The Local Development Corp. recently sold a small grassy lot on East Sixth Street that had remained unused following the demolition of a two-story pawn shop building on that site seven years ago.
Paul and DeeAnna Sova purchased the lot at 119 E. Sixth St. for $15,001, Downtown Renaissance Director Holly Boggess told Hoptown Chronicle. The Downtown Renaissance District noted the ownership transfer in a Facebook post on Aug. 5.
For several years, the Sovas have owned properties on each side of the lot — the Bella Marie Boutique building at Sixth and Virginia streets and the parking lot adjacent to the former 6th Street Boutique building. The grassy lot sits across the street from The Mixer Restaurant.
“We just feel like we can do something to make it aesthetically more pleasing,” said DeeAnna Sova.
The couple, who also own a landscaping business and garden store, plan to spruce up the lot with shrubbery and other elements. Although it won’t be a public park, it will serve a decorative purpose in the downtown retail district. DeeAnna Sova said they could occasionally add seasonal decorations, such as a Christmas tree and lights.
In March 2019, the LDC board discussed preliminary plans to install a pocket park on the lot after the pawn shop building demolition. However, the pocket park was never developed after several downtown business owners raised concerns during a Community Vision Plan meeting in June that year. They told Downtown Renaissance representatives that they were worried about the impact if the park, which included seating elements, became a hangout for unhoused individuals.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
