Here are the stadiums LouCity officials and architects are using as design inspiration

Louisville City FC executives and architects from global firm HOK recently visited sports venues in three cities to seek inspiration for the stadium district the soccer club is planning in the Butchertown neighborhood.

Over the past three weeks, groups consisting of Louisville City FC board members, club owners, architects and structural engineers visited the San Jose Earthquakes' Avaya Stadium, Real Salt Lake's Rio Tinto Stadium and the Detroit Red Wings' Little Caesars Arena.

Two of the three venues were designed by HOK, the firm Louisville City FC hired last January to design its own soccer-specific stadium. HOK Vice President Ryan Gedney said drawing inspiration from other venues is an important part of the design process.

"In every project we’re trying to respond to national and even global trends in sport and venues, as well as what makes that specific location, city and region special," Gedney said. "We’re thinking about what might be industry trends, fan desires and experiences which are perhaps a bit more diverse."

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In October, Louisville Metro Council approved a deal to build a $200 million stadium development district in Butchertown, which is to include a 10,000-seat stadium that would replace Louisville Slugger Field as the home of Louisville City FC.

In November, Louisville Metro Government purchased 37 acres of land to use for the development, but the club is still waiting to secure more funding from the state and from private sources.

Brad Estes, executive vice president for Louisville City FC, said he envisions the stadium having an open north end similar to Avaya Stadium. He said he also liked Rio Tinto's plaza area, a feature he said Louisville City FC could use as a kid-friendly pregame play area and to host watch parties for away matches.

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Gedney said the site visits provided ideas not just for the stadium, but for Louisville's development district as a whole, which is to include at least one hotel, offices, retail and housing.

Little Caesars Arena, which houses Detroit's NHL and NBA teams, was built as part of a development district spanning 20 city blocks. The arena's concourse has an extra layer of security that allows it to remain open even on non game days.

"You're trying to think about venues as something bigger than just 'walls of the venues,'" Gedney said. "Historically, venues have been very inward-focused on building type, and as years go by and currently and into the future, it’s really flipped for us in terms of approaching these venues more as community building and engaging a broader district."

Gedney pointed to the Atlanta Hawks' renovation of Philips Arena, which will allow local restaurateurs and musicians to take over portions of the arena and run eateries or plan live performances.

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"That's one example of how venues can really start to infuse local culture and community into these venues that makes them authentic to that place, and not a stadium or arena that can live anywhere," Gedney said.

Estes said Louisville City FC has been working with supporters' groups to develop a "wish list" for the stadium, including a potential bar located behind the supporters' section in the south end.

But the club still has to tie up financial loose ends before moving ahead with the project.

Louisville Metro Government is leveraging a $30 million bond to partially fund the project. The city paid $24.1 million for four pieces of land for the development and will use leftover money for infrastructure improvements.

The deal approved by Metro Council says club owners must spend at least $130 million in private capital on the development, including $45 million on the stadium itself.

Louisville City FC and the city are awaiting state approval of a tax-increment financing district. The decision is expected to come in May.

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Estes said the club hopes to break ground on the site in April and begin stadium construction by August. Louisville City FC must be playing in a soccer-specific stadium by March 2020 in order to remain a member of the United Soccer League.

Estes said the club doesn't anticipate having a finalized district plan before beginning construction, which will likely start with an office building and a hotel.

Nothing is set in stone, Gedney said. Project designers will prepare for multiple scenarios and are trying to achieve a cohesive district by keeping a master plan in mind.

"The important thing is to think about it all in parallel and not preclude any design opportunities by designing any one piece and thinking about the rest later," he said.

The club is emphasizing the stadium district as a "connector" for the Butchertown community and for Louisville.

"It's important to think of this as a source of pride for our city," Estes said. "This project, this site is going to extend our central business district. When people are driving through from Nashville, from Cincinnati, from Indianapolis, it's going to make our city appear a lot larger and be a very cool place. … It is incumbent upon us to make a development that is beneficial for the city."

Danielle Lerner: 502-582-4042; dlerner@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @Danielle_Lerner. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/daniellel