Tax increment financing approved for Louisville Entertainment District near Slugger Field

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Apartments, parking lots, a hotel, restaurants and more could be coming to the area near Slugger Field in downtown Louisville.

The $250 million mixed-use development project was announced in 2024, and it's been a waiting game for construction to start. But now, thanks to some financial assistance, work is expected to begin soon.

"It's going to be 250 living units, it's going to be a new hotel, new restaurant," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Tuesday. "This is a great win-win opportunity for the community as well, as we seek to bring more residents to living here in downtown Louisville."

New renderings released in May for the Louisville Entertainment District shows a 500,000-square-foot development with office, retail, restaurant, hospitality and entertainment uses.

Last week, the Louisville Arena Authority approved a tax increment financing carve-out for the project, pushing it forward.

"That's critically important because that helps make that happen," Greenberg said.

The buildings will go in the parking lot right next to Slugger Field, which has Louisville Bats President Greg Galiette excited about the future.

"It's really neat, the fact that it just keeps crossing hurdles," Galiette said.

Galiette said when the Louisville Bats moved downtown, there was nothing. But, he said, that's not the case anymore.

"Moving in here in 2000 with blighted buildings and empty warehouses and office space around us and to watch everything now transform itself, basically we're now in a full-fledged neighborhood," he said. "This hopefully will be the next step to take it to the next level."

The hope is that the next step is growing the area into a sports entertainment district.

"It should continue to energize the sports community and basically make it year-round, a calendar-wide opportunity for fans to enjoy various sports during different times of the year," Galiette said.

Greenberg said construction should start in early 2027.

"We're excited about the possibilities and hopefully, once we get to 2027, we'll start putting some shovels in the ground," said Galiette. "Hopefully we can get this to the finish line."