Beecher Terrace a Documentary film about the history & legacy of the historic community by Lavel D. White funded by Louisville Metro Housing Authority is currently in production.

On January 16, 2015 the Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA) was awarded a $425,000 Choice Neighborhoods planning grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the Beecher Terrace public housing development and the Russell Neighborhood.  The Choice Neighborhoods program, which supersedes the HOPE VI Revitalization program, is centered on three core goals:

• To transform distressed public and assisted housing into energy efficient, mixed-income housing that is physically and financially viable over the long-term;
• To support positive outcomes for families who live in the target developments and the surrounding neighborhoods, particularly outcomes related to residents’ health, safety, employment, mobility and education; and
• To transform distressed, high-poverty neighborhoods into viable, mixed-income neighborhoods with access to well-functioning services, high quality public schools and education programs, high quality early learning programs and services, public assets, public transportation, and improved access to jobs.

HUD received 50 applications for the FY2014 round of Choice Neighborhoods planning grant funding and awarded a total of seven grants.  Planning activities related to the grant, culminating in the development of a community-endorsed, implementable, and financially feasible Transformation Plan for the Russell Neighborhood, will continue for two years after grant award, or until January 16, 2017.

Louisville Metro Government, which has contributed more than $500,000 to the project, will also work with the Authority and its partners, including Planning Coordinator, EJP Consulting Group, to develop financing strategies and begin securing funding to implement the Transformation Plan.

The Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) is a collaborative effort to create and implement a dynamic and transformative plan for the Russell neighborhood, including the Beecher Terrace public housing development. Called Vision Russell, the initiative’s boundaries span from Market Street to Broadway, and from 9th to 32nd Streets. The planning phase of this work is funded through a $425,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that was awarded on January 16, 2015 and matched by a $600,000 leverage contribution from Louisville Metro Government. Vision Russell was also awarded a $1,000,000 CNI Action grant from HUD on June 28, 2016 to begin making physical improvements in the neighborhood that enhance and accelerate the implementation of Russell’s Transformation Plan. This grant is being matched with a $375,000 leverage contribution from Louisville Metro Government. To learn more, visit the Action Activities Grant Page.  On December 12, 2016, the Louisville Metro Housing Authority was awarded a $29,575,000 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant from HUD for the revitalization of the Russell neighborhood and redevelopment of the Beecher Terrace housing complex. Louisville,KY is the only city in the country to receive all three HUD Choice Neighborhoods Grants.

Beecher Terrace a documentary film by Lavel D. White. Blu Boi Entertainment, LLC. Copyright 2018

Lavel D. White Producer/Director of Beecher Terrace. Blu Boi Entertainment, LLC. Copyright 2018

 

“If you have ever lived, visited, worked, played or have any memories of Beecher Terrace, please contact Lavel D. White for more information on how you can be involved in this amazing story of this historical community.” For more information contact Lavel D. White (502) 472-7941 bluboient@hotmail.com.