Wednesday November 12, 2025
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Following an extensive community engagement effort and a detailed evaluation process, The Marian Group and Louisville Metro Government have signed a letter of intent to redevelop the former Urban Government Center (UGC) site in Paristown.
The UGC property totals 11.85 acres and is located in the Paristown neighborhood near the Original Highlands, Shelby Park, Germantown and Smoketown. There are currently four buildings on the UGC property: 810 Barret Avenue, 850 Barret Avenue, 768 Barret Avenue, and a steam plant to the west of 850 Barret Avenue.
The Marian Group’s proposal aligns with community priorities expressed during an extensive public engagement period. These priorities include the preservation of green space and an existing community garden, the creation of new housing choices at multiple price points, the ability of the site to support multi-modal transportation options, including transit and bicycles, the reuse of existing facilities and materials, the incorporation of community gathering spaces, and the use of innovative building and site management techniques to make the development a model of sustainability.
These values are mirrored in broader community priorities captured in Vision Louisville, including improving connectivity, enhancing identity, fostering creativity, incorporating sustainable energy and improving health.
The development will feature such diverse housing options as townhomes, shotgun-style single family homes, multi-family rental units, and condo flats. Additionally, Marian plans to develop several types of affordable housing—including a Family Scholar House campus and housing for seniors. The development will include office and commercial space, and The Marian Group will also be exploring development of a boutique hotel.
“We are proud to have been selected to partner with Metro on this project. We believe it represents what is great about our city and this neighborhood—mixed-use, mixed-income, intergenerational and interconnected,” said Marian principal Justin Brown.
Marian principal Jake Brown added, “This project reaffirms our commitment to inclusive housing opportunities across a wide range of income levels, including affordable, first time home buyers, seniors and the sixth local Family Scholar House campus.”
The selection of The Marian Group comes after a community engagement process of over one year that included multiple on-site public meetings to hear the concerns and values of people from adjacent neighborhoods. In their proposals, development teams were asked to incorporate what was heard at public meetings.
Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith, who represents the area, said: “Today is a great day. Today is another win for our community. I congratulate everyone who worked so hard on the evaluation panel for several months reviewing and analyzing each proposal. The panel did exactly what it promised to do in delivering a recommendation on schedule, and that aligns with community priorities. I am especially impressed with the attention paid and results delivered to build affordable housing. This site will always be known as the historic Kentucky Baptist Hospital, the mission of which was to care for those in times of need. We are now moving forward with a project that ensures a better quality of life for all.”
Councilman Brandon Coan, whose district is immediately adjacent to the UGC property, said that he applauds the quality and attentiveness to community priorities reflected in all five of the proposals: “I am pleased with the process the city used to reach today’s announcement, and the importance that community sentiment and values played in shaping the future of the Urban Government Center property. The Marian Group’s proposal reflects the density, connectivity and variety of housing options that the community clearly desired. I hope historic preservation receives all due consideration but I am generally supportive of this project. 2018 will be a transformative year for the Barret Avenue corridor.”
For more information on the Urban Government Center and to view The Marian Group’s proposal as well as the signed letter of intent, please visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/advanced-planning/urban-government-c…
Solid waste collection services will be altered under the following schedule for the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weeks:
- Garbage/yard waste/recycling
- There will be no residential garbage, yard waste or recycling collection on Monday, December 25 or Monday, January 1 within in the Urban Services District (former Louisville city limits). Residents who normally have garbage/yard waste/recycling collection on Monday will have service instead on Tuesday, December 26 and Tuesday, January 2. The Tuesday-Friday schedule will also be delayed by one day.
- Residents normally serviced by private waste haulers should check with those companies for holiday collection schedules.
- Staffed Recycling Centers
- These centers will be closed Saturday December 23, Monday December 25, Saturday December 30 and Monday January 1:
- East District Public Works Yard 595 N. Hubbards Lane
- Metro Parks Landscaping 9300 Whipps Mill Road
- Southwest Government Center 7219 Dixie Highway
- Central Government Center 7201 Outer Loop
- Waste Reduction Center 636 Meriwether Avenue
- These centers will be closed Saturday December 23, Monday December 25, Saturday December 30 and Monday January 1:
- HAZ BIN Hazardous Waste Facility 7501 Grade Lane
- Closed Saturday, December 23 and Saturday December 30
Louisville Metro has joined the nationwide “Smart911” service, which allows residents, businesses, and visitors to provide information to 9-1-1 dispatchers in advance of emergencies.
The free Smart911 service allows individuals and businesses to create online safety profiles with home, workplace, mobile phone numbers, along with additional information that would be valuable to 911 operators and first responders during an emergency. This information often includes home or work addresses, details about medical conditions, pets, and emergency contacts. Users are prompted to update their safety profiles every six months to ensure their information remains accurate.
Smart911 safety profiles are kept confidential and secure, and are only available to trained 911 operators in participating 9-1-1 centers across the country. This allows dispatchers to access profile information for traveling mobile phone users, and makes it easy for landline customers to update profiles with new numbers after moving.
Residents can sign up for LENSAlert and complete their Smart911 safety profile by visiting louisvilleky.gov and clicking on “Sign up for emergency alerts.” A simple way to sign up on your smartphone is to text “LENSAlert” to 67283 – this will automatically opt you in to emergency alerts and a link will be sent in a text message to complete your safety profile.
Mayor Fischer announced yesterday that he is creating a task force to review city policies and procedures in dealing with homeless encampments.
The new Homeless Encampment Task Force will be led by Eric Friedlander, the city’s Chief Resilience Officer, and will include representatives from the Coalition for the Homeless, St. John’s Center, LMPD, Metro Corrections and Metro’s Office for Resilience and Community Services.
“The way that Louisville Metro Government takes on challenges, from economic development to public safety to sustainability, is to bring people who have different perspectives together around a common purpose,” the Mayor said. “The task force will help us find better ways to serve our homeless citizens.”
Mayor Fischer also announced his support for Metro Councilman Bill Hollander’s homeless protection ordinance, which, among other procedures, would mandate 21-day notices before clearing out homeless encampments. And the Mayor said he is suspending all operations clearing out homeless encampments until after the ordinance passes and/or updated procedures are in place.
The goal, he said, “is to build on the success we’ve had in reducing homelessness in our city.” For example:
- The Long Term Housing Division of Resilience and Community Services subsidizes housing and provides case management for over 400 citizens who used to be homeless.
- In 2014, Mayor Fischer joined mayors across America in signing the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness and, working with the Coalition for the Homeless and other agencies, secured housing for all 360 homeless veterans known at the time, achieving “functional zero” by November 2015. The city now has procedures in place to house homeless veterans as soon as they are identified, and remains at “functional zero” for homeless veterans.
- On Aug. 1, the Coalition for the Homeless and a team of local service providers and community leaders launched the 100-Day Challenge: To house at least 100 homeless youth and young adults in our city by Nov. 8. The city exceeded the goal, housing 115 youth within those 100 days.
Citing Metro government budgetary pressures and reductions in state and federal funding for such work, the Mayor also today urged all citizens and private organizations to step up and help out, by volunteering time and donating funds to help the homeless.
“Every human being who finds themselves living on our streets is an individual with their own story and their own needs. And we want to treat them with dignity, respect and compassion, and do everything we can to help them get the resources they need,” he said. “That’s a shared community goal, and it will take the work of all of us to realize that goal.”
He encouraged people to find out more by going to the Coalition for the Homeless website, at Louhomeless.org.
If you want to be a good neighbor and a good business owner, Councilwoman Madonna Flood (D-24) announces the next South Central Regional Forum will focus on Metro Codes & Regulations on Wednesday, December 20th.
“One of the most confusing issues we have to deal with in Metro Louisville is code enforcement,” says Flood. “Many times property owners and business owners do not fully understand what is expected of them when it comes to property maintenance.”
The forum is set for the new South Central Regional Library at 7400 Jefferson Boulevard from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
Metro Code Enforcement Officers will be on hand to discuss how to follow the local property maintenance ordinances that are on the books in the city. Those ordinances deal with everything from grass cutting to safety issues for the public when it comes to property.
“This is a chance to talk with the people who enforce all of our codes and get a better understanding of how to file a complaint if you have a problem property in your neighborhood,” says Flood.
These forums are sponsored by Councilwoman Flood and Council members James Peden (R-23), Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13) and Barbara Shanklin (D-2).
For more information about the next South Central Regional Forum, then contact Councilwoman Flood’s office at 574-1124.
In an effort to ensure Louisville’s public art and monuments not only tell our history but also showcase our community values, Mayor Greg Fischer announced steps to establish principles for such works, while creating additional opportunities for artists to explore issues of race, discrimination, xenophobia and values.
“Art plays an important role in not only telling the stories of our past but vividly highlighting who we are and who we want to be,” Mayor Fischer said. “2017 has highlighted the immense amount of work left to do to create a country where liberty and justice are enjoyed by all citizens, regardless of race or creed.”
The city’s plan includes:
Mayoral Advisory Committee to Establish Principles for Louisville’s Public Art and Monuments: This newcommittee will begin work in January 2018 on what is estimated to be a six-month process. The committee members will be appointed by the Mayor and include representation from the city’s Commission on Public Art (COPA). Members will determine their meeting schedule and methods; meetings will be open to the public. The culmination of the Committee’s work will be a report to the Mayor.
Reclaiming Public Spaces for Untold Stories Louisville Public Space Art Fund Grant Opportunity: Recent community conversation and public input have highlighted the need for artwork that celebrates Louisville’s current cultural values. Through funds allocated via the fee-in-lieu option in the Land Development Code, COPA will offer a grant opportunity, inviting artists and nonprofit organizations to submit public art proposals that focus on untold stories and reflect our community’s current cultural values. Louisville Metro Government (LMG) is also looking for community and foundation partners to grow this fund and expand the work.
Metro Hall Rotunda Art Exhibition: For the past several years, LMG has contracted with Louisville Visual Art to curate and install exhibitions of local artists’ work in public spaces within Metro Hall. The 2018 exhibition provides a timely opportunity to utilize this platform for art exhibits, and an exhibition titled “HEROES” will include artwork that responds to historical and present injustice and our community’s future, with visual representations of everyday heroes by Louisville-based artists. A public event will be held to introduce the artists and encourage discussion of their works.
Additional programming and events that give Louisvillians the opportunity to learn, discuss and explore the history around race and discrimination in our city and nation will be announced early next year, the Mayor said.
These efforts continue the Mayor’s nationally recognized work in building Louisville as an international city through the Office for Globalization and as a showcase city for racial equity through programs like BeTheOne, Black Male Achievement, Louisville Promise and many others.
“It’s important to remember that we are not responsible for a history created before we were born or when we were children,” Mayor Fischer said. “We are responsible for knowing that history, understanding its impact, and creating our own legacy for the people of Louisville today, tomorrow and beyond. I believe these efforts will make us stronger.”
The Louisville Metro Council has selected Vitalis Lanshima as the new District 21 Councilman from a field of 13 applicants during its regular meeting on Thursday, December 14th.
“I want to thank you for this opportunity and I am here to serve the people of my district,” said Lanshima following the vote. “This is realizing the American dream for me.”
He took the oath of office with his wife Beth by his side. The Oath was administered by Jefferson District Court Judge Jessica Moore.
The Councilman is a sitting Adjunct Professor at Bellarmine University.
To learn more about District 21’s new Councilman, follow this link: https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/f9a8f8d4-b9c9-44c2-8fde-c1894937c6a9
