LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The City of Prospect is looking to add a new downtown area to eastern Jefferson County.
According to our partners at Louisville Business First, there are plans for a 30-acre, downtown development that would include housing, retail spaces and a city square.
It would be located between River Road to the north, US Highway to the south, Timber Ridge Drive to the east and a floodway to the west.
A map of the proposed downtown area in Prospect. (Photo courtesy of Louisville Business First)
According to the plans, the downtown’s Main Street would feature larger mixed-use buildings with businesses on the ground floor. Plans also call for a pedestrian green with a pool, an outdoor amphitheater and park areas with trails. The architect for the project, Maryland-based Michael Watkins Architect, drew inspiration from Norton Commons, an area the company also designed.
IMAGES | Renderings of the planned multimillion-dollar downtown Prospect proposal
Prospect Mayor Doug Farnsley and the city approached local developer Wes Johnson with the idea of a downtown after Johnson and Wescott Construction purchased the land, LBF reported.
"The development of this land is something we had our eye on. …My goal has been that when it gets developed [the city] has a hand in that," Farnsley said. "The goal is to not be the traditional suburban model where all the houses are over here and all the commercial is over there, but to have mixed use. It’s pedestrian friendly, which Prospect is a wonderful place and it’s wonderful to walk in Hunting Creek or in the neighborhoods but you can’t walk to get an ice cream cone."
Farnsley also said the idea of a city center for people to gather in is another factor that makes this plan particularly appealing.
The land for downtown will have to be annexed into the City of Prospect in order for the full city vision to become a reality. Farnsley said he has 32 of the 38 signatures required for permission to annex the land, with two more residents ready to sign. Once all 38 signatures are attained, the city can move forward with the plan.
According to LBF, Prospect plans to create a tax increment finance district to help pay for the infrastructure needed for the project, but Farnsley said he doesn't know how much the infrastructure will cost yet.
The city's targeted groundbreaking date is in the first quarter of 2027. Farnsley said once started, the project could be completed within five years.
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