LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In the historic African American neighborhood of Berrytown, two residential properties on over four acres of land are going up for zoning changes.
One at 1408 and another at 1412 North English Station Road.
"I mean it's just heartbreaking," Jacolbie Board said.
Board's great-grandmother once owned the house at 1408 North English Station Road. His family moved from there in 2019.
"It's a nice amount of land to raise a family on you know and do a bunch of fun things like I said I grew up on dirt bikes," Board said.
While the childhood memories are still fresh, he just hopes the 1.39 acres of land at 1408 doesn't turn into apartments.
"This is not an apartment type of property to me it's not," Board said.
Dozens of concerned long-time Berrytown residents are against that type of housing and possible flow of traffic coming to the area.
Marilyn Harris, director of the metro office of Housing & Community Development, explained the goal of the project is to increase density.
This means the community has the option to choose either a zoning option that allows 19 lots or another that allows the development of 39 lots, ranging between 6,000 to 9,000 square feet.
"This is an idea of what it could look like, when we are ready to put this out for solicitation of interest to a developer we will say it is zoned X, Y or Z," Harris said.
Once the zoning is selected, the community will have a chance to discuss the type of housing they want to see.
After listening to the meeting, Laverne Davis, the former president of Berrytown-Griffytown Improvement organization, said she hopes Louisville builds housing that fits the area.
"I hope that they come back and say they have decided to build some single family houses that was the last thing when they went out of there," said Davis.
Louisville Metro plans to have another public meeting about the zoning change in Berrytown.
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