Affordable Housing, Healthcare, Education Projects Coming to West Louisville

FRANKFORT, Kentucky — State and local officials gathered in Louisville last Tuesday, February 14, 2023, for the groundbreaking of The Eclipse, an affordable housing development in the Russell neighborhood.

LDG Development Co-Principal Chris Dischinger called it “an emotional day” because LDG’s work began on the city’s west side. “We’ve spent a lot of time here,” he said. “Today is a very, very exciting day because we know that what we are building will be as nice as any property in downtown, any property in the east end, any property in any neighborhood.”

The Eclipse will include 84 one-bedroom, 112 two-bedroom, and 84 three-bedroom energy-efficient units in addition to a clubhouse outfitted with business and fitness centers, space for meetings and social gatherings, and more.

“It’s really going to change the landscape of affordable housing in Jefferson County,” said David Starck, managing director of multifamily programs at Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC). “We know that quality affordable housing has an impact on people’s lives. It’s more than just a place to lay your head down at night. Affordable housing is a foundation for success.”

KHC invested nearly $3.5 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and $43 million in tax-exempt bonds to construct The Eclipse.

The event was an opportunity to celebrate affordable housing and the complementary projects—a Norton Healthcare hospital and Goodwill Opportunity Center—being developed in the area.

“We started saying, very loudly, about five years ago that we need to meet people where they are,” said Russell Cox, Norton’s president and chief executive officer. “We can no longer just say, ‘Hey, we’re here, come to us.’ We have to be where patients are if we want to change the healthcare dynamics in our community.”

The new hospital will be first one built west of 9th Street in 150 years.

Attendees were also treated to remarks from U.S. Representative Morgan McGarvey and Mayor Craig Greenberg, among others.

Kentucky Housing Corporation, the state housing finance agency, was created by the 1972 General Assembly to provide affordable housing opportunities.  As a self-supporting, public corporation, Kentucky Housing offers down payment assistance loans to assist first-time homebuyers obtain home mortgages, housing production financing, homeownership education/counseling, rental assistance, housing rehabilitation, and supportive housing programs for special needs populations.