LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A petition keeping a NuLu-based bourbon distillery from moving forward with their expansion project was rejected on Thursday.
Rabbit Hole Distillery has been taking the proper steps to move forward with their redesign and expansion project. Part of the process is rezoning their property and demolishing two older buildings to make room for new structures and improve their trucking system.
One is a shotgun house located on the corner of Clay Street and Nanny Goat Strut, and the other is an old tailor and market shop on Shelby and Jefferson Streets.
The Historic Landmarks & Preservations Districts Commission overwhelmingly voted to deny the petition that was submitted two months ago, right before the city could approve or deny their zoning request.
The decision has left neighbors of the bourbon distillery concerned on the fate of those structures. Along with worries on the demolition process. Surrounding neighbors have previously said they fear the demolition also impact their historic homes structure and facades.
The author of the petition, Kevin Dohn, was at Thursday's commission meeting where he addressed them on why he believes the buildings should be given historical landmark statuses. Ultimately his plea was denied as the commission voted to not accept the petition.
"I don't want to say it didn't amount to anything because we are making regulation changes," Dohn said when talking about meeting with a Metro Councilmember to finetune the petition process for the future. "But it didn't make a difference in this hearing."
Rabbit Hole now has an open door to tear down the structures and make way for their project.
Before the vote, the distillery owner Kaveh Zamanian addressed the commission himself.
"This challenge has created at least a six to nine month delay in our project," Zamanian said. "Not to say anything about the cost and expenses that we've had to incur."
Zamanian and his attorney John Baker showed the commission a timeline of how many meetings they've endured to get this point since 2023. One commissioner points out what he feels like the goal of this petition is.
"To me the way I'm reading this is this landmark designation for these properties is being used as a weapon to stop development," Doug Owen said.
Dohn said that was not the neighborhood's intention rather they want to preserve history as NuLu's landscape continues to rapidly change. He said there are only seven recognized historical landmarks within NuLu. His concern was not being notified about the intent to demolish the two structures earlier.
"The intent to demo notices are required to come out and be publicized way too late in the process," Dohn said. "And that was ultimately the big factor at fault here."
Zamanian said this process has been frustrating.
"I hope that one of the things that we do as a city is to be able to remove the red tape that goes to development," Zamanian said. "Particularly developments that are going to create economic prosperity for the city."
There is no confirmed rescheduled date on when the buildings will be demolished. The next step will be a second attempt by Rabbit Hole to rezone their property in order to demolish and start their expansion process.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
