LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Riverport Authority announced it is launching a comprehensive master planning process to guide the future of the Louisville Riverport, one of the city’s key industrial and logistics centers.
Karen Fallon, who was born and raised in southwest Louisville, has lived in the area for nearly 60 years.
“It’s fun. It’s home. It’s good, hardworking people that really have a spirit of generosity,” Fallon said.
She works for Harbor House of Louisville, an organization with deep community roots.
“Harbor House is an intergenerational life center that provides services for our community by providing day services for adults with disabilities, senior care, and we recently added a child care center that’s open to the community,” Fallon said.
Fallon joined others to learn more about the Riverport Authority’s modernization plans.
“Our comprehensive master plan will evaluate upgrades to our 40-year-old marine terminal, strengthen our rail and road access, improve resilience to flooding, which is always an issue in this part of the county, and prepare our sites for the next generation of manufacturers and logistics employers,” said Executive Director Steve Miller.
According to the authority, the Riverport plays a vital role in the local economy.
Officials said its location within Foreign Trade Zone 29 gives businesses cost-saving advantages to compete globally.
About 120 businesses operate in the area, employing roughly 8,000 people. The authority reports that Riverport companies generate more than $8.2 billion in revenue and export nearly $5 billion annually.
“We want to make sure that economic impact grows in the years ahead,” Miller said.
Craig Greenberg said southwest Louisville deserves the same opportunities as other parts of the city.
“Southwest Louisville deserves every opportunity that every other corner of our city has. We are going to continue to invest there,” Greenberg said.
Morgan McGarvey helped secure $1 million in federal planning funds, with the authority contributing an additional $250,000 toward the project.
“When we invest in Riverport and southwest Jefferson County, we are investing in jobs; we’re investing in the future of Louisville. And we are investing in a future I think is going to just continue to grow,” McGarvey said.
Fallon expressed optimism about the initiative.
“It’s about time, and thank you to our mayor, to Morgan McGarvey, and to all of the business leaders that fight for us,” she said.
Miller said officials aim to have the master plan ready to share publicly within a year. After that, they plan to aggressively pursue funding and roll out improvements in phases over several years.
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