A local community group is making one final fundraising push to keep the Nia Center as a business hub for west Louisville entrepreneurs.The West Louisville Dream Team is currently negotiating the $2.1 million purchase of the Nia Center with TARC, Louisville’s public bus agency. TARC owns the building, which provides some of the only affordable office space in the West End. The Nia Center, located at 2900 West Broadway, also houses some city agencies and a drivers license office.Shaun Spencer is the founder of the Dream Team and operates a printing and notary service in the Nia Center. Spencer said her group has secured a mortgage to cover the $2.1 million purchase from TARC, but they need additional funding to cover closing costs, inspections and much needed renovations.The Dream Team has submitted a funding proposal to the West End Opportunity Partnership for that.“WEOP is based on this money, your money, being used to further develop the West End of Louisville, make sure that there’s economic growth there, to make sure the citizens, the residents of the area have a voice,” Spencer said. “The citizens have already spoken. We’ve already said we do not want it torn down.”The West End Opportunity Partnership is an organization that’s funded through a mix of private philanthropy and taxpayer dollars. Their goal is to spur economic growth in the nine historically Black neighborhoods that make up the West End.
Shaun Spencer, left, speaking about the West Louisville Dream Team’s proposal for the Nia Center on Friday.
WEOP’s Board of Directors previously discussed funding Goodwill Kentucky’s purchase of the Nia Center in order to tear it down and build affordable housing. Some tenants and residents pushed back, and the deal ultimately fell through.Now, Spencer said the Dream Team is asking the WEOP board to help fund their proposal to keep the Nia Center as a community asset. The group is asking for $1.95 for renovations and working capital, structured as a $1.5 million low-interest loan and a $450,000 grant.The Dream Team’s proposal is to completely renovate and upgrade the building while keeping the core mission the same: providing low-cost office and retail space for Black entrepreneurs.“We’re in a stage now where we have a unique opportunity to gain something for our community and for our legacy,” Spencer said. “We need everyone’s support.”Laura Douglas, the Partnership’s President and CEO, did not respond to LPM News’ request for comment.Spencer said Friday that the Dream Team is asking WEOP to “process our request for funding as expeditiously as they did Goodwill’s request to tear the building down.”The proposal last year from Goodwill Kentucky had been in the pipeline for months before it was ultimately voted down.The Dream Team has until mid-June to close on the Nia Center, so they are asking WEOP’s Finance Committee to take up the proposal at its meeting in April or May.The West Louisville Dream Team has also sent a funding request to Louisville Metro Council members, according to Spencer. That request is only for the revitalization of the building, things like new signage, flooring and windows.Metro Council will be headed into budget season later this month, which starts with Mayor Craig Greenberg presenting a proposed spending plan for 2026-27 on April 23.The council will then spend the next two months debating changes to Greenberg’s budget before finalizing their own version by June 25. Even if Metro Council allocates the money, the Dream Team won’t receive it before they have to close on the Nia Center.
