Inside 440 - Berry Hill, Midtown, Vanderbilt, 12S, WeHo, Fairgrounds, etc.

[markhollin]

3131 Long Blvd. (4 stories, 6 units) update. Windows in.

Looking NE from Long Blvd., 1/2 block east of Mason Ave:

 

[Edgefield D]

This may have been a discussion and I might have missed it. But, does anyone know if there is some pending plan for the Jim Reed property? I see lots of water/sewer permits on the permit website and was just curious if I missed something.

[smeagolsfree]

We are trying to get an answer but everyone is keeping the mouth shut. No ones answering emails, so at this point we no nothing. None of the local real estate folks are talking or know anything and the Reed family is not saying anything either.

[markhollin]

Mayborn Building addition (2 stories, 15,000 sq. ft.) update. 

Looking east from Magnolia Circle, 1 block south of Edgehill Ave:
 

[markhollin]

119 Acklen Park (4 stories, 12 condos) update.  Topped out, windows in.

Looking west from intersection of Acklen Park Drive and West End Circle:
 

[smeagolsfree]

Entire site at 31st and Long fenced and demo starting.

[markhollin]

HCA Building 3 remodel (2 stories) update. Exterior complete.

Looking  NE from Park Plaza, 1/4 block east of 31st Ave. North:

 

Looking NW from Park Plaza, 1/2 block east of 31st Ave. North:

[GregH]

Old Vanderbilt tower almost completely gone.

Friday:

today: 

 

[markhollin]

Vanderbilt Univ. is partnering with TVA and NES to procure renewable energy on a large enough scale to help mitigate the campus’ greenhouse gas emissions.

University officials have signed a 20-year agreement to support their goal to power the West End campus entirely through renewable energy and become carbon neutral by the year 2050.

It will draw renewable power from a planned solar farm Nashville-based Silicon Ranch Corp. will build in Bedford County, south of Rutherford County. 

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/education/higher-education/article/21112000/vanderbilt-to-partner-with-tva-nes

[donNdonelson2]

Plans announced for the revival of the Elliston Place Soda Shop.

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/on-the-rise/renderings-new-details-released-for-revived-elliston-place-soda-shop

Edited January 23, 2020 by donNdonelson2

[titanhog]

3 hours ago, markhollin said:

Vanderbilt Univ. is partnering with TVA and NES to procure renewable energy on a large enough scale to help mitigate the campus’ greenhouse gas emissions.

University officials have signed a 20-year agreement to support their goal to power the West End campus entirely through renewable energy and become carbon neutral by the year 2050.

It will draw renewable power from a planned solar farm Nashville-based Silicon Ranch Corp. will build in Bedford County, south of Rutherford County. 

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/education/higher-education/article/21112000/vanderbilt-to-partner-with-tva-nes

So...you can become "carbon neutral" by procuring your energy from a solar farm that's not on your own campus?  I'm trying to wrap my head around that.

[ruraljuror]

1 hour ago, titanhog said:

So...you can become "carbon neutral" by procuring your energy from a solar farm that's not on your own campus?  I'm trying to wrap my head around that.

Sure, carbon neutrality has nothing to do with location.  A university (or person or company) could be carbon neutral by planting a sufficient number of trees in Madagascar to ensure that carbon absorbed by those trees offsets the carbon released into the atmosphere as a result of the university's (or person's or company's) operations/existence.  Vandy could theoretically heat it's dorms by burning coal and landfill garbage, and they could still achieve  carbon neutrality if they planted a whole rainforest or created an algae farm the size of the Lake Michigan, for example.

There are two sides to the 'carbon neutral' equation. There's how much carbon gets released as a result of your efforts, and then how much carbon is being recaptured as a result of your efforts. To be 'carbon neutral' these numbers need to be equal. By procuring power from the solar farm, Vandy will lower the amount of carbon they're putting into the atmosphere, thereby reducing the number or trees they'll need to plant in order to achieve carbon neutrality.

[titanhog]

Just now, ruraljuror said:

Sure, carbon neutrality has nothing to do with location.  A university (or person or company) could be carbon neutral by planting a sufficient number of trees in Madagascar to ensure that carbon absorbed by those trees offsets the carbon released into the atmosphere as a result of the university's (or person's or company's) operations/existence.  Vandy could theoretically heat it's dorms by burning coal and landfill garbage, and they could still achieve  carbon neutrality if they planted a whole rainforest or created an algae farm the size of the Lake Michigan, for example.

There are two sides to the 'carbon neutral' equation. There's how much carbon gets released as a result of your efforts, and then how much carbon is being recaptured as a result of your efforts. To be 'carbon neutral' these numbers need to be equal. By procuring power from the solar farm, Vandy will lower the amount of carbon they're putting into the atmosphere, thereby reducing the number or trees they'll need to plant in order to achieve carbon neutrality.

Well...it depends on whether or not Vandy is directly supporting the solar farm...which I'm assuming that's the only way this would make them "carbon neutral."  Also...they would need to be directly "hooked into" the farm to receive their electricity.  I'm sure that's probably explained in the article, which is behind the paywall.  The reason I say that is that IF the solar farm is just one of the many ways the TVA develops electricity for customers...we're all participating in "carbon neutrality" if we are attached to TVA for electricity.  

So...again...I'm assuming these solar panels at this farm are ONLY going to be there because Vandy is paying for it...right?

[ruraljuror]

24 minutes ago, titanhog said:

Well...it depends on whether or not Vandy is directly supporting the solar farm...which I'm assuming that's the only way this would make them "carbon neutral."  Also...they would need to be directly "hooked into" the farm to receive their electricity.  I'm sure that's probably explained in the article, which is behind the paywall.  The reason I say that is that IF the solar farm is just one of the many ways the TVA develops electricity for customers...we're all participating in "carbon neutrality" if we are attached to TVA for electricity.  

So...again...I'm assuming these solar panels at this farm are ONLY going to be there because Vandy is paying for it...right?

Vandy doesn't necessarily have to be financing the farm or any solar panels. Simply powering their university with clean energy lowers their carbon output on the front end of the carbon neutral equation.  

 

[titanhog]

5 minutes ago, ruraljuror said:

Vandy doesn't necessarily have to be financing the farm or any solar panels. Simply powering their university with clean energy lowers their carbon output on the front end of the carbon neutral equation.  

 

My question is HOW do you power the university with "clean" energy from a solar farm 50 miles away?  If this energy goes into a "tank" of energy at TVA and you receive your energy from TVA...aren't we ALL participating?  Is there a line running directly from the solar farm to a substation at Vandy?

It's one thing if Vandy places solar panels on top of every building on campus...and another if there's a solar farm 50 miles away that's not directly hooked into Vandy.  And again...I'm sure the article explains and I'll be informed and I'll shut up.

Edited January 24, 2020 by titanhog

[ruraljuror]

Just now, titanhog said:

My question is HOW do you power the university with "clean" energy from a solar farm 50 miles away?  If this energy goes into a "tank" of energy at TVA and you receive your energy from TVA...aren't we ALL participating?  Is there a line running directly from the solar farm to a substation at Vandy?

Fair point - I also can't get behind the paywall and I don't know the technical specifications, but typically solar power gets used locally or is just put back into the grid to be used where it's needed.  You're right that the amount of carbon footprint reduction that Vandy can claim will be a lot bigger if they're 'buying/building the solar farm' (and can claim carbon output reduction credit for every joule of energy created by the farm regardless of who uses it) than if they're simply plugging into the solar farm (and can claim carbon output reduction credit only for the joules they specifically use to power their campus).

You're also right that if TVA is paying for the solar farm and we're all now getting at least some of our power from it, then yes - we are all just a little bit closer to carbon neutral as a result. But it's important to keep in mind that this only effects one side of the carbon neutrality equation.  Even though the carbon output will be lower for Vandy (and potentially all the rest of us too), that carbon output won't be zero so they will still have to take measures on the offset side of the equation to achieve neutrality. 

 

[titanhog]

Just now, ruraljuror said:

Fair point - I also can't get behind the paywall and I don't know the technical specifications, but typically solar power gets used locally or is just put back into the grid to be used where it's needed.  You're right that the amount of carbon footprint reduction that Vandy can claim will be a lot bigger if they're 'buying/building the solar farm' (and can claim carbon output reduction credit for every joule of energy created by the farm regardless of who uses it) than if they're simply plugging into the solar farm (and can claim carbon output reduction credit only for the joules they specifically use to power their campus).

You're also right that if TVA is paying for the solar farm and we're all now getting at least some of our power from it, then yes - we are all just a little bit closer to carbon neutral as a result. But it's important to keep in mind that this only effects one side of the carbon neutrality equation.  Even though the carbon output will be lower for Vandy (and potentially all the rest of us too), that carbon output won't be zero so they will still have to take measures on the offset side of the equation to achieve neutrality. 

 

Thanks.  And don't get me wrong.  I wish we were all living in homes running 100% on solar...as well as businesses covered in solar panels.  But when I read that about Vandy going "carbon neutral" but from a solar farm in another county...it just kinda came across as "more talk than action"...but then again...I need to withhold judgment, I guess.   If all of those new buildings on campus were decked out in 100% solar panels, I'd take them a bit more seriously.

[Mike G]

I'm not sure how the location of the power source matters- typical power plants supply power to customers miles and miles away, which would count toward one's carbon footprint. Even though you aren't producing the carbon dioxide at your home, it's still "your" carbon. Of course, if you have natural gas, you are producing the CO2 at your location, but that's another thing.

I'm not sure where if was, but at one point I lived in a place where the utility had "green energy blocks." You would pay an additional $4/month and "get" 500 KWh of power produced through solar or wind or whatever. Did I actually get *those* KWh? No, but I subsidized the utility to buy that energy from the producer. The grid was still 99% charged with the energy produced at the nuclear reactor or the coal-fired plant, so that's where I got "my" energy, but those purchases shifted, however slightly, the makeup of the energy portfolio.

[AsianintheNations]

50 minutes ago, Mike G said:

I'm not sure where if was, but at one point I lived in a place where the utility had "green energy blocks." You would pay an additional $4/month and "get" 500 KWh of power produced through solar or wind or whatever. Did I actually get *those* KWh? No, but I subsidized the utility to buy that energy from the producer. The grid was still 99% charged with the energy produced at the nuclear reactor or the coal-fired plant, so that's where I got "my" energy, but those purchases shifted, however slightly, the makeup of the energy portfolio.

Yes, I subscribed to a similar service in Boston, where as a renter I obviously had no other means of adding/generating renewable energy. And actually, pretty much the same idea here in Nashville as well, when my wife and I "bought" 3 panels of the Music City Solar project (technically more like purchased a 20-year lease), and the value of the energy generated by said panels is then subtracted from our electricity bill each month. It makes a lot more sense and impact to install renewable energy on the large-scale (and honestly larger scale than the 2 MW Music City Solar Project, which I guess was more of a proof-of-concept that benefited from a grant that only allowed it to be that large), and whatever gimmicky "buy-in" system they create to make it work is fine by me as long as the capacity is added somewhere. On the other hand, paying a dollar to some random fund to "offset" the carbon footprint of an airplane ticket always seemed disingenuous to me ...

Back to Mark's original post, MIT (my alma mater) did a similar power purchase agreement ... but with a new solar project in North Carolina. Now *that* is a bit far (and speaks to Massachusetts's ridiculous inability to install renewable power sources despite ostensibly a supportive electorate *cough* Cape Wind *cough*). Glad Vanderbilt is staying decently local. I would guess that for Vanderbilt (as was the case for MIT), covering the entire campus with solar panels would be woefully inadequate to match power consumption. Clean rooms and biosafety/chemical hoods in research labs consume absurd amounts of power.

[titanhog]

You guys keep talking.  That's good info.  I'm learning.  I guess I can see where if you invest in something that creates "clean" energy...that there is an offset, of sorts.

I was able to finally read the article...which stated the project is part of Bredesen's solar company...and it will produce enough megawatts for 70% of Vandy.  I'm not sure exactly what Vandy's participation will be or how they're actually part of the project other than maybe somehow subsidizing it?

[markhollin]

3206 West End Circle (3 stories? 16 residential units?) update.  Underway.

Looking NW from West End Circle, 1/2 block NW of Acklen Park Drive:

[markhollin]

Elliston Soda Shop will move 1/4 block west to 2201 Elliston Place, part of the planned repurposed block of structures (built in 1907) that Tony Giarratana purchased last month. The new location will be larger, with a capacity of 150 guests (up from the current 60), new dining booths, soda fountain, period-correct jukebox, and outdoor dining area with a walk-up order window. All of the classic elements of the original will be cleaned, restored, or rebuilt to original specs.

Employees Linda Melton, Barbie Farley and Leonard Jones, who all worked at the soda shop for over 25 years, helped with the redesign and will remain with the team.  All current staff has been retained. The menu will continue to offer burgers, milkshakes, pies and more. Noted Nashville restaurateur and Midtown Cafe owner Randy Rayburn is working with Giarratana on the project, guiding the design, menu, staffing and management.

Inman Design will refabricate the kitchen and restaurant.  Southeast Venture is handling architectural services. Joslin Signs is recreating the iconic Elliston Place Soda Shop sign. R.G. Anderson is the project’s construction partner.

Giarratana says that the height/amount of new apartments to be built on the parking lot behind the row of existing structures at 2201-2209 Elliston Place has not been finalized yet.  But says the development will take about 2 years to complete. 

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2020/01/24/giarratana-reveals-location-rendering-for-return.html?iana=hpmvp_nsh_news_headline

And The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2020/01/23/designs-renovated-historic-elliston-place-soda-shop-released/4557498002/

And behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/food-business/article/21112082/giarratana-announces-soda-shop-move-plans

[titanhog]

Here's more information from the Silicon Ranch website:  https://www.siliconranch.com/vanderbilt-nes-tva-and-silicon-ranch-partner-on-landmark-renewable-energy-deal/

[AsianintheNations]

2 hours ago, markhollin said:

3206 West End Circle (3 stories? 16 residential units?) update.  Underway.

Looking NW from West End Circle, 1/2 block NW of Acklen Park Drive:

Wow, that area of West End sure is moving fast to fill in all the gaps! The townhomes at 31st and Belwood are finally out of the ground and they recently demolished the old low-lying apartment buildings at 31st and Long as well. I'm actually not even sure what is going in the latter plot, though I would guess more 4-6 story apartment buildings. Sure would be nice if just one of these buildings could have some first-floor retail ... the side-roads there have more going on than 31st itself, which never made sense to me.

[Andrew_3289]

On 1/19/2020 at 8:48 AM, markhollin said:

HCA Building 3 remodel (2 stories) update. Exterior complete.

Looking  NE from Park Plaza, 1/4 block east of 31st Ave. North:

 

Looking NW from Park Plaza, 1/2 block east of 31st Ave. North:

Have had a few meetings in here the past few weeks. even nicer inside than building four.