ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) — The city of Elizabethtown wants to revitalize a part of town that was once bustling. And on Tuesday, crews broke ground on the next big step.

Louisville-based development group BKS Management will build a Hyatt Studios Hotel on East Dixie Avenue in the city's south end. The hotel will be constructed on a 2.5-acre piece of the 12-acre vacant lot, which the group purchased for $1,080,000.

The developer wanted to be one of the first to kickstart the growth they believe is coming to this part of town. 

"Being the first anchor on the south exit to start development, we're pretty excited," said Karah Shah, principal at BKS Management.

And BKS has big plans for the rest of the property, including another hotel and two new restaurants.

"We've had a lot of businesses that have located out here but we needed that one big anchor, that one big domino to fall," Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said Tuesday.

Elizabethtown Hotel Site

June 16, 2026. (WDRB Photo)

The city has already invested $4 million to upgrade utilities, and another $11 million from the state will fund major infrastructure improvements. Gregory said those improvements will include "street lights, bike paths, sidewalks and a brand new street on 31-W."

Locals hope those investments, plus this new hotel, leads to more businesses, restaurants, hotels and even a grocery on this side of Elizabethtown — similar to the north part of town.

Bradshaw Smoot, a native of Campbellsville, moved to town last year to open a butcher shop after he saw businesses starting to gravitate to the south end.

"I'm an out-of-towner coming up here," Smoot said. "You can tell during this interview right here there's a lot of vehicles driving by. The businesses on this side of town that pour into the community, I think they already thrive as is."

Construction work on the new Hyatt will begin soon, but there's no official timeline on when it will open. 

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