Developer plans dance club at Bardstown Road spot

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A developer plans to build a one-story dance club and outdoor game yard on the lot containing a closed laundromat at 1125 Bardstown Road in the Cherokee Triangle.

The dance club would be between two existing nightclubs: Akiko's and Nowhere Bar.

Utopia Ventures, owned by Dustin Hensley, first filed plans in 2020 to build a five-story boutique hotel with 40 rooms on the former laundromat lot.

The latest plan calls for a single-story, 4,500-square-foot club with a bar, seating area, lounge area and a few rear parking spaces, according to documents filed with Metro government.

"They [plans] were first approved, right before the pandemic started, so we sat there for a while, and then inflation started occurring, and we still thought that we could get it done, and now rates are rising," Hensley said. "So instead of continuing to hold off, we feel like we owe it to the neighborhood to get something going, so that's kind of why we pivoted to do this project here."

But Hensley said the plans to build a hotel down the road are not off the table.

"We're hoping to leave the door open to do a hotel later, but you know, obviously that might be many years out after we get this build," said Hensley.

Neighbors like Shawn Reilly, who is the president of the nearby Tyler Park Neighborhood Association, are happy to see some change to the existing building.

"With this property being abandoned for so long we're excited to see something happen," Reilly said.

Reilly said he is disappointed the proposal to build a hotel is on pause.

"Thought was if we could get a hotel in the corridor the thought was it could get some of the Airbnb's out of the neighborhood and into a more proper hotel situation," he said.

The new building would front Bardstown Road with an enclosed patio and garage door, according to renderings.

Hensley said he's still in the early design phase. He plans to retrofit the existing building, but said due to its condition it may require some demolition. 

The project is also fully-funded, according to Hensley. He said once permits are secured, he plans to start construction by the end of this year or early 2023.