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Lisa Dischinger, owner and founder of Overlook Development, joined her business partner, Mark Lechner and her husband, Chris Dischinger, co-founders of LDG Development, as well as other community leaders to celebrate the opening of Frontgate Apartments. This development is located at 7411 Outer Loop and offers of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartment homes to this growing area of the community.

“As Mark and I considered those areas within the city that are often overlooked yet would benefit from having more high-quality new housing options, this corridor was an obvious choice,” said Lisa Dischinger. “The many amenities that Frontgate residents will have access to reflects my commitment to quality and long held belief that quality housing is the bedrock of any growing community.”

The opening of Frontgate, marks the end to a more than 7-year battle that almost prevented the development from opening its doors. Originally proposed as an affordable housing community, some neighbors and elected officials tried to halt the development by challenging Overlook Development’s classification as a female owned business. Dischinger believes this opposition was rooted in certain groups desire to prevent affordable housing to the area.

“The comments that were expressed by those who objected to our original plan were centered around the misconceptions about affordable housing and some of the hateful NIMBYism that is all too common,” said Dischinger. “These individuals hid behind these challenges as a way to keep this development from moving forward and to try and prevent working families from having the opportunity to live in this neighborhood. As we consider all that is occurring within our community and throughout the country, it is well past time that this type of housing inequality and injustice comes to an end.”

Situated on a 10.22 acre site, Frontgate has 212 units that span across 10 two and 3 story buildings. Selected amenities available to residents include a 24-hour fitness center; a pool surrounded by an indoor and outdoor lounge areas; a business center, a playground and many other amenities that help make this a place resident are proud to call home. Monthly rental rates at Frontgate range between $980 – $1,340.

Mark Lechner is also an owner and co-developer for Frontgate Apartments. Lechner has known and worked with Dischinger for more than 25 years as he and her husband, Chris, work to establish, build and grow LDG Development into one of the nation’s largest developers of affordable housing. Over the years, Lechner says that Lisa has gained extensive experience in developing multi-family properties and helped to establish the company’s culture that focuses on providing families and seniors with high quality housing, regardless of whether it is a market rate or an affordable development. Lechner believes these values remain a driving force behind LDG’s success.

“Although Lisa is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of LDG, I am honored to serve as her business partner in Overlook Development,” said Lechner. “When it was time to access some of the technical expertise needed to move this effort forward, it made sense for Lisa to tap into the staffing and other resources LDG – a company she helped to establish and build – provides.”

Financing for Frontgate was provided by Lechner and Dischinger as well as The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The development is being managed by Denver based Cardinal Management Group – an industry leader that manages over 28,000 units of multi-family housing in 33 states. Rebekah Fischer, director of operations for Cardinal Group Management, says Dischinger and Lechner’s commitment to quality made managing Frontgate an attractive opportunity.

“Cardinal Group Management is humbled to partner with members of the LDG family on the opening of their second market-rate community in Louisville,” said Fischer. “Our team is energized and ready to serve the residents of Frontgate with first in class customer service.”

Despite the criticisms and active efforts by some to prevent Frontgate from moving forward, Dischinger says she never considered backing away from developing this site. And while the original plans for making Frontgate an affordable housing development shifted, it still serves as a tangible example of the success women can have within the male dominated development industry.

“Our community benefits when there is a diverse pool of developers who can bring their unique experiences to their work and the areas that they serve,” said Dischinger. “I hope Frontgate serves as a reminder of what minority and female owned businesses can achieve when they have the support they need.”