LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A $65 million proposal for a new tennis and pickleball center at Joe Creason Park has been canceled. On Tuesday, May 6, hundreds attended a public meeting, expressing concerns about the project. On Friday, Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville, announced it would not move forward.

“Today, I am announcing that the proposed pickleball project at Joe Creason Park will not be moving forward here. Last night, we notified the nonprofit group proposing this project,” Greenberg said. “Now we will continue to focus on other investments in our amazing park system. And we will identify other ways, in another location, to create a world-class tennis and pickle ball court here in Louisville.”

Greenberg said community engagement is so important for this reason.

“By listening, I loudly and clearly heard that our community wants more world class facilities for tennis and pickleball. Louisville also wants more world-class facilities, to host large tournaments for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, baseball, softball and more,” he said.

Greenberg said he originally thought Joe Creason Park was the best location for the complex because of the history of tennis that occurred there.

“If you can imagine, this park was once home to a tennis arena that drew the likes of legends, like Arthur Ashe and Jimmy Connors,” he said.

However, neighbors like Stephanie Grooms said the green space enticed her to live there. Grooms said the park is where she and her family grow together.

“I have a very wild child that loves to ride his scooter in this park, in this green space. We run around, we pick up sticks, we climb trees, and we build community here,” Grooms said. “It was very scary to think that this beautiful green space was going to be taken from us when it is such a pivotal reason why we enjoy this area. And we worry about the impact on the nature center, which is where we spend most of our time outside of school.”

Lee Payne shared similar worries about the environmental impact this development would have on their community.

“We need our public parks, we need them to stay green. We don’t need big facilities cutting down trees and moving the earth and dirt and interrupting our wildlife,” Payne said. “Most of the time, nature doesn’t get the win. [Nature] usually gets the bottom end of the stick, but today was victory.”

The CEO of the Kentucky Tennis & Pickleball Center, Will Davis, said in a statement, he believes in the project and it would be an economic driver for the city.

“Louisville’s had rough times with KFC, and Humana, and a lot of different economic developments that have not been able to go through. This is a project by Louisvillians, for Louisvillians for all 800,000 people in Louisville,” Davis said.

Davis said the facility would have benefitted the community.

“It was something that was going to be an economic driver and help with all different special needs groups in Louisville, so we think it’s a wonderful project,” Davis said.

Louisville Metro Council member Josie Raymond, D-10, said park advocates are not protesting the project, just its location.

“This movement was never anti-tennis. This movement was never anti-pickleball. We believe in recreation, we believe in sport, we believe in community,” Raymond said. “I hope that the community that you all have built and the momentum that you all have created can be continued, right? As we turn ‘save Joe Creason’ into ‘spruce up Joe Creason’.”

Greenberg has received many suggestions from community members where this project should move forward. As of now, Greenberg has no update on where or when plans will resume.