Cordish continues to take over downtown, still city backed.

Excerpt:

"The Baltimore developer of 4th Street Live will invest at least $200 million in new downtown development under an agreement with Louisville government that calls for a city investment of about $25 million -- and the potential for a new "entertainment fee."

As part of the deal signed this week by Mayor Jerry Abramson, the city agrees that The Cordish Co. can later ask the Metro Council to help offset costs by imposing a 1 percent entertainment fee on all food, alcohol and retail goods sold at 4th Street Live, as well as its planned Center City development and The Gardens, which Cordish will renovate and operate."

Louisville, Cordish sign development deal - 1% 'entertainment fee' possible


Quite a lengthy article on the subject, the above excerpt does not even begin to touch on all specific details.


Even more surprising is the well thought, and compelling reader comments following the article (which the CJ site is notorious for a lack of.)

I'd like a few more specifics regarding the restaurants and bars Cordish plans to place in this second phase. The first phase, in my opinion, doesn't offer locals a compelling reason to go downtown. Can't I find the same sort of places in St. Matthews or the Baxter Avenue area? Also, there are no venues there that would "wow" the average tourist. No one is saying "All right, Louisville has an Angel's Rock Bar!" If they want to impress tourists they need Margaritaville, Trader Vic's, House of Blues, etc.

Now, this might not be a popular thing, but I believe that its a good thing. While any expansion is going to be rife with chains, which take the visitors money out of Louisville, the do employ Louisvillians. and locations like 4th street live, Aren't made for "locals". There is a reason this is across the street from the convention center.

Now, this might not be a popular thing, but I believe that its a good thing. While any expansion is going to be rife with chains, which take the visitors money out of Louisville, the do employ Louisvillians. and locations like 4th street live, Aren't made for "locals". There is a reason this is across the street from the convention center.

After the urban renewal of the 60's and 70's, was a word peeped? Hell no. So, let's be somewhat happy about the new and hopefully sustained growth along that corridor. Every attempt to restore 4th Street to its prominence in the 20's has failed. Unless some big bucks locals have the balls to make it happen, let's see what Cornish will do. They do have a proven track record. Yes, the locals seem left out, but it takes more than them for the core to survive.

This project is little more than vaporware at this point.

You all missed one important component of the 4th St. Live area that is a nice neighborhood retail option: Borders Books.

I don't find these types of developments to my taste personally, but if they draw people to downtown and people at conventions like them, I guess they are ok. But can you build a real downtown out of this sort of generic thing? I don't think so.

I've long been on record that downtown redevelopment in Louisville is not the imperative it is for other cities. Louisville's great neighborhoods are where it is at. Downtown can play a more supporting role in this town. Other cities without a similar collection of neighborhoods need their downtowns to be built up more. There's a heckuva lot more to being a great city than downtown shopping, that's for sure.

It seems that Cordish is creating the same Venue in Uptown Charlotte.

They started with the addition of "NASCAR Cafe".

We told about the complex on our tour of Johnson and Wales University.

Louisville easily fits within the Cordish model, compare the inner harbor of Baltimore with downtown Louisville,

Baltimore

Museums : Baltimore aquarium and Science center
nerby Historical Attraction: Fort McHenry

Louisville

Museums : slugger factory/museum science center
nearby historical attraction: falls of the ohio

Do locals like seeing downtown eaten by cordish, most dont but it certainly draws more attention than the galleria did. its just a part of renewel, things come in and go out...

downtown was hip, then it wasnt we move to the suburbs...they are just trying to bring people back downtown...people are moving back downtown, and does the hard rock get a little more business from it sure, but so does toast, proof, and dizzy whizz...