KYTPC Structure and Financing
1. What is Kentucky Tennis & Pickleball Center, Inc.?
Kentucky Tennis & Pickleball Center is a Kentucky nonprofit organization. It is governed by a board of directors. In accordance with Kentucky law applicable to nonprofits, it will have no shareholders or private investors and will not be a profit-making entity. It has proposed to redevelop the nearly 60-year-old Louisville Tennis Center on Trevilian Way to meet the increased demand for tennis and pickleball courts, as well as to meet modern standards for such facilities.
2. What is the mission of KYTPC?
The mission of KYTPC is to expand access to racquet and paddle sports for all Kentuckians. Rooted in community service, the organization is dedicated to promoting health, inclusion, training, and competitive opportunities for players of all ages and abilities.
3. Is this facility being built by or for USTA?
The United States Tennis Association and its Kentucky affiliate have no formal connection to KYTPC. However, both USTA-National and USTA-KY are interested in supporting the growth of tennis and addressing the issue of a shortage of tennis courts in Kentucky and Louisville. Consequently, USTA National, USTA-Southern and USTA-KY strongly support the KYTPC project. It is likely that at some point, there will be arm’s-length contracts agreed to between USTA-KY and KYTPC relating to shared goals, that KYTPC will seek grant funding from USTA entities, or that KYTPC will seek to host USTA-sanctioned tournaments.
4. Is this facility being built by or for Bellarmine University?
KYTPC has no formal connection to Bellarmine, except that its CEO, Will Davis, is employed by Bellarmine as the head men’s tennis coach. KYTPC believes that it would be advantageous to the new facility to have a major college tennis team as a tenant, and in the future, it hopes to reach an arm’s-length arrangement with a college.
5. How will the facility be financed?
KYTPC has requested that Metro Louisville allocate $20 million in general obligation bond funding. Proceeds from the operation of the facility will repay those funds over a period of years, so that, in the end, the net cost to Metro Louisville is zero. It is anticipated that the balance will be a combination of private funding and a funding request that will be made to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
6. Does the facility provide economic development benefits to Louisville and Kentucky?
KYTPC has obtained an independent third-party economic impact study based on data collected by Louisville Tourism. The study projects an annual economic impact for Metro Louisville of approximately $18 million, $718,000 in hotel bed tax revenue, and $1.2 million in incremental sales tax revenue paid to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We believe that the economic impact will disproportionately benefit businesses in the neighborhood.
7. Is there any precedent for a public/private partnership to allow a private nonprofit entity to control public park land and operate independently on that land?
Yes, it is quite common. In fact, the original Louisville Tennis Center on this site was operated from 1968 until 2002 by a private nonprofit organization, just like KYTPC. The Louisville Nature Center next door is a private nonprofit organization leasing park land from Metro Louisville. Also, the Waterfront Botanical Gardens, another private nonprofit organization, is operated on leased public land. There are numerous examples of not just nonprofits but also actual for-profit entities operating on public park land. The Waterfront Park contains the restaurant property, which began as a Tumbleweed. The LouCity training facility is located in Champions Park. The Different Strokes golf range is located in Thurman-Hutchins Park. Iroquois Park leases land to a for-profit sports facility. Other public parks have areas controlled by for-profit operators.
8. What is the timetable for development?
a) Following public meetings to be held in May 2025, KYTPC will consult with city officials to consider any appropriate modifications to the master plan.
b) Following that, the proposal will be submitted to Metro Council for approval of the lease of the site to KYTPC and the proposed $20 million in bonding.
c) We anticipate that the remainder of 2025 and 2026 would be occupied by i) the design process; ii) negotiation of agreements with potential tenants such as a pro shop operator, a restaurant operator, a sports medicine provider, etc.; iii) discussion with the state concerning participation in the funding package; iv) the private fundraising process, and v) seeking approval from the Louisville Planning Commission through the community facilities review process.
d) Following the completion of those activities, we hope to break ground in 2027 and open the facility in 2028.
Facility Programming
9. What components will this facility include?
The facility will include 24 outdoor hard-surfaced tennis courts, 12 indoor tennis courts, 14 indoor pickleball courts, 4 outdoor pickleball courts, and ancillary facilities such as locker rooms, a sports medicine clinic, a sports performance center, a pro shop, concessions and a family-friendly restaurant, community room, areas for VR and vision training, and office space. Expanded walking and running trails will be part of the redevelopment.
10. Why are there 24 outdoor tennis courts?
The facility will be built as a community tennis and pickleball center, but is also intended to be able to host local, statewide, regional and national tournaments. Facilities with fewer than 24 courts are rarely considered for the tournaments KYTPC would like to attract.
11. Why are the outdoor tennis courts laid out at an angle?
Outdoor tennis courts are laid out on a north-south axis, ensuring that neither player is forced to look directly into the sun.
12. The 11 outdoor tennis courts currently on the site are constructed of clay. Why will all 24 outdoor courts be hard-surfaced?
Tennis in the United States is increasingly played on hard courts. Although a number of private clubs maintain clay courts, very few municipalities can afford the maintenance needed to keep them in playable condition, so there are very few clay courts open to the public. All of the outdoor tournaments that this facility would like to host are played on hard courts, and they almost uniformly require 24 outdoor hard courts in one location. If some of the 24 courts were constructed of clay, it would not be possible to attract these tournaments, which would affect the mission and the economic feasibility of the project.
13. What activities will occur at the facility?
The facility will host i) public recreational play, ii) league play, iii) individual, group and clinic instruction, iv) local, state, regional and national tournaments, and v) programs for special needs populations such as disadvantaged youth, wheelchair players, and young people with Down Syndrome or autism.
14. What kind of tournaments will be held at the facility?
Most tournaments are awarded by sponsoring organizations on an annual or multi-year basis, and Kentucky has not been recently considered due to its lack of at least 24 courts in one location. KYTPC will be built to accommodate high school, college, USTA junior and adult, ITF, ATP and WTA tennis, as well as events sponsored by the major pickleball associations.
15. What commitment will KYTPC have to junior players?
Junior Programs (Ages 5-18) – For both tennis and pickleball, the KYTPC will provide a variety of accessible junior programs for all ages. The U.S. Tennis Association has a highly developed pathway for younger children, utilizing smaller racquets, court sizes, and balls with varying levels of compression (red, orange, green, and yellow). The early levels focus on fun and basic coordination skills, progressing to more difficult skills as developmentally appropriate. As children outgrow this pathway, we will offer both recreational and highly competitive programs. The recreational programs will focus on fun, health and wellness. The competitive programs will be designed to develop players who can compete at the top regional and national levels, potentially earning college scholarships.
Pickleball is inherently more accessible to young children due to its smaller court size and equipment, and the sport is relatively new, so junior programs are not yet fully developed. However, the KYTPC looks forward to being at the forefront of this development.
We anticipate that our nonprofit model and year-round operation will allow us to attract both tennis and pickleball professionals of truly national stature. Summer tennis and pickleball camps will also be offered, both independently and perhaps by co-programming with the Louisville Zoo and Louisville Nature Center.
16. We understand that KYTPC is trying to expand access to tennis and pickleball for underserved populations. Can you provide details?
Young people without access to convenient facilities and high-quality instruction will be a special focus for KYTPC. For many years, tennis organizations have, with variable levels of success, tried to make the sport accessible to all young people. In the 1950s, Joe Creason founded the KY Tennis Patrons’ Foundation, which collaborated with the Louisville Parks Department on a groundbreaking “Tennis in the Parks” program. More recently, USTA-Kentucky has sponsored its “Rising Stars Program,” which supports summer tennis in the Newburg neighborhood. Currently, USTA-KY is involved with the Raise a Racquet Foundation, which supports tennis accessibility. Louisville Metro Parks has also played a role in these efforts through the years. However, Louisville has never had a program that has allowed junior players without significant financial resources to have the same experience as their more fortunate contemporaries. We aspire to create a national model for participation in tennis and pickleball by all young people in our community.
Buddy Up Tennis is a national program with 25 chapters for individuals with Down syndrome. We understand that the facility currently hosting the program locally is planned for closure, and KYTPC would like to partner with Buddy Up Tennis and Down Syndrome of Louisville to continue and expand this program to include pickleball.
Wheelchair tennis is a very popular sport for individuals with mobility disabilities in many areas of the country. However, it is not offered in an organized manner in Louisville or, to the best of our knowledge, in any location in the state of Kentucky. KYTPC will have at least one USTA wheelchair tennis-certified professional on staff and will strive to make this sport accessible to the disability community, up to the level of national competition.
17. Will this be a private facility, and will it have members?
No. It will be a public facility. There will be no members.
18. What will the cost be to play at the facility?
The new facility will follow the model established by the existing Louisville Tennis Center for many years. Courts will be publicly available at market rates.
Site Selection and Community Benefit
19. How was this site selected? Did KYTPC consider other locations?
Joe Creason Park has been home to the Louisville Tennis Center since 1969. During the 1970s, the Center was the home of the Louisville International Tennis Classic. It had permanent seating for more than 5,000 spectators and utilized supplemental parking space at the Zoo. Although many consider the Center to be only a neighborhood tennis facility, it was originally built and used for many years as a major center of tennis activity in Louisville. There have been several proposals over the years to restore the Center to something closer to what it was in its prime. It is situated near both the geographical and population centers of Jefferson County and is centrally located within the state of Kentucky. The KYTPC proposal is not a new use for the west end of Joe Creason Park; it is, in fact, the purpose for which the park was originally acquired and developed. Although other locations have been briefly considered, none come as close to meeting the needs of the whole community.
Being Good Neighbors
20. In the past, a proposal has been made to include at this site a commemoration of the role played by the City of Louisville and the Camp Taylor area in the mobilization and training of troops for World War I. What about that?
KYTPC has engaged representatives of the Camp Taylor Historical Society in conversations, which we hope will lead to a suitable commemoration of the important role played by Camp Taylor. No conclusion has been reached at this time.
21. What impact will this facility have on other users of Joe Creason Park?
The construction of the proposed facility will enhance the experience of the majority of other users of Joe Creason Park. It will provide better parking options for playground users, and it will expand and enhance the walking and running trails. Those trails will also be longer and wider, and safer because runners and walkers will not have to share parts of the trails with vehicular traffic. The trails will also be made handicap accessible. If permitted by the Louisville Nature Center, we would like to establish a more direct connection to the Louisville Nature Center trails. We also plan to landscape the trails with native Kentucky species (particularly those most friendly to wildlife) and to mark plantings in a way compliant with the best practices of contemporary arboretums. In the same way that Cave Hill is a cemetery that also serves as an arboretum, we envision this property as a tennis center that also serves as an arboretum.
22. What impact will this facility have on the Louisville Zoo?
The proposed facility is expected to increase awareness and attendance at the Louisville Zoo. We do not anticipate any other impact.
23. What impact will this facility have on the Louisville Nature Center?
The proposed facility is expected to increase awareness, attendance, and fundraising momentum at the Nature Center. KYTPC has gone to great lengths to ensure that it will provide a net environmental improvement for its neighbors, including the Nature Center.
24. The plan features a substantial amount of hardscaping. Have you considered drainage?
The site presently has a significant amount of impermeable surface, and drainage is completely uncontrolled. That is causing damage to the adjacent forest, which the Louisville Nature Center is presently working to mitigate. When this facility is constructed, it will comply with all MSD requirements, which will significantly enhance stormwater management for both this site and its downhill neighbors, such as the Nature Center.
25. What will happen to the old family cemetery on the site, as well as the historic old Collings Estate pool house?
KYTPC is committed to restoring and preserving the Prather family cemetery on the site, as well as maintaining and finding a suitable tenant for the historic pool house. Currently, the Olmsted Parks Conservancy has an office in the pool house, but public reports indicate that it is contemplating moving to a new location.
26. Sports facilities frequently have bright lighting. What plans do you have for outdoor lighting?
KYTPC is committed to not worsening Louisville’s light pollution. Light pollution interferes with the navigation of migratory birds, the feeding patterns of owls and bats, and the activities of moths, insects, and other nighttime pollinators. KYTPC will utilize modern directed light technology and intends to be certified under the lighting standards of Dark Sky International, an international foundation dedicated to reducing light pollution. KYTPC aims to be a leader in demonstrating to Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky how we can develop in a more environmentally friendly manner.
27. Has KYTPC considered energy usage?
It is intended that the facility will be solar-powered. If necessary funding, approvals and contracts can be obtained, we hope to operate on a net-zero basis.
28. Will any trees be removed?
Any project of this magnitude necessarily requires the removal of some trees. However, the majority of the trees on the proposed site are recently planted, which means they are still small enough to be safely moved to a temporary nursery on the site and then replanted. Upon completion of the project, the tree canopy on the site will be increased.
29. I have heard that KYTPC is developing all of Joe Creason Park. What are the facts?
The total area of Joe Creason Park and the adjacent properties, such as Beargrass Creek Nature Preserve and Louisville Nature Center, is approximately 135 acres. Outside of the 25 acres proposed for this project, the Louisville Nature Center and Metro Parks HQ and related parking are the principal developments. Of the 25-acre area, 5.2 acres are presently developed with hardscape (buildings, tennis courts, parking lots, and the old concrete pad). The KYTPC development would hardscape a total of 12.5 acres, so the additional development in the area would be 7.3 acres. That constitutes an additional 5.4% of the total 135 acres.
Parking, Circulation, and Traffic
30. Has KYTPC considered the impact of the facility on traffic?
KYTPC has commissioned an independent, peer-reviewed traffic study. It takes into account peak days of traffic at the Louisville Zoo. To paraphrase the conclusions of the traffic study, which is written in very technical terms, the proposed facility will not cause any material negative change in the traffic flow on Trevilian Way.
31. What arrangements have been made for parking?
The master plan envisions a total of 318 parking spaces, comprising 148 spaces in the main lot, 42 staff spaces located north of the building, and 128 spaces in an overflow lot to the east of the facility. We estimate that fewer than 200 spaces will be used on the great majority of days. It is important to keep in mind that most tournament events will be hosted for recreational players. On the rare occasions when the facility hosts a large spectator event, it will be necessary to utilize off-site parking and shuttle buses.
32. The master plan appears to show a building blocking the access road on the north. Can you explain?
The original master plan anticipated that the undedicated access road on the north side of the site, generally referred to as Sheridan Avenue, would be closed, and that KYTPC would construct a wide walking, running, and nature trail in its place, which in emergencies could accommodate emergency vehicles. However, KYTPC has been told that it is very important to neighbors to keep that road open. Consequently, the master plan now calls for the corner of one building to be supported by pillars on the north side of Sheridan Avenue, allowing Sheridan Avenue to remain open and providing room for vehicles, including emergency vehicles, to pass underneath. The walking, running, and nature trail will still be constructed on the north side of Sheridan, ensuring that park users are separated from vehicular traffic.