Ouerbacher Renovation Plans Narrowed

The number of proposals to renovate Louisville’s crumbling Ouerbacher mansion on West Jefferson Street has been whittled to four.Of the fourteen proposals submitted to the city/county landbank authority, only the four finalists were deemed fiscally sound. One of those plans would turn the mansion into a community center; another would convert it into an apartment building.Chris Poynter with the mayor’s office says none of the projects will be very easy, given the condition of the nearly 150 year old Ouerbacher house.“Obviously it’s going to take a lot of resources to redevelop this property but I think we’ve got four pretty good proposals from four respected individuals," he says. "The question now will be how quickly can they act and how will they finance the project?”If officials give the okay to one of the proposals, its author will receive a $100,000 block grant for the project. If they reject all the proposals, the mansion will be torn down.