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Shelby Park is probably the better location....next to Germantown (which is already gentrifying) and Old Louisville....i think you'd see the Germantown gentrification market eventually crossing that beltline railroad & Beargrass Creek to Logan and Shelby Streets (around that old church where Sojurnor is at and Smoketown USA).
Another outpost is Galerie Hertz on Preston, sort of leapfrogging put into Shelby Park.
Look on the map & you'll see how Shelby Park could be a good place for this, IF Germantown gets maxxed out/inflated as a gentrification market.
I would normally agree with you yes....but it is too cheap and too easy for Gil Holland and his team of investors to build a nice little warehouse district, scoop up 1000 shotguns for 10 grand each, and build a small little retail area, creating a national buzz as they did with Nulu.
I was a naysayer at first, but I wholly predict it happens. Louisville had one of its lowest homicide counts in the modern era last year, and West Louisville is starting to get its act together. The key to Louisville's continued success is the rejuvenation of this area.
Still, it is rare to see a city of Louisville's size with as many neighborhoods that are really already gentrified and "yuppied out."
Certainly the Highlands (which is a massive area both in population and sq miles, containing around a dozen sub neighborhoods), Clifton, Clifton Heights, Nulu, Butchertown, heart of St Matthews, downtown New Albany, even parts of Old Louisville and downtown qualify as yuppified.
Then you have the areas which are largely a mix of old timers and seeing recent massive yuppification.....this includes places like Germantown and Beechmont and even places like downtown Jeffersonville, IN. It is starting to stretch already into Shelby Park and Smoketown, and certainly Portland is the next frontier, although the last 3 neighborhoods mentioned are still full of more poverty and to a degree, urban blight in parts rather than hipsters and yuppies. A few businesses have already announced opening in Portland, some from the new urbanist suburb of Norton Commons (which is also coming into its own). Louisville awards first loan in bid to create Portland food hub - WDRB 41 Louisville News
Holland's Compassion Building and urban farm operation is set to open next year.
I have counted at least 8 new restaurant announcements in downtown Jeffersonville in the last several months, including 2 microbreweries. The above restaurant, Big Four Burgers, is indicative of the changes...dive bars being converted into trendy, modern spots.
This page showcases two of the very large, modern, infill apartment projects starting construction this year in Germantown and gives you an inside eye to some local neighbors and some great historical photos.
Also, Germantown has been named Louisville's Bushwick. Very interesting site here. The Highalnds is considered the "Williamsburg" of Louisville. To give you an idea, Lawrenceville was Pittsburgh's Williamsburg, and Bloomfield is Bushwick:
The "This is the Williamsburg" link is a hoot!....thanx!
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Yeah, Peter, good post above. I was in Jeff around Thanksgiving and again during Xmas and the Big Four Bridge walkway is going to land right next to their downtown, so expect that place to take off as a destination for walkers...something to do once you get off the bridge. Downtown Jeff is going to really pick up.
Quote:
Still, it is rare to see a city of Louisville's size with as many neighborhoods that are really already gentrified and "yuppied out."
YES! My thoughts too! I thought Louisville was doing good to have the Bardstown Rd/Baxter Avenue corridor....but now we ALSO have Frankfort Avenue, AND NuLU, AND the Barrett Avenue strip by Lynns has taken off.....this is just the food/drink/retail aspect. This is pretty impressive for someone like me who sees how other cities struggle to just get one such district off the ground.
THat being said, it will be diferent with Germantown as there are no real business districts there, just little strips like the one on Preston, by Sunergos & Nords, or corner store things lke by Checks or Hauks. But I guess Frankfort Avenue is like that, too....on and off buisness seperated by houses and such.
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Portland. Lets talk about Portland.
If Gill Holland can pull a Portland revival off he deserves national attention from urban policy types. The part of the neighborhood that I, personally, could see being a genesis for this is not the area he is focusing on but the old historic district area, around Rudd, Northwestern Parkway, etc..vicincity of Our Lady church & the Earick house. This area actually has some pretty good housing stock in terms of not too deteriorated, and also a lot of character. That part of Portland is actually being kept up fairly well.
After that, say, the blocks of Northwestern Parkway and Portland Avenue down to the Marine Hospital. That area is, too, has a good mix of stuff, conditions not tooo bad....could be better....
Then there is that area that is closer to downtown, the part of Portland between the redbrick industrial area (Shippingport something I think..its being branded) and, say, 22nd Street...btw Bank and Portland Avenues.....is possibly the 'worst" part of of Portland. The housing stock there is probably of some historic interest as I think it has some of the oldest shotgun housing stock in the city, but conditions are pretty rough and these older smaller shotguns down there are pretty spartan, lacking the grand italianate and high-victorian detailing and scale you can see in other parts of the city, and in other parts of Portland.
I'd like to see some investment or focus on that area around 26th & Portland, the vicinity of Shaheens dept store. There is some retail there but it could be added to and that intersection brought back as a neighborhood downtown of sorts, which is probably what it used to be. This district is, unfortunatly, a fer piece from the area Holland is focusing on, I think?
But who knows. Who would have thought Germantown would be a hot area, or even Clifton, 30 years ago.
The "This is the Williamsburg" link is a hoot!....thanx!
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Yeah, Peter, good post above. I was in Jeff around Thanksgiving and again during Xmas and the Big Four Bridge walkway is going to land right next to their downtown, so expect that place to take off as a destination for walkers...something to do once you get off the bridge. Downtown Jeff is going to really pick up.
YES! My thoughts too! I thought Louisville was doing good to have the Bardstown Rd/Baxter Avenue corridor....but now we ALSO have Frankfort Avenue, AND NuLU, AND the Barrett Avenue strip by Lynns has taken off.....this is just the food/drink/retail aspect. This is pretty impressive for someone like me who sees how other cities struggle to just get one such district off the ground.
THat being said, it will be diferent with Germantown as there are no real business districts there, just little strips like the one on Preston, by Sunergos & Nords, or corner store things lke by Checks or Hauks. But I guess Frankfort Avenue is like that, too....on and off buisness seperated by houses and such.
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Portland. Lets talk about Portland.
If Gill Holland can pull a Portland revival off he deserves national attention from urban policy types. The part of the neighborhood that I, personally, could see being a genesis for this is not the area he is focusing on but the old historic district area, around Rudd, Northwestern Parkway, etc..vicincity of Our Lady church & the Earick house. This area actually has some pretty good housing stock in terms of not too deteriorated, and also a lot of character. That part of Portland is actually being kept up fairly well.
After that, say, the blocks of Northwestern Parkway and Portland Avenue down to the Marine Hospital. That area is, too, has a good mix of stuff, conditions not tooo bad....could be better....
Then there is that area that is closer to downtown, the part of Portland between the redbrick industrial area (Shippingport something I think..its being branded) and, say, 22nd Street...btw Bank and Portland Avenues.....is possibly the 'worst" part of of Portland. The housing stock there is probably of some historic interest as I think it has some of the oldest shotgun housing stock in the city, but conditions are pretty rough and these older smaller shotguns down there are pretty spartan, lacking the grand italianate and high-victorian detailing and scale you can see in other parts of the city, and in other parts of Portland.
I'd like to see some investment or focus on that area around 26th & Portland, the vicinity of Shaheens dept store. There is some retail there but it could be added to and that intersection brought back as a neighborhood downtown of sorts, which is probably what it used to be. This district is, unfortunatly, a fer piece from the area Holland is focusing on, I think?
But who knows. Who would have thought Germantown would be a hot area, or even Clifton, 30 years ago.
DaytonSux...
You are little off on the plans for portland, although your historical knowledge of the west end is in general impressive, and probably a bit better than mine considering you grew up in the area (while I did not).
The area where they are starting with retail IS the Shaheens retail strip. There is a nice pizza shop and several businesses already there.
This video op ed is fairly well done, but only lays out a fraction of the plan:
If you search insider Louisville, you can find much better and more detail analysis for the plans. Some major things are already happening!
The Shippingport area you refer to is actually what is termed the "east portland" warehouse district in the video.
If you get a chance, take main down to 15th, pass the grassy field, and check out that great urban warehouse district. It is actually very isolated from the "bad" areas of Portland and you can literally walk to the river and feel like you can throw a rock at the Humana tower (it is probably actually 1.5 miles away).
Also Dayton, in addition to the retail strips you mentioned above, next time you are in town check out downtown New Albany.
Check out some of the ethnic retail enclaves developing. Specifically, old Bardstown Rd in Buechel, Preston Highway in Okolona, Ashland Ave in the south end, along with South 3rd street and parts of south side dr/strawberry lane. Buechel has some nice bosnian/russian spots. The south end and okolona has some great hispanic and asian spots, and now eastern boulevard along with blackiston mill road in clarksville has some GREAT authentic mexican.
Even shelby Park is getting in on the action. One of the largest gay urban tourism districts in middle america is underway, with a soon to open very upscale boutique hotel and club:
You mentioned gallerie hertz. You forget that Germantown does indeed have a current albeit small retail strip...Goss Ave. Haucks grocery, eiderdown and four pegs brewery, a couple other small bars, a tshirt shop. Certainly all the corner places...Nachbar comes to mine along with Hammerheads (among the best restaurants in Louisville, a very hipster spot). You have the old classics like Checks and even the new place opening I think across from checks. Germantown is like an old chicago south side neighborhood, almost like a Pilsen, with corner bars and old timers that is now becoming very hipster. Also, historically, there was a retail strip on Shelby Street, across the railroad tracks from Goss. I think there was even a Macy's there back as late as the 1940s? I recall seeing a pic of that on the Germantown Facebook site. A nice new lounge is coming to that area:
So, I think Louisville is seeing a Nashville type mini "boom" of course without the TV show and all the shiny new high-rises and notoriety. Certainly with a much larger and more historical housing stock, even with urban renewal. I think a few things hold Louisville back from becoming Nashville-esque. First and foremost is taxes and a poor business environment really fueled by being in the state of KY. Second is the lack of attraction of new white collar hobs, only the old standbys (i.e. Humana, Yum, Brown-Forman), and third is certainly the poor JCPS school system.
Last edited by Peter1948; 02-04-2014 at 12:53 AM..
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