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


smeagolsfree

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This could belong in a variety of other threads, but I'll put it here.  The Civic Design Center and ULI is holding an event to engage the public on creating a healthy community in Nashville.  Friday's case study will focus on Charlotte Pike.

 

http://www.civicdesigncenter.org/news/shaping-healthy-communities-building-healthy-places.898495

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Just a PSA that Monty's Barbershop is opening a second location at 4519 Charlotte Pike. The space has apparently operated as a barbershop for a very long time but has been vacant for a few years until now. They are supposed to open this week. The original location is the Nashville Arcade. I can personally say that for my money this is the best haircut in the city. No ego, great conversation, old school barbershop treatment. Any man (or woman) should do themselves the favor of getting a quality cut and shave at a place like this. 

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Just a PSA that Monty's Barbershop is opening a second location at 4519 Charlotte Pike. The space has apparently operated as a barbershop for a very long time but has been vacant for a few years until now. They are supposed to open this week. The original location is the Nashville Arcade. I can personally say that for my money this is the best haircut in the city. No ego, great conversation, old school barbershop treatment. Any man (or woman) should do themselves the favor of getting a quality cut and shave at a place like this.

Sat in April's chair yesterday. Couldn't agree more!

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Here's a rendering and site plan for 2400 Charlotte, also known as Aspire.

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More on this building from William at the Post...  http://nashvillepost.com/news/2014/6/17/mid_july_start_targeted_for_midtown_apartment_project

 

"Aspire will join Lincoln’s 232-unit 909 Flats, currently under construction on Rosa Parks Boulevard in North Nashville’s Hope Gardens neighborhood. Relatedly, Lincoln is reportedly looking to soon close on the purchase of the central business district’s Fifth Third Center, according to The Tennessean."

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Quick status update on Sylvan Park Conservation Zoning Overlay:

 

There was a packed house at the MHZC hearing yesterday.  Quite a few folks spoke in opposition to Sylvan Park's Overlay expansion proposal, but by my count several more spoke in favor.  There really seems to be some misinformation being spread about the Conservation Zoning Overlay in Sylvan Park.  Quite a few people who spoke in opposition referenced the CZO as being "the most restrictive" when in fact it is the least restrictive type of historic Overlay.  There was also a lot of back-and-forth about revising the cut-off construction period for a building to be considered as contributing ("historic") to the district.  It ends up being the case that the cut off date is being moved back to 1945 (it had been 1950 for the Park-Elkins district, I guess), which will technically allow the demolition of a lot more of the small immediate-post-WWII "GI Bill" houses than would presently the case if the existing design guidelines were expanded to this larger area as-is.  CM Jason Holleman noted that while it is sad to see some of the smaller homes in the neighborhood go, the gain of adding so many more homes that most people would consider to be "historic" justifies the trade-off.  Given this revision, it is actually the case that the proposed Sylvan Park district design guidelines are being relaxed.

 

But some of the opponents of the Overlay expansion remained very vocal even after the public hearing portion of the deliberations had closed.  One gentleman kept interrupting the Commissioners from the floor and had to be removed from the chamber by the sergeant at arms.  That is the first time that I have seen that happen.

 

The Commissioners ended up approving a motion recommending the application of the design guidelines to the proposed area between 42nd and 51st from just south of Charlotte to just north of Murphy Road.  And the Commissioners also approved a motion recommending this historic zoning designation to the Metro Council.  This rezoning bill will next appear before the Planning Commission on Thursday, June 26th.

Here is the MHZC docket for the Commission's consideration of the Sylvan Park Conservation Zoning Overlay at next Wednesday's public hearing  http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/MHZC/docs/2014%20Meetings/06%20June%2018/SR%20Sylvan%20Park%202014.pdf.  This topic has been pretty controversial in Sylvan Park in the past, and so the compromise last time was to include only properties on Park and Elkins near Richlard Park.  Hence the district's name, Park & Elkins. 

 

This topic seems to remain controversial in Sylvan Park.  My understanding is that the design guidelines for this particular district will allow the addition of front dormers to contributing ("historic") structures, which is not permitted in other Historic Preservation or Conservation Zoning Overlay districts.   

 

If this expansion does pass all three hearings and become effective later this summer (it would include the area between 42nd and 51st from Charlotte to just north of Murphy Rd), this district will be renamed to reflect the neighborhood's broader name (Sylvan Park). 

 

Of all four historic district applications that are presently in the application phase, this is the one to watch.

Edited by bwithers1
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Just a PSA that Monty's Barbershop is opening a second location at 4519 Charlotte Pike. The space has apparently operated as a barbershop for a very long time but has been vacant for a few years until now. They are supposed to open this week. The original location is the Nashville Arcade. I can personally say that for my money this is the best haircut in the city. No ego, great conversation, old school barbershop treatment. Any man (or woman) should do themselves the favor of getting a quality cut and shave at a place like this. 

 

Ive been sitting in Monty's chair for about a year now, you get what you pay for in terms of a hair cut and I promise you get your moneys worth at his shop. Im incredibly happy for him and the new expansion.

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Does anyone know what construction techniques were used on those buildings? It appears to me that the brick veneer was made in prefabricated panels. Most likely precast concrete panels, since that appears to be what the cornice is made of. They did good work.

 

Not sure of the technique, Nwill. for neo-trad design, this building looks very solid. I like it (though purists might scoff noting it's a "fake building")

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The big news at yesterday's Planning Commission hearing was Conservation Zoning Overlays. The Hillsboro-West End Expansion for properties on Blair was pulled from Consent but passed fairly easily. Lockeland Springs Phase II - the Boscobel area - remained on Consent.

Pretty much the next two hours were all about Sylvan Park. This time the opponents came decked out in pink tee shirts to match their pink flamingos in their yards. This time they brought bill boards to show that supposedly the CZO on Park and Elkins has led to property devaluations and that those homes on Park and Elkins opposite Richland Park are boarded up vacant crack houses while the rest of the neighborhood outside the overlay is thriving. The argument was made that putting the CZO over the Central part of Sylvan Park would somehow kill all of the businesses on Charlotte even though the properties closest to Charlotte are already in an Overlay.

I expected the same angry men screaming about property rights. What I did not expect was women coming up to the lectern to oppose the Overlay and literally breaking into tears telling the Commissioners that they want to start families but that they can't have children if they can't have totally unlimited freedom to alter or even demolish their old (they claimed not historic, just "old") houses. So in an Overlay you can perform any interior modifications and renovations that you want AND you can more than double the size of the house through rear additions, and despite those allowances the CZO is going to stop you from having or raising children?

That's quite a claim. East Nashville's Five Points area is now almost totally inside Overlays and the sidewalks are choked with baby strollers.

Then the Planning Commissioners -who just approved three other historic district expansions in the same meeting-got into a big debate and ultimately voted to disapprove the Sylvan Park CZO by a 4-2 margin.

We will now see what happens at the Tuesday, July 1st Council public hearing. Get your popcorn ready, this is going to be eventful.

Edited by bwithers1
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I am very mixed on the overlays overall. Yes preserving character is great, but it also makes it a huge pain when you seek to do ANY work on your property. Costs dramatically rise, and often times there are boarded up dilapidated homes in the overlay areas. I live quite close to a few and it makes zero sense.

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Really there is very little work on one's property that gets reviewed in Conservation Zoning Overlays. Maintenance work like replacing windows, doors, siding, etc on the existing building is not reviewed. Interior work is never reviewed in any kind of district. Replacement roof colors are reviewed administratively with no hearing required. Solar panels and skylights are also reviewed administratively with no hearing required. In CZOs, some entire rear additions can be approved administratively with no hearing required depending on the size and location.

Also, there is no fee for the preservation permits and you get them at the same One Stop Shop where you get your regular building permit.

Again, most maintenance items and all interior work is completely allowed without a preservation permit at all. And most administratively approved preservation permits for some of the things that I have described are given within one work day.

For the above reasons, I also disagree that there is a substantial (if any) additional cost for a typical homeowner who is not undertaking an extensive addition. Even for those extensive renovations, I am not aware of a significant cost difference for the smooth-faced hardie boards, which are allowed, than for embossed hardie boards, which are not. It is true that vinyl siding and windows are not allowed for additions (they are allowed to remain or even be replaced on the main structure), but then I don 't get why you would build a $100k home addition and put cheap siding and windows on it.

Now, Historic Preservation Districts are more restrictive and do require review of window/door/siding replacement, etc, but again, those items are typically reviewed and approved within one work day.

It is true that architect fees can add up of you are doing a large addition, but then the MHC actually does not require you to hire an architect anyway.

As for the claims about boarded up houses in Overlays, I keep looking for them but struggle to find them in any greater proportion inside Overlays than outside of Overlays. It just depends on the relative ability (or willingness) of the property owner to do maintenance repairs. My own house needs quite a bit of work, but that is not the fault of the MHZC.

Again, I get the philosophical disagreement about property rights. I had many very calm and mutually respectful conversations on that subject with property owners in my neighborhood when we expanded our CZO this past Spring. Where possible, we were able to draw our expansion boundaries to exclude the two blocks that had majority opposition and we also excluded blocks where we had little or no response to our surveys.

But the overall tone of that conversation in Salemtown and especially Sylvan Park is in stark contrast to East Nashville and the Vandy/Belmont areas, for sure.

Edited by bwithers1
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Your entire post ignores the fact that the people buying these homes are doing significant interior and exterior renovations. It makes me question whether you know anyone that lives in these overlays. IMO we have a very poor planning commission. They have done a bad job preserving and they do a worse job of maintaining property owners rights.

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It makes me question whether you know anyone that lives in these overlays. 

 

Um....really? I know Bret can defend himself, but do you actually read his posts? I'm not sure if there is another person on this board as qualified on that subject.

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Your entire post ignores the fact that the people buying these homes are doing significant interior and exterior renovations. It makes me question whether you know anyone that lives in these overlays. IMO we have a very poor planning commission. They have done a bad job preserving and they do a worse job of maintaining property owners rights.

 

Haha, he lives right in the middle of an overlay.  It's interesting that Nashville's most esteemed neighborhoods usually lie in an overlay.

 

My neighborhood is currently looking at developing an overlay, although we may lean more toward a Urban Design Overlay because we have a lot of 50s and 60s turnkey houses that are being torn down.  We only have about 50-60% historic houses, so a historic overlay may not be the best way to design the neighborhood.

 

What does it matter if they are doing significant interior work? The overlays never address the interior, and the overlays being applied allow you repair almost anything that is currently part of the house.  There are some things that need to be reviewed, and that does take time and probably adds a layer of expense in the design phase.  However, the benefit to the homeowner is that you don't get this built next to you by some cheap developer:  http://www.zillow.com/b/1514A-Kirkwood-Ave-Nashville-TN-37212/36.121471,-86.792922_ll/

Edited by Hey_Hey
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I know he's quite qualified. I really enjoy his posts, but I've had many friends have to deal with headache after headache. And oddly enough it seems to be that many times the overlay creates a worse overall product. Just my opinion. Again, I know he is quite qualified on this subject.

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I know he's quite qualified. I really enjoy his posts, but I've had many friends have to deal with headache after headache. And oddly enough it seems to be that many times the overlay creates a worse overall product. Just my opinion. Again, I know he is quite qualified on this subject.

Thanks, samsonh!  I will acknowledge that sometimes applicants do have headaches working with Historic, just as they do with Codes, or in the case of the Downtown Code, with the Planning Department. 

 

Sometimes someone wants to do something that doesn't meet the design guidelines or is taller than the historic context on the block, and then, of course, there are going to be headaches because MHC staff are doing their jobs.  But a typical homeowner inside a Conservation Zoning Overlay is not likely ever to have to encounter the Metro Historic Commission at all.  Particularly if they are in a non-contributing structure, and especially if they live in a new-construction home.

 

For a homeowner who is considering an expansion that would be large enough to require a formal review, the Metro Historic Commission staff recommend reading the design guidelines and scheduling a time to meet with the staff before preparing formal drawings or estimates.  The MHC staff are happy to speak with an architect or even to come out to your property to take a look at it.  Even though the design guidelines do not change, it is true that every property and lot has unique characteristics.  That is why the MHC staff make a recommendation based on the design guidelines but it is up to the Commissioners to hear the applicant's case and to render a decision about how well a particular application meets those design guidelines.

 

So again, for larger additions it is wise to schedule an early (and free) consultation with the staff before starting the clock on the architect's fees.  If the Commissioners disapprove an application, those redesigns can indeed be costly.  But it is rare that Commissioners deny applications for which the MHC staff have worked with an applicant to review a design and recommend approval of that design.

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