Downtown Louisville is getting a glow up!

The Front & Center Project is the first phase of implementation of Louisville's Downtown Vision Plan. The Downtown Vision Plan, adopted in November 2024, laid out a vision for improving the downtown area to revitalize and enhance economic activity in the area and to create a sense of place and destination for residents and visitors. The Vision Plan laid out a plan to implement improvements over the next decade. The Front & Center Project is focused on implementing the “short-term” improvements outlined in the Vision Plan. The City will need to refine the conceptual layouts from the Vision Plan to ensure that they can be constructed within the City’s available budget.

Timeline

The Front & Center project kicked off in early March when RVi Planning & Landscape Architecture was hired as the design consultant. Final design will be complete in March 2026 and construction will begin in later 2026. The City has also engaged ECI to provide construction-manager-at-risk services for the project. By engaging the CM/contractor early the city can get valuable input on project costs, constructability, construction sequencing, value engineering, and public communications. Additionally, having the contractor included as part of the team early will help facilitate creative sequencing and scheduling solutions to minimize impacts to the downtown area for residents and businesses. Exact construction timeframes are not known yet, but the website will be updated with construction schedules as they are finalized.

Who is involved?

The project is being funded by the Louisville Revitalization Commission (LRC) and the City and is being managed by the Public Works Department. The City has contracted with RVi Planning and Landscape Architecture for the design of the project. RVi has extensive experience on design of similar projects along the front range. The City has also contracted with ECI Site Construction Management to provide Construction Manager at-Risk services. ECI will provide valuable construction input during the design phase and will provide a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) to construct the project upon completion or near completion of design. The City is engaging downtown event coordinators, businesses, and other interested parties to ensure the project is functional day-to-day and across a broad range of activities and events.

What kind of impact can the community expect?

Residents who live in or visit the downtown area and businesses will be impacted during construction. The City is undertaking every effort possible to try to minimize impacts to the downtown area. By bringing on a Construction Manager at-Risk (CMAR), the City is better positioned to provide accurate and streamlined scheduling that will help minimize impacts. The City and the CMAR will partner to provide timely updates and extensive communications to notify the public of construction activities and impacts well in advance.

Are there opportunities for public input or engagement?

The public engagement for this project took place during the planning phase and development of the Downtown Vision Plan. Extensive public input was gathered to inform the final Vision Plan that was adopted by City Council. The Front & Center Project is now taking that input and incorporating it into the detailed design plans. There will be limited opportunities for further design input, and the project team will be holding an information session and open house to present the design at the 30% design milestone.

Who can I contact with questions?

For questions about the Front & Center Project, please contact the City's project manager, Assistant City Engineer Jordan Jeffries, at 303-335-4684.