LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A vacant lot just two blocks from Churchill Downs has become an eyesore for those around it. The former home of a Showgirls nightclub that caught fire in 2022, the lot has quickly become a place to dump trash.
Recently-unveiled plans call for a Taco Bell to take over the lot at Taylor Boulevard and Longfield Avenue. David Erdley, who lives nearby, hopes doesn't happen.
"It's just not a good fit, I don't think," he said Tuesday.
But Erdley said there is a bigger problem near their homes: trash.
"I can see me coming home from work and I park in the back and I can see me saying 'Damn, I can't get into my driveway,'" he said.
A vacant lot just two blocks from Churchill Downs has become an eyesore for those around it. The former home of a Showgirls nightclub that caught fire in 2022, the lot has quickly become a place to dump trash. March 12, 2024. (WDRB Photo)
Metro Councilwoman Jennifer Chappell said the trash in nearby alleys and around fast foot restaurants has been increasing, as many around the area have closed.
"With the businesses that are already on Taylor Boulevard, there is a huge issue with trash," she said. "And these businesses not keeping up with their property. So it is really creating an eyesore."
The old Showgirls building caught fire just before 6 a.m. on a July 2022 morning. Inside the two-story, 9,500-square-foot building, firefighters found six people inside, all of whom were able to exit on their own.
It took 30 firefighters about an hour and 15 minutes to bring the fire under control. Cooper said it suffered "extensive damage" and it may have been two or three different buildings in the past. The Louisville Fire Arson Bureau said its investigation determined lightning sparked the fire based off of surveillance video, witness statements and burn patterns.
Chappell wants to see a pharmacy go in that location.
"That would be great," Erdley said. "They have closed them all down. There was a Walgreens a mile down this way. There was one a mile down that way. They're gone."
The dollar stores that have moved in nearly are now also dealing with their own trash issues. Chappell would like a local company to move in, one that can value the community and give back, something other than a large corporate chain.
"Anything, one could argue, is probably better than a burned down strip club," she said. "But I think that we also have to be cognizant of what kind of development we're putting in these communities."
A community meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the South Louisville Community Center, where neighbors will come together to discuss the trash issues and how to prevent it from getting worse.
"We're trying to make this place — this area — nice," Erdley said. "It's not bad. It's not a bad place. It's got a very bad rep but it's not a bad place."
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- Lightning strike sparked fire at Louisville adult nightclub, arson investigators say
- 6 people escape fire at adult nightclub near Churchill Downs
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