Davidson West: Bellevue, Bordeaux, Green Hills, MetroCenter, Nations, N Nashville

[samsonh]

36 minutes ago, Andy20 said:

It also has a very minimal setback. Not great for this area.

I love the lack of setback. Makes it much more pedestrian friendly. This area needs to add density. It’s a major road between two other major roads. This is a perfect area to add density. If we want mass transit to work in the future areas like this need to be heavily developed.

[smeagolsfree]

Any office construction right now is a bit ambitious. That’s not to mention there are other things on the drawing board in this area. The Harding Towne Ctr is purely conceptual and that may not be the only project brewing in the area. There is something else but not sure what that will be yet.

[markhollin]

Kroger will be relocating its BelleMeade Plaza store to the former Belle Meade cinema site at 4301 harding Pike. A Harris Teeter Grocery had been located in that structure up until 2015.

The Belle Meade Plaza, which was built in 1961 and features 205,000 sq. ft. of retail and office space on 10.6 acres, is seemingly under contract to be sold by the May Company to an unknown entity,. May bought it in 1997 for $14.5 million. Insiders believe the sale price now could fetch in the $80 million range.

Any redevelopment of the site is likely to require a rezoning due, in part, to its proximity to the floodplain created by the nearby Richland Creek.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/belle-meade-kroger-to-relocate-to-nearby-building/article_08630128-74c6-11ed-b246-97d4bd747eb0.html

The former Belle Meade Cinema will become home to the Belle Meade Kroger in 2023:

This screen shot from Smeagolsfree's excellent development map shows the Belle Meade Plaza site highlighted in tan at the center of the frame:

[Nash_12South]

I cannot read the article, so are they using the old Harris Teeter space and adding the vacant theater space to it or just using the old Harris Teeter space? It was fairly large.

I liked the old Harris Teeter, but parking was limited and tight in the garage. But it's also not exactly abundant (or convenient) across the street at the current Kroger. I grew up shopping at the first Kroger location at Belle Meade Plaza that's now the aligned White Bridge road/Woodmont Blvd. 

[markhollin]

55 minutes ago, Nash_12South said:

I cannot read the article, so are they using the old Harris Teeter space and adding the vacant theater space to it or just using the old Harris Teeter space? It was fairly large.

I liked the old Harris Teeter, but parking was limited and tight in the garage. But it's also not exactly abundant (or convenient) across the street at the current Kroger. I grew up shopping at the first Kroger location at Belle Meade Plaza that's now the aligned White Bridge road/Woodmont Blvd. 

The way I understand it, Kroger will be using the Harris Teeter space and some of the former theater space as well.

[downtownresident]

3 hours ago, Nash_12South said:

I cannot read the article, so are they using the old Harris Teeter space and adding the vacant theater space to it or just using the old Harris Teeter space? It was fairly large.

I liked the old Harris Teeter, but parking was limited and tight in the garage. But it's also not exactly abundant (or convenient) across the street at the current Kroger. I grew up shopping at the first Kroger location at Belle Meade Plaza that's now the aligned White Bridge road/Woodmont Blvd. 

I would regularly shop at that Kroger as it was on way home when I lived in Wessex Towers, and that parking lot was always a nightmare. Glad that something will be moving into the old theatre and breathe some life into that shopping center. 

[markhollin]

Riverside at MetroCenter will be four structures of 4 & 5 stories with 590 units on 14.25 acres next to Ted Rhodes Golf Course at 2833 Clarksville Pike. Developer Front Street Partners has a contract on the vacant land.  Humphreys & partners will be the architect, with Catalyst Design in charge of engineering and land planning. 

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/details-emerge-for-project-on-cumberland/article_8c1a5ede-75b2-11ed-beb4-fbe1f9f77250.html
 

[UrbanWes03]

9 hours ago, markhollin said:

Riverside at MetroCenter will be four structures of 4 & 5 stories with 590 units on 14.25 acres next to Ted Rhodes Golf Course at 2833 Clarksville Pike. Developer Front Street Partners has a contract on the vacant land.  Humphreys & partners will be the architect, with Catalyst Design in charge of engineering and land planning. 

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/details-emerge-for-project-on-cumberland/article_8c1a5ede-75b2-11ed-beb4-fbe1f9f77250.html
 

MetroCenter really needs to get away from apartments surrounded by parking and at least do garages instead. Wya more aesthetically pleasing and ped friendly. I get that area isn’t the most walkable but that really shouldn’t matter. At least do that to the waterfront properties as that’s the really valuable land. 

[BnaBreaker]

2 hours ago, UrbanWes03 said:

MetroCenter really needs to get away from apartments surrounded by parking and at least do garages instead. Wya more aesthetically pleasing and ped friendly. I get that area isn’t the most walkable but that really shouldn’t matter. At least do that to the waterfront properties as that’s the really valuable land. 

Exactly.  The area caters more toward low density office park settings, and that's okay, not every neighborhood needs to be The Gulch or whatever.  But that also doesn't mean that the only alternative is to go full on Smyrna style sprawl either.

[CenterHill]

5 hours ago, UrbanWes03 said:

MetroCenter really needs to get away from apartments surrounded by parking and at least do garages instead. Wya more aesthetically pleasing and ped friendly. I get that area isn’t the most walkable but that really shouldn’t matter. At least do that to the waterfront properties as that’s the really valuable land. 

Agree with you.   The rendering suggests this project is all about cost savings, so no wrapped garages here.  It’s unfortunate because that segment of the Cumberland Greenway that passes through the wooded area just before emerging alongside the TR golf course is a delight to ride through.   Riding next to a parking lot will kill that vibe.  

[chc3]

8 hours ago, CenterHill said:

Agree with you.   The rendering suggests this project is all about cost savings, so no wrapped garages here.  It’s unfortunate because that segment of the Cumberland Greenway that passes through the wooded area just before emerging alongside the TR golf course is a delight to ride through.   Riding next to a parking lot will kill that vibe.  

Not to mention that with all the new apartments planned for Metro Center we cyclists will be yelling “on your left” every 3 minutes!

[markhollin]

NashvilleNowNext's coverage of the White Bridge & Post (8 story residential, 9 story office, 6 level below grade parking) announcement:

https://nashvillenownext.com/2022/12/08/mixed-use-development-proposed-on-white-bridge-pike-in-west-nashville/

 

[Nash_12South]

Wow, the blasting needed for a garage of that depth/size will create a firestorm. I'm not against redeveloping the corner, but the scale just won't fly.

Typically a project of this scale would start at 3-4 floors at the Post/White Bridge corner and get taller as you went down White Bridge. This would keep the project in scale with the adjacent (and not going anywhere) 1-2 floor housing.

I don't get why they would start so tall at that corner. Villa Maria, on the opposite corner, is tall, but set much further back from the road.

Edited December 8, 2022 by Nash_12South

[smeagolsfree]

I think they are asking for more than they need to get what they actually want. I really do not think the demand for office is going to be that great at that location.

It could be that the office gets nixed and the project goes residential/retail too. Or, the office gets greatly reduced. They are not going to get the height they want at that location.

As far as I know it is the property owners trying to do the heavy lifting here to get the rezoning done, but they do have a very good lawyer working for them. They probably have a developer waiting in the wings to see what they can get zoning wise.

[MagicPotato]

White Bridge Road needs to be widened more than anything. The traffic there is terrible. But with anything here, the roads are always the last things to be upgraded.

[AsianintheNations]

2 hours ago, MagicPotato said:

White Bridge Road needs to be widened more than anything. The traffic there is terrible. But with anything here, the roads are always the last things to be upgraded.

My impression driving through there quite a bit is that the traffic back-ups are primarily due to the very inefficient intersection with West End/Harding Pike and way too many entry/exit points for the various strip malls. I'm not sure that widening the road would solve those issues. White Bridge would work pretty well as a bypass boulevard, but you can't safely drive terribly fast or smoothly in this commercial portion of it with all the people trying to turn on/off. I've also seen tons of accidents due to people trying to turn left out of the strip mall lots without lights. If anything, widening the road beyond 5 lanes would make it even more hazardous for these turning cars, having to cross even more lanes of traffic.

[donNdonelson2]

Left turns out of strip mall parking lots should be prohibited and made difficult/impossible to do, other than at a signal. It’s almost like attempting vehicular suicide.

[chc3]

Alta Riverwalk progress. Lighting installed and parking areas paved and lined. Looking west from CRG this afternoon.

[PruneTracy]

19 hours ago, AsianintheNations said:

My impression driving through there quite a bit is that the traffic back-ups are primarily due to the very inefficient intersection with West End/Harding Pike and way too many entry/exit points for the various strip malls. I'm not sure that widening the road would solve those issues. White Bridge would work pretty well as a bypass boulevard, but you can't safely drive terribly fast or smoothly in this commercial portion of it with all the people trying to turn on/off. I've also seen tons of accidents due to people trying to turn left out of the strip mall lots without lights. If anything, widening the road beyond 5 lanes would make it even more hazardous for these turning cars, having to cross even more lanes of traffic.

Harding and White Bridge would be a good candidate for the raised bypass TDOT is proposing in other locations. The terrain there would make it much easier to implement as well.

[MidTenn1]

17 hours ago, PruneTracy said:

Harding and White Bridge would be a good candidate for the raised bypass TDOT is proposing in other locations. The terrain there would make it much easier to implement as well.

There was once a serious proposal to put a White Bridge Road overpass over Harding Road, but I don't know what came of it. It may have been proposed in the 90's. It would have required some pricey right-of-way acquisition. I can't imagine what that would cost today.

[go_outside]

18 hours ago, PruneTracy said:

Harding and White Bridge would be a good candidate for the raised bypass TDOT is proposing in other locations. The terrain there would make it much easier to implement as well.

Please no. The area is already an ugly sea of strip mall parking lots. Adding more car infrastructure at the expense of every other livability metric is not the solution.

Maybe TDOT can propose a BRT lane or some decent sidewalks instead. Give people alternatives to driving everywhere.

[PruneTracy]

On 12/10/2022 at 9:27 AM, go_outside said:

Please no. The area is already an ugly sea of strip mall parking lots. Adding more car infrastructure at the expense of every other livability metric is not the solution.

Maybe TDOT can propose a BRT lane or some decent sidewalks instead. Give people alternatives to driving everywhere.

The problem is that the vast majority of trips through the Harding / White Bridge intersection don't have an origin or destination within walking distance of the area. We tried proposing BRT there and the local residents were the biggest opponents of it.

[ThunderOne]

On 12/10/2022 at 8:18 AM, MidTenn1 said:

There was once a serious proposal to put a White Bridge Road overpass over Harding Road, but I don't know what came of it. It may have been proposed in the 90's. It would have required some pricey right-of-way acquisition. I can't imagine what that would cost today.

Huntsville has been proactively doing this on a section of roadway called Memorial Parkway as long as I can remember. Because of this, I can get from one end of town to another in under 10 minutes. No red lights.

Edited December 12, 2022 by ThunderOne

[MidTenn1]

9 hours ago, ThunderOne said:

Huntsville has been proactively doing this on a section of roadway called Memorial Parkway as long as I can remember. Because of this, I can get from one end of town to another in under 10 minutes. No red lights.

Yes, that corridor was studied closely by TDOT Engineers to determine how to successfully implement similar concepts on TDOT projects. And I personally know that a lot of traffic analysis was performed to improve on the basic innovative layout that Huntsville, Alabama built to allow its application to numerous locations around the State of Tennessee. The single point urban interchange (spui) simplifies the signal operation to an efficient 3-phase operation along with fewer vehicle to vehicle potential conflicts and also with fewer potential vehicle to pedestrian conflicts than the 'no separation of traffic' alternative. Single point urban interchanges also lend themselves well to providing a better protected environment for pedestrians by allowing shorter crossings under pedestrian signal control, and one-directional traffic flow at short un-signaled, yield controlled crossings.

 

[AsianintheNations]

On 12/10/2022 at 9:27 AM, go_outside said:

Please no. The area is already an ugly sea of strip mall parking lots. Adding more car infrastructure at the expense of every other livability metric is not the solution.

Maybe TDOT can propose a BRT lane or some decent sidewalks instead. Give people alternatives to driving everywhere.

Agree. It is already appalling that the slip lane from West End WB onto White Bridge NB has a sign instructors drivers NOT to stop, right before the crosswalk. I know the intention of the sign, but they could've just used the standard "lane continues without merging" sign that is used on highways instead.

I think underpasses are less intrusive than overpasses, if something like that really has to be built. Comm Ave under Mass Ave and Huntington Ave under Mass Ave in Boston come to mind. Despite being huge intersections, they're relatively pleasant to cross as pedestrians (fewer lanes to cross at a time and in total).

 

Edited December 13, 2022 by AsianintheNations