LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The addition of BlueOval SK battery plant is already creating some challenges for nearby Elizabethtown residents, but the city is working to accommodate the growth.
For people who live and work in downtown Elizabethtown, parking can be a challenge. That issue has been exasperated with the addition of the nearby BlueOval SK plant in Glendale.
Now the city and those who work and live around the area are trying to make some changes.
Kristin Kendall has worked in downtown Elizabethtown for several years and parking is now getting trickier to find.
"The downtown is growing the influx of cars coming downtown is definitely going up," Kendall said. "We do have labeled on there the different lots for parking as well."
The BlueOval SK plant is just four miles away. But even before the manufacturing plant, parking was a problem as the city and county continued to grow.
Meters were added, and then removed. One-hour parking signs were added, but never enforced. That frustrated business owners.
"We have people that are parking in those areas, they know it is not going to be enforced, they are kind of skirting it a little bit and they are parking their all day long," said Stacy Reynolds,  co-owner of Bourbon Barrel Tavern.
Mayor Jeff Gregory said the city is trying to catch up with growth and is working to be proactive instead of reactive.
Parking spot in Elizabethtown, Ky. on Sept. 30, 2024.
"Where we stand right now we feel like there is still plenty of parking for the situation we have downtown but moving forward with revitalization we are seeing happen down there it is probably going to be a parking garage one day," Gregory said.
A 300-space parking garage is estimated to cost $6-$9 million and may need to be built sooner rather than later.
Future projects include the former center courthouse becoming a boutique hotel with valet parking. The former Herb Jones car dealership was recently demolished to make way for a 200-unit apartment complex with retail on the ground level to help accommodate growth.
"As a whole in Elizabethtown we're feeling that," Reynolds said. "We're feeling that crunch as things are getting a little busier. It's getting tougher to get into restaurants."
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