LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The housing crisis has affected the entire country, and many Louisvillians have felt the effects of gentrification. 

An Anti-Displacement Ordinance was passed last year to address this issue, and Louisville Metro Council put an assessment tool that enforces the ordinance to a vote Thursday.

What You Need To Know

  • The Louisville Metro Council passed an Anti-Displacement Assessment Tool during Thursday's council meeting

  • It was a historic vote, as the assessment tool is the first of its kind in the U.S.

  • Robert Boone is a barber in Smoketown who grew up near his shop but is unable to afford moving back to the area

  • He has been a vocal advocate for the passage of the Anti-Displacement Ordinance and the assessment tool

Robert Boone grew up on Clarksdale Street near Smoketown, where he has his barbershop. He has been a barber for about 30 years.

Because of gentrification, Boone has not been able to live in the area. He and his wife now live in the Park Duvalle neighborhood.

“Me and my wife, we thought about, man, we wanted to move up here, but for us to sell our home where we at now to try and move up here, if we got any equity in our home, we still wouldn’t be able to afford it," Boone said. "And that’s sad." 

Boone is glad to at least have his barbershop in Smoketown, where he's been for more than a decade.

“Now, in just a few short years, what I’m finding is that even this unit and some of the other smaller units, the price is going up to meet what’s going on in this part of town right here,” Boone said.

It’s stories like his that have led to affordable housing advocacy efforts, such as the Anti-Displacement Ordinance's passage. This includes an assessment tool to measure whether a residential developer’s project that would use government resources could displace residents in the area.

If the project will drive up the cost of living, it will not receive government subsidies.

“This tool will ensure that public resources are allocated to developed projects that best match the communities they’re being developed in,” said Jessica Bellamy, lead organizer of the Anti-Displacement Ordinance campaign, during Thursday’s council meeting.

It was a historic vote that took place during the meeting. The Louisville Metro Council passed the Anti-Displacement Assessment Tool, the first of its kind in the country.

“The country is watching in this historic moment, as Louisville is innovating and pioneering solutions to the housing crisis,” Bellamy said.

Boone said while he's not sure if he will be able to find affordable housing where he grew up, he hopes the passage of the assessment tool will keep his barbershop’s unit at an affordable price.

“It’s just so important that we’re not driven out of this community because we’re needed, you know?" Boone said. "We’re needed." 

He said he thinks it’s important for Black-owned businesses to have a presence in the area.

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