LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Metro Government is looking for developers to "transform" three sites downtown to accommodate housing and mixed-use projects, Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) announced Wednesday.

Louisville Metro Government issued the Request for Qualifications on Wednesday, kicking off a process that could repurpose several city-owned downtown sites. The ultimate goal, Greenberg said, is to reinvigorate the area.

"Downtown is the epicenter of our growing city, and while we’ve seen significant investment over the last decade, we still have many more opportunities to enhance downtown. By opening these properties up to developers, we are taking underused assets and creating opportunities for our local economy and businesses to benefit from 24/7 activity downtown and to build upon the tremendous planned investments in public safety and infrastructure that Louisville Metro Government is making downtown,” Greenberg said in a news release.

The three sites identified in the RFQ create an opportunity for affordable and market-rate housing, hospitality, arts and entertainment, distilling/bourbon, commercial, grocery and/or mixed-use projects. The opportunity sites are as follows:

1. Louisville Civic Center, which includes four distinct sites – the Fiscal Court Building (531 Court Place), the former headquarters for the Louisville Metro Police Department (225 S. 7th St.), the Market Street Parking Garage (536 W. Market St.) and the surface parking lots on the south side of Market Street between Sixth and Seventh streets. Metro is in the process of demolishing the former LMPD headquarters.
2. Main Street/Washington Street, which includes the vacant lot at the northeast corner of West Washington and North Seventh streets, the surface parking lot at the northwest corner of West Washington and North Seventh streets, and the two lots at 615-621 W. Main St. Together, these sites total 4.24 acres and are commonly referred to as the Museum Plaza parcel and the ReSurfaced lots.
3. The Mud Lot located at the southeast corner of Jefferson and Ninth streets. The lot is 2.97 acres and is currently used for employee parking for Louisville Metro.

Here's where the sites can be found:

Downtown Louisville currently boasts 24 hotels and 10 distillery experiences, with more under development. Over the last decade, downtown has experienced billions of dollars in investment, including landmark projects such as the Omni Hotel and a soccer district anchored by the Lynn Family Stadium and major renovation projects at the Kentucky International Convention Center and the Galt House Hotel.

Additionally, downtown Louisville is home to popular business, art and entertainment venues with an estimated 19 million visitors who came to Louisville in 2019.

“Downtown will benefit from the reactivation of these sites, which in turn benefits the entire city,” said Rebecca Fleischaker, executive director of Louisville Downtown Partnership. “We are fortunate that the city can offer such a significant amount of property for redevelopment, and we look forward to seeing these properties add investment, energy and vitality to our Downtown.”

The city anticipates working with several teams on the development opportunities and will choose teams based on their qualifications, ability to complete the proposed work and their development approach. The deadline for applications is June 23, and the Department for Economic Development will evaluate all applications received by the deadline.