A company that runs horse trams along the Ohio River in Louisville has agreed to take $160,000 to vacate a pole barn to clear the way for the Ohio River Bridges Project. The Waterfront Development Corp. is buying the 1.7-acre strip from Louisville Horse Trams, which has leased a portion of the property since 1999.
The state has offered $585,000 for the waterfront agency's property. Waterfront Agency Executive Director David Karem told The Courier-Journal the state and his organization are negotiating on a final price.
The state offer matches an independent appraisal it received for the value of the parcel, which is vacant except for the horse trams business.
Julie Davis, who owns the tram business with her husband, David, said she is looking at several possible relocation sites.
"We have to stay in or near downtown," she said, but declined to discuss possible new headquarters sites for her carriage company.
Karem said state officials would like to have the horse tram business off the property by the end of the year. The plans for the new downtown bridge calls for a ramp to be built over the strip of land.
Karem said, "We have reached out to the Davises and want their business to stay downtown. We believe the carriages are an amenity" for Waterfront Park and for the community.