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By Marty Finley – Reporter, Louisville Business First
Mar 23, 2016, 12:48pm EDT Updated Mar 23, 2016, 4:46pm EDT
An East End apartment complex that was held up in a protracted legal dispute received its building permits from the city earlier this week and has broken ground, shooting for a December 2017 finish.
Louisville-based Hagan Properties Inc. is constructing the 356-unit 9910 Sawyer Apartments on 24.5 acres it has owned for years at 9910 Westport Road. The property backs up to the 650-acre E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park.
The site’s proximity to shopping at the Paddock Shops and Springhurst Towne Center and to interstate highways make it an ideal fit for new multi-family housing, said Wendy Hagan, president and multi-family developer of Hagan Properties.
“The demographic will be a blend of young professionals, families who want to be close to schools and shopping, nature lovers who want to be in walking proximity to Sawyer Park and couples who are at a stage in their lives when they prefer to rent a quality home rather than pay a mortgage and have the maintenance and upkeep of a traditional single-family home,” Hagan said in an e-mail.
When asked whether she is concerned that there might be too many apartment projects under development in Louisville, Hagan said a marketing study found a need for housing at the location.
The project has been years in the making. As we reported last yea r, a group called Vision for Integrity and the Expansion of Westport Road, or VIEW, opposed the building of the apartment complex and sued Hagan Properties and Louisville Metro Government. The size of the complex was one concern outlined in the group’s lawsuit.
A judge ruled in favor of Hagan Properties, and VIEW appealed. Eventually, a settlement agreement was reached. Terms of the settlement agreement were not disclosed. but Hagan said the company agreed to drop plans for three-story buildings in the complex.
“It took a long time to settle, but we finally got it settled,” Hagan told me during a phone interview Wednesday morning.
The project is a $49 million investment for Hagan, which is financing the project through the Louisville offices of U.S. Bank.
The 518,986-square-foot complex will be spread out over 22 two-story apartment buildings with 98 one-bedroom, 238 two-bedroom, and 20 three-bedroom units. Hagan said the complex will feature eight floor plans with 700 square feet to 1,400 square feet. Rent is expected to range from $990 to as much as $1,560 per month.
Hagan expects leasing to start in August and said the first building should be available for occupancy in October, barring any construction delays. The general contractor is HCC LLC, Hagan’s in-house construction company.
Unit amenities include granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, European-style cabinetry, wood-style flooring, crown molding and ceiling fans..
The complex also will have a 6,000-square-foot clubhouse with a study lounge and business center.
Other community amenities include two dog parks catering to small and large dogs, a standalone car care center and pet salon, electric car charging stations, a bike repair station, a playground and picnic areas with grills.
9910 Sawyer apartments also will feature several resort-style amenities that are popular with new apartment construction in Louisville, such as a saltwater pool with cabanas and an outdoor TV lounge, an outdoor fireplace, and a grassy lawn that would have festival seating.
Hagan Properties also plans to build a 468-unit apartment complex called Victory Knoll on a 35-acre property it owns at Blankenbaker Parkway and Ellingsworth Lane, near Southeast Christian Church. Hagan said that project is expected to cost about $65 million.
But Victory Knoll won’t break ground until late 2017 because Hagan said the firm wants to stabilize 9910 Sawyer Apartments and lease most of the units there before beginning another project.
She said company officials don’t want “two properties in production at the same time competing against one another.”