Under-used site near University of Louisville to get new life

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A 1.4-acre site just across S. 4th Street from the newest University of Louisville student apartment complex could be redeveloped next year as a restaurant, retail space or even another apartment building.

Louisville investor Jack Dulworth, a former chairman of the Louisville Metro Planning Commission, bought the site at 2400 S. 4th Street for $1 million in August through a company called University Point, property records show.

Dulworth said he's still considering what to do with the site, which is at the corner of Industry Road and S. 4th Street, directly across the Grove student apartment building.

Dulworth said the old building on the property, which was built as a Kroger in the late 1950s and has had a number of other uses since, could be converted to a restaurant -- sit-down, fast casual or fast food -- or retail space.

Dulworth said he's also considering razing the building and constructing a mixed-use development with retail on the first floor and apartments on upper floors.

We're kind of looking at different options right now; there is a lot of interest in it, Dulworth said. It's obviously a prime location for university-related activities as well as a commercial corridor.

The continued growth of students living on or near U of L's Belknap campus is driving investment around the university, Dulworth said.

Obviously the university is growing at record speeds, and any sizable commercial property in that area is considerably valuable, he said.

The 16,000-square-foot building was a Kroger until the 1980s, then a restaurant called the Luau Room until the 1990s, and has also been a daycare and a nightclub, Dulworth said.

Dulworth said he will continue to test interest in the site until after the first of the year, when he will decide what to do.

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Under-used site near University of Louisville to get new life