Potentially dangerous chemicals being removed from future development site
By Randall Kamm
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — The site of a former chemical plant is being transformed in west Louisville.
Seventeen acres on South 11th Street will become a socially just, life, work and play destination, according to the developer.
Before the land can be transformed, hazardous materials must be removed.
Chemical remediation, the process of digging up and getting rid of dangerous materials, is underway in the abandoned lot where the Rhodia Chemical Plant once stood.
The long-vacant property that straddles the line between the Park Hill and Algonquin neighborhoods.
Officials say an environmental injustice took place for decades.
“When you think about how neighborhoods like Park Hill and Algonquin got in that situation, it was about intentionally keeping neighborhoods like this in a box. Keeping the community in a box. It’s our job at Re:land to unpack that. It’s a lot of work, but it’s the right work to be doing,” said Re:land Group developer James Beckett.
Beckett’s group was chosen by the Louisville Metro Government to redevelop the Rhodia site.
He’s been collaborating with the community to ensure an equitable vision for the project.
“What we want to do, my organization, is really make this a model of how development is done. The neighborhood gets what it wants, and the developer gets what it wants, without a huge fight,” said Mikal Forbush, the executive director of the Center for Neighborhoods.
So far, they’ve agreed on a mixed-use, mixed-income community with affordable, market-rate and student housing will eventually be constructed along South 11th Street.
Plans also include offices, cafes, and green space with an urban park plaza as the centerpiece of the complex.
Other potential amenities include a co-op grocery, day care, and wellness center.
The redevelopment project is being funded by private investors and millions of taxpayer dollars.
Beckett describes his project as “equitable development.”
He’s letting the neighborhood lead the design in hopes of helping a community find its voice.
“What’s going to come from that is this culturally rich, socially responsive space that’s also a destination. This group will feel great ownership because they led it and built it,” Beckett said.
Once contaminated soil is removed or treated, Beckett says he expects to begin construction next year.
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