Ironton Distillery seeks to extend $650,000 Louisville infrastructure grant into 2027
The company says financing delays prompted a redesign that would retain its warehouse and add a 9,000-square-foot building; its planned development amendment is under review.
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Ironton Distillery is asking Louisville’s Revitalization Commission to keep its existing $650,000 infrastructure award available into 2027 after financing difficulties delayed work at 1303 Empire Road. The award would support public-infrastructure improvements at the Pine Street and Highway 42 intersection, commission staff said.
Staff proposed carrying the award into the 2026 budget because construction had not begun. The amendment would make the awarded funds available for payment once the project is complete. That 2026 budget amendment is separate from Ironton’s request to extend the allocation into 2027.
In an Oct. 6 letter, Ironton manager Lance Peterson said the original project was difficult to finance. The revised plan would retain the existing warehouse and add a 9,000-square-foot building for a tasting room, event spaces, a kitchen and more production space; the warehouse would mainly store barrels. Peterson said revised cost estimates better fit available financing. He described financing as nearly complete and said the company had applied for a Small Business Administration loan alongside other funding sources; the letter does not say the loan has been approved. Peterson’s letter says the project’s planned unit development amendment is under review by the city’s Planning department. The company expects approval and permits in early 2027, followed by about 12 months of construction if permits are issued.
The commission’s Oct. 21 agenda schedules a hearing and possible final action on the 2026 budget amendment, as well as an initial review of the proposed 2027 budget. It does not list a separate action on Ironton’s extension request. The draft 2027 budget lists no funding on the 1303 Empire Road assistance-agreement line, while a separate $650,000 improvement-programming line combines façade and property-improvement programs, the draft budget shows. The meeting materials do not specify how the project-specific award could be carried beyond 2026.