LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Hundreds of people poured into a Louisville community center Tuesday night to learn about a $65 million tennis and pickleball complex planned for Joe Creason Park – and, in many cases, voice opposition to the idea.
The meeting, led by the Kentucky Tennis & Pickleball Center Inc. development group, marked the first time that citizens could ask questions about the proposal announced last month after years of private discussions with city officials and other community leaders.
At Creason Park, developers want to build 36 tennis courts, 18 pickleball courts, a restaurant and other facilities such as a health club and sports medicine clinic. The goal is to make racquet sports more accessible and attract prominent tournaments and events to Louisville.
But neighbors and other critics argue that the park is the wrong fit for the project, which would largely cover existing tennis courts, parking lots and at a pickup soccer field at the public park.
Crowds milled inside the Cyril Allgeier Community Center, while the line to get in the Metro-owned building snaked outside. People carried signs reading “JOE CREASON NOW…WHO NEXT,” “NATURE OVER NETS,” and “SAVE JOE CREASON,” among others.
Barbie Bruker-Corwin, who filled out a comment card, said she’s opposed to the project at the park and argued there are other more suitable sites in Louisville.
“It seems to me that there's plenty of empty buildings around town, like the Big Lots. Build courts in those buildings,” she said. “Don't destroy our green space, and especially don't do it behind our backs when we have no voice.”
Chanting inside the gymnasium, a group held signs that spelled out “WE REJECT YOUR PROPOSAL.” Metro Council member Josie Raymond, D-10, estimated overall attendance at about 1,000 people.
A group held signs that spelled out “WE REJECT YOUR PROPOSAL" during a meeting about a development plan for Joe Creason Park, May 6, 2025 (WDRB photo)
Project representatives were stationed at tables on different topics, such as traffic and programming at the proposed facility that would cover 25 acres of the 62-acre city park off Trevilian Way near the Louisville Zoo.
Raymond said constituents she spoke with said the event was “BS. It’s a crock. It's an insult.”
“People feel really disrespected that they're given essentially a science fair format to walk around and look at posters when they want to hear from developers the actual plan,” she said. “How many sites did you look at? What's the funding mechanism? What's the tie to Bellarmine University? Why does it have to be Joe Creason? And they're not able to get those answers.”
Will Davis, CEO of the development company, said project organizers wanted to have a forum where people could get their questions answered. He described his interactions with those who attended as “very friendly, very inquisitive, wanting to learn more.”
“We obviously know we can't change everyone's minds on things, and that's perfectly fine,” he said. “But we want to answer any comments, concerns and questions that they may have towards it so they have a better understanding of it overall.”
Davis, who also is the men’s tennis coach at Bellarmine, was part of a tense exchange outside the community center, where several opponents, including former Metro Council aide Tony Hardin, asked why there was no formal presentation and why Davis wasn’t inside answering questions. Davis then went inside.
Hardin told reporters that the process hasn’t been “open and transparent,” noting that details about Bellarmine’s past role in the project and other information only recently was uncovered through open records requests.
Opponents have questioned a process that kept details of the plan hidden only until Mayor Craig Greenberg’s administration inked an agreement for public land with the development group.
“There are no projections,” Hardin said. “Nothing has been shared about actually how they will raise the money beyond $20 million from the city, and now $20 million that they stand to request from the state. That's a lot of public money.”
Metro Council would have to approve any lease and final plan, along with the proposed city funding from a municipal bond. The development team has said it’s too early to discuss the possible state funding, but they indicated that the city bond proceeds would be paid back with revenue from the tennis facility.
At least three Metro Council members attended Tuesday’s meeting. Asked about her position, Raymond said: “I am in opposition to this development in Joe Creason Park.”
“There's the project, which I think is the wrong fit. There’s process, which has been abysmal and disrespectful, and there's the people,” she said. “And we have seen from these developers that they do not have the skills or the leadership to lead this successfully.”
Council member Betsy Ruhe, D-21, said she’s received “well over” 100 emails opposed to the project and less than five in favor. “The community is very strongly against it,” Ruhe said, “and this does not look like a good process to allow the people to understand the situation and be able to say what they want to say.”
Metro Council member Ben Reno-Weber, D-8, speaks with a small group during a 'public input' session about a planned pickleball and tennis complex at Joe Creason Park, May 6, 2025 (WDRB photo)
Tuesday’s night’s meeting was “democracy in action,” said council member Ben Reno-Weber, D-8, who emphasized that the public input on the project is in the early stages.
“As we're learning more about what happened in the lead up to this--that's not awesome,” he said. “But we will have multiple opportunities for community input, and I think we're seeing that in action right here.”
Greenberg spoke about the Creason Park project on Tuesday, arguing that most of the activities happening now in the park will remain.
“This plan will mostly be built on top of what are currently parking lots and tennis courts,” he said. “There is a small area of the park around the lots and the courts that are being proposed to have buildings on them, but for the most part, this is being built on existing tennis courts and parking lot space.”
The project “would be a huge boost for our tourism economy, for economic development and for independent businesses that are located nearby Joe Creason Park,” he said.
Despite the planning for the city-owned land occurring in private, Greenberg said Metro and project officials will be transparent.
“I know the developer, the proposed developer, is committed to an open process. We are as well,” the mayor said. “We want to hear from the community about this project.”
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