a move that blindsided the small businesses now housed there and sparked public outcry on their behalf.
This is hardly the first time a top-down deal concerning government-owned community space has raced ahead of neighborhood input. As we reported last month, the proposed 25-acre racket-sports complex in Joe Creason Park revealed the same cracks: opaque approval channels, unclear timelines, and limited notice to those most affected.
The Core Problem
- Missed transparency checkpoints – Land sales, leases and TIF allocations often run through quasi-government boards or agency directors long before Metro Council ever votes, leaving neighbors to play catch-up.
- Token engagement, not shared power – One-off “listening sessions” rarely influence the final deal terms, eroding trust and reinforcing inequity.
- Displacement risk – Tenants at the Nia Center now scramble for space as redevelopment plans move forward lpm.org.
The Opportunity: Community-Led Economic Development
Our work with the Park Hill/Algonquin Community of Opportunity shows what’s possible when residents drive the agenda from day one. Key ingredients:
- Representative leadership group. Forty neighbors—ages 6 to 75 and paid stipends for their time—guided every milestone
- Data-driven discovery anchored in local assets. Partners gathered health, housing and market data with residents, not for them
- Capacity-building. Participants completed a Health Equity Learning Academy, power-mapping exercises and photo-voice storytelling, building skills that last well beyond a single project
- Celebration and ownership. When the mixed-use Rhodia site advanced, community leaders were the ones at the podium beside the mayor. The group is creating a community-owned co-op to take direct holdings in future developments.
A Better Process for Nia Center & Future Projects — Six Practical Phases
- Early Notice & Clear Timeline
- Publish the intent to sell public land 60–90 days before any board vote.
- Share a plain-language flowchart that shows every approval step from start to finish.
- Transparent Impact Briefs
- Release traffic, environmental, equity, and displacement analyses online in everyday language.
- Ensure briefs are prepared by independent consultants with no stake in the outcome.
- Resident Steering Committee
- Recruit and pay a diverse mix of neighbors—tenants, small-business owners, youth, elders—to shape project goals.
- Engage a neutral convener (Center for Neighborhoods or similar) to facilitate.
- Multi-Channel Feedback Loop
- Host both citywide hearings and neighborhood-level briefings.
- Collect comments in person, online, and in writing; publish all feedback and official responses.
- Negotiated Community Benefits
- Translate resident priorities into binding agreements—e.g., affordable commercial space, first-source hiring, anti-displacement funds and community co-ownership.
- Formalize these commitments within leases or development contracts.
- Shared Celebration & Ongoing Oversight
- Invite residents to co-host the groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting.
- Schedule quarterly check-ins during construction and the first year of operation to track promises.
By following these six phases, Louisville can move from top-down transactions to community-up investments—creating growth that neighbors help design, benefit from, and celebrate.
Louisville can make every economic-development deal a community-up investment rather than a top-down transaction. Even now, the players could adopt the six-phase process above before any vote on the Nia Center sale.
Neighbors built these neighborhoods; they deserve an equal hand in building their future. Let’s make sure the next headline reads, “Community and City Co-Create West End Prosperity”—and not another story of decisions made without the people most affected.