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Davidson Southeast: Antioch, Century Farms, East of Brentwood


smeagolsfree

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Please, the East Bank is bad enough as it is without adding this mess.  Those parking lots are ugly but they are useful.  Whereas the Fairgrounds is barely useful even as a parking lot.  Interesting to see Dan Akroyd and John Goodman as entertainment consultants on this project.  It is a little bit out there, but this proposal is in line with recommendations that have come down for the reuse of the Fairgrounds.  Covering the speedway with a tent is a novel idea.  Make it a soundproof tent and you could just make everybody happy.  On the other hand, I don't see the feasibility of having 13 music stages beaming music online 24 hours a day.  That's reaching a bit. 

Big new idea for fairgrounds.

 

From the NBJ

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2012/12/11/hard-rock-cafe-co-founder-has-big.html

 

This could be a major development, however I would rather see it on the East Bank.

Edited by bwithers1
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There would be money behind this project for sure. I think they could make it fly as it would be a destination location in itself. When you are in a tourist city you want to be able to keep people in town for another day or two or even three. You could have a number of projects including an amusement park at some point. These projects could be synergistic as all of the amusement parks in Florida are and feed off of each other.

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Well......it's interesting. I might find it to be a little more appealing if it wasn't for the 90s computer graphics.

I dunno. It looks a bit like Branson and Pigeon Forge had an illegitimate child and left it on our doorstep.

 

That's exactly what I was thinking.  The massive lettering on each building just screams tourist trap in the tackiest of fashions.  The concept isn't terrible, and some of the rehabs aren't that bad, but the execution isn't great. At all.

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There would be money behind this project for sure. I think they could make it fly as it would be a destination location in itself. When you are in a tourist city you want to be able to keep people in town for another day or two or even three. You could have a number of projects including an amusement park at some point. These projects could be synergistic as all of the amusement parks in Florida are and feed off of each other.

It would take an amusement park to make this a tourist draw.  Otherwise, there is not much proposed here that doesn't already exist in the Music Valley Drive area, which has the distinct advantage of a bazillion small hotels plus RV parking and camping, not to mention the Opryland Hotel campus, the Opry, the Acuff Theater, and Opry Mills Mall.  It would be difficult to compete with all of that out there off of Briley by trying to do something similar in the Fairgrounds area. 

 

Plus, if people want to come to South Nashville to eat multi-cultural dining options, they don't need to go to a theme park, they can head to any of the existing ethnic restaurants in the Nolensville Road corridor.

 

Don't get me wrong, the idea of doing more with the expo center is a good one.  Adding some dining and entertainment options is definitely a good one.  But this proposal shows huge ambition without adequately explaining its fundamental business line:  the Expo Center.  Will this company purchase and run the Expo Center for Metro?  What kind of events do they envision booking at the new Expo center?  What kind of rental rates would they charge?  Is it realisitic that the Farmers Market would leave downtown and move there?  Would the Flea Market still happen there?  Will they want city subsidies?  What about the investment of public works improvements?  What about Mill Creek?  What about noise or traffic?  Once they build this stuff, where will the State Fair take place?  Will racing still take place?  

 

These are the hard questions that need to be answered, and that they public will demand to have answered.   Instead, this proposal shows some abstract buildling shapes that could be anywhere and vague promises about more live music, a 24/7 diner and some barbecue joints.

 

And what's with the vaguely Arabesque domes and spires?

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It would take an amusement park to make this a tourist draw.  Otherwise, there is not much proposed here that doesn't already exist in the Music Valley Drive area, which has the distinct advantage of a bazillion small hotels plus RV parking and camping, not to mention the Opryland Hotel campus, the Opry, the Acuff Theater, and Opry Mills Mall.  It would be difficult to compete with all of that out there off of Briley by trying to do something similar in the Fairgrounds area. 

 

I agree with this. Looking through the plans, one of my thoughts was that it looked like some cheap crap you would see around Music Valley Drive. And you're right...it would be difficult to make this area a "draw" for that kind of thing. It doesn't seem like it would be easy to make this sort of thing part of the average Nashville tourist's bucket list.

Plus, if people want to come to South Nashville to eat multi-cultural dining options, they don't need to go to a theme park, they can head to any of the existing ethnic restaurants in the Nolensville Road corridor.

 

Oh, yes...but Nolensville Road is scary looking! Having ethnic restaurants in a park-like atmosphere is much more inviting!

Don't get me wrong, the idea of doing more with the expo center is a good one.  Adding some dining and entertainment options is definitely a good one.  But this proposal shows huge ambition without adequately explaining its fundamental business line:  the Expo Center.  Will this company purchase and run the Expo Center for Metro?  What kind of events do they envision booking at the new Expo center?  What kind of rental rates would they charge?  Is it realisitic that the Farmers Market would leave downtown and move there?  Would the Flea Market still happen there?  Will they want city subsidies?  What about the investment of public works improvements?  What about Mill Creek?  What about noise or traffic?  Once they build this stuff, where will the State Fair take place?  Will racing still take place?  

 

Great questions. I missed the part about the Farmer's Market moving when I first read it. Seems pie-in-the-sky to me. The Farmer's Market is in a relatively new building (though apparently in a Noah's Ark flood plain) and in a fantastic location. No matter how nice a building they have at the Fairgrounds, it would be a big downgrade in location.

I'm trying to figure out what sort of expo business they will be targeting. Is there really a market we're missing out on that a place like that would help us benefit? It appears that is the big money improvement in this plan...so like you, I have some questions on what their business plan actually is.

-Also, that is Browns Creek, not Mill Creek that runs through the area. Still probably needs some improvements.

-I imagine the State Fair would cease to exist if the Fairgrounds were taken over. Either that, or they would choose one of the surrounding county fairs to adopt. Wilson County seems like a good choice. But who knows. The state actually took over the fair this year, and they seemed to be really trying to help improve it.

And what's with the vaguely Arabesque domes and spires?

The artist got carried away with the limited options on this 90s computer design program.

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I'm not feeling this proposal at all either. The 24 hour diner is about the only thing about it that piques my interest. I'd honestly rather see the whole site razed and made into a new urban, mixed-used neighborhood. Would the fairgrounds site even be enough space for a small theme park? I'm not sure that could work either.

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I'm not feeling this proposal at all either. The 24 hour diner is about the only thing about it that piques my interest. I'd honestly rather see the whole site razed and made into a new urban, mixed-used neighborhood. Would the fairgrounds site even be enough space for a small theme park? I'm not sure that could work either.

 

 

I completely agree. Let's please turn this into productive taxpaying land.  I am 100% sure these developers would seek some significant TIF approval for this project, which makes me even more against it.

 

We have an opportunity to turn this land into something really awesome, and this is not it.

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And the debate starts once again as to what to do with this hot potato. I am not sold on this proposal, but the Nascar finatics are going to have to let their dream of a race track die. They are still losing money and if I lived close by,I would not want the noise it generates. It had its time and its over. As for the State Fair, well, can you say Wilson County. Thats where I would move the state fair to. Now the question of the flea market; I have not got a clue. I went once and will never go back. Not my cup of tea. It can go to the Williamson County State Fair grounds. Never been to a race there and went to the Fair once.

 

As for all of the folks that are wanting to keep the Fair, Race track, and flea market there, then they need to come up with the 150 million they say it will take to renovate the dump. Now that is a great use of taxpayer dollars.

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This proposal sounds even more ridiculous to me than the Guitar Tower.  Seriously, can we get some architects in here that actually know what they're doing?  Some of the concepts just make it sound like a child is behind this whole thing.  Not only are the designs of each structure in this proposal absolutely god awful in their own uniquely horrible way, but they don't even come close to going together either. 

 

There is no creativity, no flow, no urbanity whatsoever...just a horribly designed, horribly flawed, outlandish concept all surrounded by a gigantic sea of parking.  If this were the Nashville of 1984 I wouldn't really be very surprised, but we're better than this today. 

 

Some of the ideas, like the IMAX theater, the "capsule hotel", and the broadcast center sound interesting, but why not just work them into the fabric of an existing neighborhood rather than create some isolated crap like this that would be, in a way, competing against the surrounding neighborhoods? 

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Stonehenge project on 8th at the old Beaman site is underway. Equipment on site, earth being moved, erosion barriers in place. No rendering on this one yet. Still working on it.

 

Actually an update here. I have found a rendering and sending it to WW first. No one has posted it in the media, but I can tell you it is five stories and up to the sidewalk.

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Stonehenge project on 8th at the old Beaman site is underway. Equipment on site, earth being moved, erosion barriers in place. No rendering on this one yet. Still working on it.

 

Actually an update here. I have found a rendering and sending it to WW first. No one has posted it in the media, but I can tell you it is five stories and up to the sidewalk.

I like the way they're not fooling around--they started demolition a few days after closing on the property.  I wish some other developers would just build the damn thing and not string us along.  Obviously that's an unfair perspective, especially when it comes to ambitious projects like 505 CST... 

I bet these apartment building companies will just keep dropping projects in wherever they can find a likely spot for the next several years, along 8th, Charlotte, Gallatin Rd, etc.  I believe the Nashville market will support a steady increase in urban apartmentage for a long time.

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I was driving by the Melrose Theater today and there was equipment that appeared to be moving dirt.  I don't know if this recently started or if it has been going on for a while.  Hopefully these projects start rising out of the groung before too long.

That project broke ground early last month or late in October.

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