A 20-acre West End parcel after years of development plans falling apart has officially landed a new owner with a familiar name.
California-based Molina Healthcare announced Friday that it has purchased land near 18th Street and Broadway, putting into action plans it announced in 2020 when it purchased the Louisville-based Passport Health Plan.
The land was purchased for $8 million from Justify Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Evolent Health, which purchased a majority stake in the Passport Health Plan in 2019, according to Jefferson County deed records.
Passport had previously planned to build a much-anticipated health and well-being campus at the location, including a 337,000-square-foot headquarters, but construction was halted in 2019 amid a dispute with states over cutting rates on Medicaid programs. has been discontinued.
The steel frame of the abandoned project still stands where it has been dormant for years.
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Molina Healthcare currently operates the Passport Health Plan by Molina Healthcare. It is one of five health insurance companies contracted by Kentucky that provides Medicaid-administered care to her more than 300,000 low-income and disabled people, primarily in the Louisville area. increase.
The Nov. 4 announcement did not detail its vision for future use of the site. A spokeswoman for Molina Healthcare did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Ryan Sadler, plan president of Molina Healthcare’s Passport Health Plan, said in the release that the company sought input from community, government leaders, and local stakeholders to “make this facility a vibrant place.” To do this, we will think beyond our own needs.” ”
Molina, a Fortune 500 company serving more than 5 million members in 19 states, previously announced plans to locate its Kentucky headquarters here and support up to 1,100 jobs in the region. I was.
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Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Polio Said the district was interested This will be the first middle school to be built in the West End in at least 70 years, according to the district, when it purchases or leases a portion of Molina’s property to build the middle school.
An undeveloped piece of land near California that was once home to a Philip Morris tobacco factory was near Walmart’s headquarters before the passport plan, but the company sold $3,000 in 2016, citing business factors and significant delays. I pulled out of a million dollar project. litigation.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher said in a release, “With the views and needs of the community in mind, we are taking Molina Healthcare’s next steps in its long-awaited effort to return this vacant lot to productive use. I am passionate about
Business reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at mglowicki@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4000 or on Twitter @mattglo.
