This skyline is about to get a makeover

Dear Louisville,

August has been a long time coming, and there's been a lot of buildup to this month. We are so excited to finally share some major updates with you.

On August 16, come spend the day with us on the Belvedere. We're throwing a free community celebration, and you're all invited. There will be activities for every age, food and drink trucks, plenty of familiar faces, and the chance to see the final design renderings up close, ask questions, and talk with the people bringing this project to life. Mostly, it's a day to gather, look out over the river, and imagine what's ahead together.

And speaking of those renderings. We are so close to showing you what the reimagined Belvedere will look like, and we cannot wait. The big reveal is coming very soon. Trust us, it's worth the wait.

Thank you, as always, for your support and your excitement. This project belongs to all of us, and I can't wait to celebrate it with you on August 16.

See you on the Belvedere,

Layla George

Save the Date: The Belvedere Family Picnic

Mark your calendar for Sunday, August 16, from 2 to 6 PM, and join us on the Belvedere for a free family picnic to celebrate everything ahead. Bring the kids, bring the grandparents, bring the neighbors. This one's for everybody.

Come see the new design concept up close, share your thoughts with the design team, and ask all the questions you've got. The Mayor will be on hand to welcome the crowd, and there'll be plenty to keep every age busy all afternoon.

Here's just some of what's in store:

• Climb aboard a Louisville Fire Department truck and check out a patrol car with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office

• Get hands-on with the Kentucky Science Center and dive into kids' activities from the Frazier History Museum

• Take an art tour and enjoy live music courtesy of the Kentucky Center for the Arts

• Spin the wheel with the Belle of Louisville, sign up for a library card with the Louisville Free Public Library, and explore project boards with KNBA

• Say hello to friends from the Muhammad Ali Center and Waterfront Park

Hungry? We've got you. Red Top Dogs, Lollie Pops, Shirley's Lemonade, and a cold local pour from Trellis Beer will all be on site.

So grab your family, round up a few friends, and come spend the afternoon with us on the Belvedere. We hope to see you there!

Feedback Reflections

From April 2025 through July 2026, we asked how you'd like to see the Belvedere reimagined, and Louisville showed up. Nearly 1,000 completed surveys and around 500 written responses later, here's what we heard:

Your top ideas:

• More and better green space

• A real connection to the Ohio River

• Room to gather outdoors for performances and events

Your top concerns:

• Protecting our trees and natural spaces

• Cost and responsible spending

• Connectivity and walkability

• Safety

Events you want to see:

• Music festivals

• Craft and art fairs

• Community celebrations

Even as we unveil the new design of the Belvedere, your ideas will continue to shape how this space is programmed and fully comes to life.

Project Update: Starting From the Ground Up

This fall, we plan to break ground on the first phase of the project, and we're starting where it matters most: the garage below.

It's easy to overlook, but the Belvedere garage is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure downtown. It's the second largest garage in the city, behind only the airport. Four acres, three stories, and nearly 2,000 spaces. By square footage, it's bigger than both the YUM Center and the PNC tower. Just about every event, show, and night out downtown leans on it.

To build the beautiful, green Belvedere you've told us you want up top, we have to start by getting the foundation right. That means repairing and waterproofing the garage first, then bringing the park above back to life with grass, walkways, lighting, and space to gather.

It's a big job, but it's the right one. Getting the garage right is what makes everything above it possible, and it sets up a once-in-a-generation transformation for the Belvedere and for downtown as a whole.