LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The $65 million plan to turn Louisville Gardens into a multipurpose soundstage is expected to start next year, with the project "a little bit behind schedule," a top official told Metro Council this month.

River City Entertainment Group, which former Mayor Greg Fischer’s administration chose last December to lead the proposal for the building at 6th Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard, has until early June to sign a development agreement with Metro government.

But the company has asked for an extension, according to the city's economic development cabinet. Speaking at a budget hearing on May 17, Chief for Economic Development Jeff O’Brien said the Gardens deal is slightly lagging because of other work elsewhere.

"It's not surprising," he said. "The developer is working on several other large projects that are out of the community, but they are moving forward."

O’Brien said he’d been in contact before that meeting with Tony Guanci, a principal in the River City group.

Another member of the development team, Scott Hodgkins, initially said in announcing the Gardens project that construction could start this year. O'Brien told council members that once work begins, a three-year buildout still is expected.

The building, which opened in 1905 as the Jefferson County Armory, hosted concerts, sports events, graduations and other gatherings before it closed in 2006.

Preliminary plans call for four soundstages for film, television, social media and other production work covering 40,000 square feet, along with a small theater, office and retail space, and a museum. The exterior façade would be renovated and punctuated with two eagle statues overlooking Ali.

The deal also would convert nearby state-owned property — between 6th and 7th streets, and Muhammad Ali Boulevard and Cedar Street — into a training facility for entertainment industry jobs.

Documents made public last year indicate Metro government would lease the Gardens for $1 per year in rent over a 10-year period.

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority has approved $700,000 in wage incentives over the 10-year term of the agreement. River City Entertainment Group would create 50 jobs at an average hourly wage of $58, which includes benefits. 

O'Brien told the council that city-led environmental remediation work will start soon on the building. 

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