January 6, 201511 yr Plans finalized today. Omni bought out the Cordish Company's interest in redeveloping the old Water Company block on Second Street at Muhammad Ali in Louisville (alternate proposed site for the arena now sitting at Main and 2nd). No more Cordish on the project... HOORAY! Along with the full plans, the mayor and reps from Omni unveiled a rendering of the 30-story structure: We've seen a lot of these things proposed and fail in recent years (This new building will look great down the street from the Vencor Tower and Museum Plaza!), so in the end, I'll believe it when I see it. BUT, this is one that just absolutely HAS to happen for downtown's future development plans. Not only is it a 600 room hotel, but it also will have upwards of 200 apartments and... wait for it... a 20,000 sqaure foot grocery in the residential section. An urban grocery has been the next absolutely necessary step to making urban living possible in Louisville. If they actually pull this off, it could potentially be huge for the city. Groundbreaking set for late this year with hotel to open by early 2018.
January 6, 201511 yr I just got finished emailing one of my bosses and saying "We could go work in Louisville". :lol2:
January 6, 201511 yr Author That tower would be the third-tallest in Louisville. In that rendering you can see how it absolutely dwarfs the Marriott on the other side of Liberty Street.
January 6, 201511 yr Author I just got finished emailing one of my bosses and saying "We could go work in Louisville". :lol2: All sorts of hotels opening up around here. The Loft Hotel on Main will be pretty small and the Courtyard that's about to open on Fourth Street isn't huge. I can't believe how massive this project is. I feel like it would have a much better chance of happening if the project was more scaled back. I've been following this thing since it was first announced over a year ago and now that someone's actually filed construction plans with the city I feel like it might actually happen.
January 6, 201511 yr Very VERY cool. I'd guess you're right about your "believe it when I see it" remark though.
January 6, 201511 yr On a related note...I noticed construction fencing put up and scaffolding erected on the Angel's Envy building yesterday morning. Add that to the Old Forester Distillery coming to Whiskey Row, and that's some seriously big business for Louisville!
January 6, 201511 yr Author On a related note...I noticed construction fencing put up and scaffolding erected on the Angel's Envy building yesterday morning. Add that to the Old Forester Distillery coming to Whiskey Row, and that's some seriously big business for Louisville! It took forever for them to start work on that Angel's Envy project, which I guess shouldn't be surprising considering what an environmental disaster that old Vermont American Manufacturing facility must have been. I saw the scaffolding this week too and one of the local news stations ran a story touring the building and talked about how work was starting this week. In the end, I'm not super-crazy about tourism being the boom industry in Louisville. It feels fleeting and lacks the real economic depth that booming cities have. To me, the grocery and the apartments are more important so long as they represent young, urban dwelling professionals who want to live there and... well... have a job at which to be professional. That's harder to do and will take time. Like I said in the other thread, losing Beam Technologies to Columbus was a sore loss, if for no other reason than it's indicative of the brain drain that's afflicted the city for too long. We're starting to do better but we need smart people with new ideas and groups of investors willing to set them up here in town.
January 6, 201511 yr I actually am eying the Loft project for opportunities, although I won't rule out the Omni. But, it's got to be the right opportunity. I am in a great place here at the Resort and I LOVE my job and they treat me really, really well. But, I love Louisville, and I miss it so much!
January 6, 201511 yr Author It took forever for them to start work on that Angel's Envy project, which I guess shouldn't be surprising considering what an environmental disaster that old Vermont American Manufacturing facility must have been. I saw the scaffolding this week too and one of the local news stations ran a story touring the building and talked about how work was starting this week. In the end, I'm not super-crazy about tourism being the boom industry in Louisville. It feels fleeting and lacks the real economic depth that booming cities have. I'll amend that last sentence to the extent that as bourbon tourism appears to be a growing thing, it represents a boom in the bourbon distilling industry, which is great for Kentucky. It doesn't represent a great deal in the way of jobs, but it may represent a great deal in added revenue.
January 6, 201511 yr This is exciting. I would live in that building if it was affordable (which it probably won't be :lol2:) #BringRockmomBackToTheVille
January 6, 201511 yr So what you guys are saying is that I will have something to see when driving into town besides an orange barrel?
January 6, 201511 yr Author So what you guys are saying is that I will have something to see when driving into town besides an orange barrel? No, the neverending road construction will stay... forever. As will the accompanying orange barrel.
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