Access Louisville

A couple of interesting businesses hit the market recently, which we talk about on this week's Access Louisville podcast.The first is Colonial Gardens, a South Louisville landmark that's home to four restaurants: Hokkaido Ramen & Sushi, Costa Del Sol, Craft House Pizza and The B.A. Colonial. It was redeveloped by Louisville-based Underhill Associates starting in 2017. LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett spoke with Underhill Associates president Jeff Underhill about why now is the right time to sell. “We’re developers. We’re not buy and hold guys," he told Stinnett. The fact that the development is full with the four restaurants having strong leases is probably a strong selling point as well. After that, Reporter Michael L. Jones tells us about Third Street Dive being put on the market. He spoke with Lynne Frost, who's owned the establishment since 2010 about how the bar still does good business and has actually become a bit touristy in more recent years (it's close to several hotels

We talk about a couple of local projects that appear to be dead — or at least on life support — during this week's Access Louisville podcast.The first is the proposed Dream Hotel — a $100 million hotel project that was proposed on Main Street a few years ago. As LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett reported recently, the effort is indefinitely on hold, according to a Louisville Metro Government official. Louisville isn't the only city where Dream Hotel projects have faced some issues. After that, we talk about a retail development in J'town (which was suspected to include a new Publix location) that looks to have been stopped as well. The property where the development was proposed needed a rezoning in order to move forward, which was denied by Louisville Metro Council. And now the deadline to appeal that action has passed.It's not all bad news though. We also talk about plans to move forward with redevelopment of the former Jeffboat property in Jeffersonville, Indiana, now that a developer h

Fourth Street Live needs something. What that something is — well, that sounds like a fun idea for a podcast. The Downtown Louisville entertainment district recently marked 20 years without any fanfare, as seven of its 20 locations are vacant. On this week's Access Louisville podcast, LBF Reporter Michael L. Jones tells us about the history of the entertainment district, how it came to be and decisions that were made at the time of its founding. He also fills us in on his conversation with the Cordish Cos.' Zed Smith about future plans for the site.We use that as an excuse to share some of our favorite Fourth Street Live memories and ideas for what we'd want to see there in the future.After that, we talk about a potential lawsuit that has been threatened regarding the redevelopment of the Urban Government Center off Barret Avenue. The long-stalled project could be getting put on the back burner yet again. After that, we switch gears to talk about some recent restaurant and retail news, includin

Sometimes you have to power through the beginnings of things.That seemed to be the case for the Louisville Economic Development Alliance (LEDA), a newly-formed group of local business leaders who are taking the reins of economic development under Mayor Craig Greenberg. The group got started this week under buggy circumstances, as Reporter Michael L. Jones explains on the Access Louisville podcast. Some of the issues included a failed attempt to record the public meeting, microphone feedback and an awkwardly arranged room that had members of the alliance sitting with their backs to the press in attendance.In spite of the issues, the effort does bring a lot of the city's biggest players in business to the table to focus on economic development. Among the board members are Lawson Whiting, president and CEO of Brown-Forman; Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Inc. and Brian Cromer, partner and chair of the business and finance group at Stites & Harbison, PLLC. You can see the full list of who's

We talk about Louisville's hotel needs on this week's Access Louisville podcast — specifically in light of a proposed new 27-story hotel tower in Downtown Louisville.Louisville Business First was first to report New York City-based commercial real estate developer Zyyo’s plans to construct the $175 million tower, which would sit at 140, 138 and 136 West Market Street. The site is across from the future Canopy by Hilton hotel, which is another Zyyo development that is currently under construction.Louisville has about 23,000 rooms while regional neighbor Nashville has more than 50,000, according to Cleo Battle, Louisville Tourism President and CEO. Indianapolis has about 40,000. Columbus, Ohio is north of 30,000.The reaction to the tower plans from city leaders like Battle have been favorable, though the comment section on LBF's Facebook page has been critical (Wait!? People on the internet are mad about something?)In addition to the tower plans, we also chat about some restaurant news including

Is Louisville overdue for a different approach to economic development?We chat about that on this week's episode of the Access Louisville podcast. Specifically, we discuss Mayor Craig Greenberg's recently unveiled plan for a public-private-partnership aimed at economic development, which takes the form of a new nonprofit group that is to include many business and nonprofit leaders at the helm. (We also chat about how the last few months have unfolded for Mayor Greenberg, including turbulent weeks at the Louisville Metro Police Department of late.)On the topic of economic development, we make some comparisons between the strategies of Louisville and Southern Indiana. Reporter Piper Hansen recently spoke with Lance Allison, the new president and CEO of One Southern Indiana, to gain some insights on that. One Southern Indiana is the economic development agency and chamber of commerce for Clark and Floyd counties. She also recently sat down and discussed economic development with Wendy Dant Chesser, chi

In the last few decades, plenty of Louisvillians have made their way through the ranks of Young Professionals Association of Louisville. But have you ever wondered how that organization got its start? As YPAL approaches its 25th anniversary, we sit down with its founders Cynthia Knapek, president of the Leadership Louisville Center; and Christy Ames, general counsel and EVP at Republic Bank & Trust Co.The two tell us how they were each looking for ways to connect with other professionals and with the leadership in the city at the time. They wanted to build something that lasted too — though they each admit they weren't thinking 25 years into the future back when they founded the organization.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular services such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Louisville became the first city in Kentucky to pass a Fairness Ordinance protecting members of the LGBTQ community 25 years ago.To mark that important milestone and to discuss 2024 victories at the Kentucky Statehouse, the Access Louisville podcast sat down with Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, for an interview as the organization also celebrates Pride Month. Hartman told us 1999 was a landmark year for LGBTQ rights in Kentucky and, of course here in Louisville, where the Fairness Campaign had worked, built grassroots support, political support and then ultimately Board of Aldermen support to finally — after almost a decade —pass the original Fairness Ordinance. It was the first in Kentucky and among the first in the nation to protect LGBTQ folks from discrimination. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First and available on popular podcast services such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Louisville Business First set out to put some of the city's development issues under the microscope in a recent special feature we call Opportunity Louisville.And we talk about those issues and some of our coverage on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Reporters Michael L. Jones and Piper Hansen, who have led our coverage on these issues,  are on the show to talk about what they've learned. A key takeaway seems to be that both developers and even some city officials seem to agree that changes are necessary on the permitting and rezoning fronts. And the problems we have in our land development codes are affecting both commercial and residential development. That hurts Louisville in a couple of different ways.Of course the podcast is just to tip of the iceberg. If you really want to get into heart of the coverage check out the links below:Pain points: Is there a cure for Louisville's development dilemma?How middle housing could increase housing stock optionsDevelopment professionals say

Louisville's restaurant scene always gives us plenty to talk about. And it leads this week's Access Louisville podcast.We chat about the new executive chef at the Brown Hotel, who comes to Louisville via a similar position at the Trump Hotel in Chicago. After that, LBF restaurant Reporter Michael L. Jones tells us about a new ramen restaurant in the Highlands, Kiwami Ramen, which opened at the site of the former Wild Ginger restaurant. Kiwami is part of a wave of recent Asian restaurants to open in the area and shows how the local market is maturing, he said.We also chat about bourbon on the show this week, hearing about a recent trip to Wild Turkey Distillery near Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. And we talk about an effort to bring an estate in Oxmoor into the bourbon world.Late in the show, we get into a conversation about sports betting. including why gamblers (and sports leagues) love parlay bets.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.Apple Podcasts | SpotifyThis week we’ll start things off by looking back on the week that was at Valhalla Golf Club for the 106th PGA Championship. We had a team of reporters and photographers out there (including yours truly) on the course for every day of the tournament. Piper Hansen will talk about what she encountered at the course on Friday after news broke about the fatality of a security guard and the subsequent arrest of Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world. We’ll also talk about the latest from the footage that was recently released involving Scheffler and one of the detectives from the Louisville Metro Police Department. I will also share a story about what I encountered at Valhalla on Tuesday when — like on Friday — stormy weather jumbled up the planned schedule. We will also talk about Valhalla’s chances of playing host to another PGA Championship

Dan Maloney, director of the Louisville Zoo,   joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week. During the show, LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy interviews Maloney about a number of different goings on at the facility, including its accreditation process. The two also talk about plans what is current the elephant exhibit in the Zoo. The elephants are being retired to a sanctuary. https://louisvillezoo.org/elephantjourney/This could be a real positive for the neighboring, rhino exhibit.The two also talk about the trails exhibit and the Zoo’s train, among other topics. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular podcast services, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above. 

We lead this week's Access Louisville podcast with a conversation about West Coast hamburger chain Jack in the Box and its journey from San Diego to the Midwest.Louisville Business First Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on the show to talk about where the chain is heading next. He recently spoke to Franchisee Shane Paul about the company's plans to open in Westport Plaza in real estate that was formerly home to Chase Bank. In total, Paul said he is planning to open six new Jack in the Boxes in the Louisville area over the next three years. We have full details on the expansion plans here. We also talk about the cost of opening a Jack in the Box, usually around $2 million and that's not including the franchise fees.After that, we chat about things we noticed this year at the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby. The whole Access Louisville/LBF crew was at the Derby, as usual, and you can find our coverage of the event here. And finally, we wrap up the show with talk about the latest hospital safe

Kentucky Kingdom's Sarah Worrell joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week to talk about what's next for the park. The biggest change is several months out, but exciting nonetheless: 'Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom.’The idea, she explains is a family-friendly wonderland that will even include a snowmaker and snow-tubing. It's part of an $8 million investment and comes a few years after the park was acquired by Herschend Family Entertainment in 2021.  Worrell, who came on board just after that deal, said the company is looking to create four seasons of fun.After the interview we talk about a few recent news stories, including Kentucky's first Montessori school hitting the market for $2.5 million. We also chat about Gustavo's opening at a new location and Tumbleweed closing one location. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast for Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services.

Will the world ever embrace Kentucky bourbon the way it embraces Scotch whiskey? We chat about that a bit on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Bourbon Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt is on the show with news that Buffalo Trace is opening an attraction in London, England. Buffalo Trace Distillery London, a 2,000-square foot facility will be located at 32-33 Long Acre in Covent Garden in the city’s West End. Plenty of Kentucky bourbon brands are trying to grow their international markets. And this will mark the first time that such a venue will be open for one of Sazarac’s flagship brands outside of its original production campus in Frankfort, Kentucky. So we chat about which international cities might be a good fit for bourbon attractions. Tokyo comes up in that discussion considering that some big Kentucky brands have ties to Japan.After the bourbon talk, we go over a few other recent news items.Reporter Piper Hansen tells us about a recent law that will allow the city to perform random inspections on re

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.Apple Podcasts | SpotifyWe've got a three-course meal on this week's edition of the Access Louisville podcast. First off, we talk with Special Sections and Research Editor Allison Stines about what stood out to her the most about our most recent Business Women First luncheon in Downtown Louisville — including the best piece of advice she heard out of all of our honorees. We will also talk with Reporter Piper Hansen about the event's guest speaker, Kristel Bauer.After that, we continue our chat with Piper about a new apartment complex, The Bend, a $50 million project in Clarksville, Indiana, that recently celebrated its ribbon cutting. Hansen will also provide an update on the zoning issues that are affecting readers in Kentucky — and some insight into the ongoing political back-and-forth between Gov. Andy Beshear and the General Assembly in Frankfort. We close out

Doug Owen, senior vice president, principal broker Kentucky, for JLL joins the Access Louisville podcast this week to talk about the state of Downtown.It's a mix of both good news and bad news Owen says.There have been some wins for Downtown Louisville including a move by accounting firm Forvis into the top floor of the PNC tower earlier this year. And news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking a lot of space in Downtown Louisville was also a positive.But there are challenges as well — with many people citing safety as an issue considering homeless and panhandling at many intersections. "It's not the image you want to portray, in terms of coming into downtown — having somebody greeted by a panhandler. And then we have some mentally ill people walking the street. And so that's where the city needs to focus." Owen said he realizes it's not a popular opinion but it is having an impact on tenants leasing downtown because they hear about safety concerns from their employees

We've got a roundup of recent restaurant news on this week's Access Louisville podcast.First off, we talk to Reporter Michael L. Jones about how he got the story of Anoosh Bistro in East Louisville selling to a new owner. Jones said it started with him seeing a photo online of Anoosh Shariat and Chef David Danielson posing together. Turns out that Anoosh had sold the restaurant to Danielson, who had always dreamed of having a place like it. Details on the Anoosh Bistro sale can be found here. After that we talk about a few more restaurant items, including a new location for Popeyes Chicken in West Louisville and a new location of Chik-fil-A in St. Matthews. We also talk about some expansion plans from Louisville-based breakfast and brunch chain Wild Eggs, which is eyeing the Lexington market. This leads to a discussion of our favorite local breakfast dishes.Finally, we wrap up the show with some 2024 solar eclipse talk. Reporter Piper Hansen posted a story on how the celestial event is expected to b

We've got a special Access Louisville Podcast this week — and it's special for a couple of reasons.First, two guests join us: Jerry Abramson, former mayor of Louisville and executive-in-residence at Spalding University; and Christina Lee Brown, philanthropist and namesake of the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute.Secondly, this week's show is special because it was recorded in front of a live audience at our offices in Downtown Louisville for the first time.The theme of the show was to look back at Louisville's milestones over the past 40 years. What did we get right? What surprised us? And what's on our wishlist for the future?The expansion of what is today known as Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport was one example that Abramson highlighted. But we also talked about more recent developments, such as the building of the River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville. As far as looking ahead at what the city needs in the future, Brown said the top thing on her wishlist i

Garth Williams, general manager of Derby City Gaming Downtown, joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week. Williams tells us about getting the venue open last December, what he looks for in the hospitality industry and preparing for Louisville's busier seasons in tourism. After that we chat with Reporter Joel Stinnett about the prospect for converting former office buildings into residential spaces in Downtown Louisville. Such projects have found traction in nearby peer cities such as Cincinnati and Cleveland. And we talk about the surprising departure of Rob Lynch from Papa John's International Inc.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular services like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcast.