By Ziberia Puryear, Manager of Adult Services & Special Populations
Last year in 2022, Louisville Central Community Center (LCCC) launched its first Purpose Driven Developer Academy focused on introducing people to real estate development. Since that course was such a success; this year LCCC launched a more advanced version which includes an educational but also a practical application component of the Purpose Driven Developer Academy also known as Purpose Driven Developers Academy 2.0.
In the last decade, Louisville has slowly chipped away at the city’s vacant and abandoned properties with the help of the Develop Louisville\’s Landbank. However, there are still thousands of vacant, abandoned, and dilapidated homes in metro Louisville. Even with the city\’s efforts a lot of the properties sold were sold to developers outside of their local communities. LCCC is working with the Landbank to acquire properties and reserve blocks of vacant lots and abandoned homes for our Purpose Driven Developer Academy 2.0 cohort to help revitalize blocks that are plagued with crime due to these run-down properties in neighborhoods.
LCCC has begun the process of changing the demographic of those developers who will be able to develop properties especially west of Ninth St. On June 13th, 2023, more than 25 participants attended the mandatory orientation hosted in the Business Intelligence Center housed in the Old Walnut St. Plaza. The competitive application process resulted in 12 cohort members being selected for participation in the Purpose Driven Developer Academy 2.0. Classes began on Tuesday, June 28th, 2023, and these emerging developers are well on their way to establishing their business plans, registering with the state, and beginning the process to acquire funding and resources to begin their development projects.
While abandoned houses continue to rack up fines and others run the risk of being demolished, LCCC is providing a solution to a problem that has increased crime throughout numerous neighborhoods around the city. Our developers are in the process of learning how to transform vacant, abandoned, and dilapidated houses into affordable homes, new businesses, and additional housing solutions. Vacant and abandoned properties not only look bad, but they can also attract squatters, criminal activity, and are a potential health liability. The members of the cohort have several ideas in mind about the development projects they would like to lead including multifamily developments, tiny homes, modular homes, and multi-tenant commercial properties.
About Louisville Central Community Centers, Inc.
Founded in 1948, Louisville Central Community Centers, Inc. (LCCC) is a community-based, nonprofit, anchor institution that co-creates development of vibrant neighborhood conditions within which children, adults, and businesses can thrive – socially, academically, artistically, and economically. LCCC’s mission is to advance equity through empowerment of economically disadvantaged children and families within Russell, nearby neighborhoods, and the larger community.
For More Information
Website: www.lcccnews.org
Email: info@lcccnews.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theLtripleC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisvillecentralcommunitycntr/
Phone: (502) 583-8821
Address: 1300 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd
Louisville, KY 40203