City of Louisville will present plans for arena

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A final plan for a downtown NBA arena will be presented to the Charlotte Hornets and the University of Louisville by the end of this week, Mayor Dave Armstrong said.

Armstrong told The Louisville Courier-Journal on Wednesday that he'll give the Hornets and university leaders several days to respond to the city's plan before releasing it publicly next week.

City leaders and The Goal Group, an arena consulting firm, worked through the weekend preparing the document, but Armstrong wouldn't discuss it until the Hornets and the university have reviewed it.

The submission of the plan would meet a January deadline set by Hornets co-owner Ray Wooldridge, who also has held discussions with officials in Norfolk, Va.; St. Louis; Anaheim, Calif.; and New Orleans to find a new home for the team.

Armstrong said the plan will include a proposal for the university if its men's basketball team agrees to play downtown with the Hornets.

University President John Shumaker and athletics director Tom Jurich have outlined what they would need before agreeing to play downtown.

That list includes $30 million for ongoing construction of the Cardinal Park sports complex and building a men's basketball dormitory.