Apartments, gym tied to Hotel Genevieve set to replace shuttered day care. Here's where

A corner lot at Shelby and Jefferson streets in the NuLu neighborhood is set to undergo a complete redevelopment.

Replacing a closed daycare, a new two-story building with six apartments and amenities for Hotel Genevieve is planned for 221 S. Shelby St. The nearly 2,800-square-foot proposed building includes a first-floor 1,200-square-foot gym and six upper-level one-bedroom apartments.

Developers plan to demolish the existing one-story building, built in 1995, though a wrecking permit has not yet been issued, city records show.

The site will also have 55 spaces of off-street parking tied to the nearby Hotel Genevieve, 730 E. Market St.

The parking lot to service the hotel, which opened earlier this year, was part of the city’s ask of developers during that project’s development process.

“We wanted to build something nice on that corner but it needs to be low scale,” principal developer Stephen Wendell told the Courier Journal, adding he hopes to start construction on the estimated $2 million project in summer 2024.

The property is owned by Wendell, CEO of West Virginia-based Mountain Shore Properties, whose Door No. 1 LLC bought the property for $1.5 million in March 2021 from Nulu Wayside LLC, deed records show.

Wendell was a principal developer of the hotel, which is operated by Bunkhouse Hotels.

The proposed building is designed to reference the hotel, incorporating large glass windows and black brick.

“I think people have liked the aesthetic of the exterior of Hotel Genevieve,” Wendell said. “Since it’s the same ownership, we’ll tie the buildings together.”

City Planning and Design Services staff recommended the project, with conditions, including preservation of the brick alley and the incorporation of public art on the open wall space on the building’s east side.

Wendell said the gym will be reserved for apartment residents and hotel guests, though it could be made public-facing, depending on demand. He also noted the apartments will be long-term rentals.

The building is designed such that it could be expanded for possible future development on the lot, Wendell said, adding that another space could be found should parking need to be relocated.

“This is really just phase one," he said.

The project is diagonally opposite a block that’s also seeing much development, including a Hilton Tempo hotel set to open in spring 2024 and a mixed-use building set to include a food hall, co-working space, and traditional offices.

Growth & development reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at [email protected], 502-582-4000 or on Twitter @mattglo.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Hotel Genevieve parking, mixed-use building planned for NuLu lot