Nashville Yards, 15 acres/4 million sq. ft./ $1 billion, Phase I: Grand Hyatt Hotel (25 stories), Phase II: Amazon (26 & 22 stories), Phase III: AEG District (4 K theater, 34 & 35 story apts); Phase IV: Pinnacle Tower (35 stories), Amazon 3 (43)

[JoeyX]

I think this is spelling the end of Nashville's star status. I'm pretty sure  companies and developers talk with each other. It looks like a rather negative reputation is developing and it will be hard to break. Nashville may sink down to the level of a Lexington, KY, Richmond, VA, etc. Places like those don't garner much enthusiasm if any at all.

[archilove]

On 2/3/2020 at 3:35 PM, MLBrumby said:

Not casting aspersions on anyone here (or elsewhere), but these sorts of issues come up frequently... after elections, in this case Cooper was someone who made it quite clear about what he intended to do. He obviously made a play for the fairgrounds folks and the suburban people of similar feelings. Is it buyer's remorse, or worse, citizens who didn't even show up at polls 'to buy'.  I only saw the last candidate debates and heard a few local news reports regarding the candidates' stands. But even still, I have to say there was no doubt what John Cooper intended to do as mayor. There were not-so-subtle hints like "growing too fast" "make this growth work for everyone" "spread the wealth"... and then the alarming pitting of groups against each other. He made several comments before the election that the soccer stadium was being built at the expense of schools. Of course, I don't subscribe to that particular brand of populist progressivism... and I lamented the fact that Nashville has been putting up really poor choices during the last two mayoral races. And I can say I would not have voted for Cooper if I lived in Metro. Briley was a weak mayor, and he's a 'dry rag' when it comes to politicking. But I surely would have voted, as I always do here in Chattanooga.  I would have taken the lesser of the two evils (Briley). So who did the folks here vote for? 

 

 

On 2/3/2020 at 3:48 PM, JoeyX said:

Correct.

Cooper reminds me of Bernie Sanders type Democrat.

I wonder did he run off Microsoft as well.

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by archilove

[archilove]

I saw Bredesen at a Waffle House this morning. Wish we had him back.

Edited February 8, 2020 by archilove

[BnaBreaker]

Man this thread is depressing... I hope to god that what I'm reading isn't true, but deep down I know it probably is.  He's a single misguided man, how can he alone do SO much damage in just a matter of months??  How can one possibly think that actually eliminating high paying jobs and billions of dollars in development would be GOOD for a city?  Honestly what does he think he is achieving with this stick in the mud crap?  It's astounding.  Not to be a downer, but this has been a very depressing few years for me personally just watching what is going on in this country and for a variety of more personal reasons I won't go into now... the knowledge that my hometown was undergoing a boom of growth and positive change was one of the few things keeping me up-beat... now it appears even that is coming to an end thanks to Cooper and his BS.  If it comes out that he alone ran off Oracle and Microsoft, I am going to be utterly livid. 

The thing is, after reading through his campaign promises and policy positions (which can be found here https://ballotpedia.org/John_Cooper_(Tennessee) about halfway down under the "Campaign Website" heading) I actually AGREE many of his specific ideas, and AGREE with his position on how funds should generally be allocated and that a city's primary focus should be the people who live there... but that doesn't mean you have to sabotage the city's beating heart for gods sake!!  He acts like downtown is another country, stealing things from 'real Nashvillians,' when in reality downtown is just another city neighborhood that happens to bring in a vast majority of the revenue!  He says he wants to focus on raising the human capital of the residents of Nashville, which is admirable, BUT TURNING AWAY THOUSANDS OF HIGH PAYING JOBS AND BILLIONS IN NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JUST  TO SAVE A PENNY ONLY HURTS THOSE PEOPLE, JOHN!!  

Edited February 4, 2020 by BnaBreaker

[MLBrumby]

10 minutes ago, JoeyX said:

I think this is spelling the end of Nashville's star status. I'm pretty sure  companies and developers talk with each other. It looks like a rather negative reputation is developing and it will be hard to break. Nashville may sink down to the level of a Lexington, KY, Richmond, VA, etc. Places like those don't garner much enthusiasm if any at all.

Yes. I work closely with some lobbyists on the state level. And before Christmas, I was at a gathering after work. They were mocking John Cooper. At first I didn't realize what was going on, then one of them cracked she didn't know how anyone could be dumb enough to vote for him for mayor. LOL... I recall she made a crack that he was a 'mater plant populist, meaning he appealed to the group of voters who grow their own 'maters on the back porch because they're too expensive at the grocery.  I buy them at the farmer's market, but would grow them rather than buy at the grocery.  But I caught her point... They're the people who were convinced he would not raise their taxes. When that day arrives, and I'd love to see the Lee administration force his hand, they're going to be furious with him. By then, he'll have no other factions to back him in a reelection. 

Now maybe there needs to be a BASH COOPER thread set up in the coffee shop. 

1 hour ago, smeagolsfree said:

Someone at the meet in the know made a phone call.

Sorry, I'm lost here. A phone call to whom? About what? 

[DeemonBruhn]

do you know which develops were being pitched to them?

Not all. A couple (two). I can only assume there were others. Can’t say any more specifics for obvious reasons.

[titanhog]

I'm so ticked off reading this thread.  Talk about a man throwing the baby out with the bath water!

[BnaBreaker]

EDIT: Decided to just combine my posts.

Edited February 3, 2020 by BnaBreaker

[NashRugger]

He'll find out pretty soon and abruptly that trying to flex your newfound muscle in situations it shouldn't be and/or that are ridiculously trivial most certainly WILL backfire. 

[Binbin98]

9 hours ago, PillowTalk4 said:

Is Mayor Cooper trying to kill Nashville's momentum?  Is Charlotte, NC bank rolling his office?  Did Austin, TX interfere in the Nashville mayoral election? 

Okay, I know deep down it's not funny.  What he's doing is building up an image that under his leadership Nashville will not honor it's commitments and if he "personally" doesn't like something he's going to get in the way.  It's stunning that he's concerned about the lighting and signage that will be on the buildings in Nashville Yards, saying it will make Nashville look like a carnival, when there is, among other clownish signs, one neon sign on Broadway that has flying pigs.... Which I personally don't have a problem with, but lets keep perspective here Mr. Mayor.

What they are talking about doing in Nashville Yards is more along the lines of Time Square on a much smaller scale.  The Capital One Center in DC (formerly Verizon Center, formerly MCI Center) has the type of signage it appears that developers are proposing for the buildings in Nashville Yards.  I've yet to hear anyone complain about them being clownish or like a circus.  If anything, the signs help to draw people in and add atmosphere to an otherwise drab building.  The only complaint has been from nearby residents saying that they are too bright to be on/or flashing  all night.  So, I believe the signs are turned off or are static after 1:00 AM or 2:00 AM.   My suggestion would have been get room darkening draperies or shades....

Mayor Cooper is just a symptom of the anti growth virus that has infected the minds of most Nashvillians. Trying to stop growth by making companies and people misrable, rejecting mass transit, and having the major purposefully attempt to sabotage large corporate deals that will do wonders to the city's economy and image isn't going to help the city at all! Cooper could literally say f--- bezos as a public statement and Amazon won't leave because they have already put a sizable investment in their development which is under construction now. People like Mayor Cooper are why I left the city years ago and moved to London, I knew in the long run the city was going to grow, but would not adapt to the growth like other cities in America would do. It is like stopping yourself from growing by shooting yourself in the knee.

[DeemonBruhn]

Everyone here assumes the Mayor cares about what we perceive as negative press or backlash from the educated and powerful. People that are naturally contrarian count these kind of moments (like telling a big company to go elsewhere) as a success. Spend some time reading the comments on a Tennessean News story or to the Mayor’s Twitter Post; the mouthbreathing crowd is firmly behind this type of crazy destructive action.

If you need an example, look no further then how the Soccer Stadium “negotiations” are going down. It isn’t a negotiation when only one side is willing to give.

[jkc2j]

It's just strange to me, with all the growth and success Nashville has had the last couple of years, in one fell swoop all of that can possibly come to a halt due to a lot of Nashvillians fear of change. Not sure about most of the posters here but I'm a born and raised Nashvillian and I remember what it was like here pre boom and before and the city was not something to boast about. Very poor infrastructure(still is to a degree) a hollowed out downtown, lots of suburban malls and strip malls and neighborhoods that you wouldn't want to step foot in during the day much less at night. Transforming to a bustling city with a bright future cut short all due to shortsightedness and a segment of the population that's still stuck in the past. It's too early to say what the long term ramifications are of this current administration but I'm not sure if the city will be able to maintain it's allure if the mayor remains in office. 

[downtownresident]

We still have a good base. Broadway is still a great attraction, and barring being gutted by Cooper(would be incredibly foolish, even compared to what’s already transpired) we have an incredible CVB and convention center. Amazon is still coming, and that will drive additional growth downtown. We will still get smaller announcements(with the state mainly driving those) and relocations, but large scale relocations that involve the city are dead so long as Cooper is mayor. 
 

Hopefully whomever comes after can rebuild the trust between Metro and the business community while selling the benefits of growth to the larger populace. 

[e-dub]

10 minutes ago, jkc2j said:

neighborhoods

[jkc2j]

4 minutes ago, downtownresident said:

We still have a good base. Broadway is still a great attraction, and barring being gutted by Cooper(would be incredibly foolish, even compared to what’s already transpired) we have an incredible CVB and convention center. Amazon is still coming, and that will drive additional growth downtown. We will still get smaller announcements(with the state mainly driving those) and relocations, but large scale relocations that involve the city are dead so long as Cooper is mayor. 
 

Hopefully whomever comes after can rebuild the trust between Metro and the business community while selling the benefits of growth to the larger populace. 

I do remember reading some years back a similar thing happened in Austin with a lot of backlash against the growth they were having with the population there but the state of Texas stepped in with incentives for potential relocations. I'm hoping it's a similar situation here with the current governor if the city is not willing to make the investment. 

[DDIG]

These comments by Freddie are telling. Nobody knows what the hell he's doing: 

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/metro-council-member-executives-concerned-over-mayors-handling-of-new-development

[JoeyX]

I'm wondering if they have thought about where people will get jobs if they slow down considerably or shut down economic development.

3 minutes ago, DDIG said:

These comments by Freddie are telling. Nobody knows what the hell he's doing: 

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/metro-council-member-executives-concerned-over-mayors-handling-of-new-development

 

Edited February 4, 2020 by JoeyX

[DDIG]

1 minute ago, JoeyX said:

I'm wondering if they have thought about where people will get jobs if they slow down considerably or shut down economic development.

Don't know. I was expecting Amazon to grow beyond the 5k they quoted, but since he's already messing with their HQ over stupid crap, I'd imagine they are good elsewhere.

[nashvylle]

 

[JoeyX]

Reading that link confirmed what I knew. Companies and developers are raising red flags regarding Nashville. The star is turning into a black hole. Something to avoid.

[The ATX]

40 minutes ago, jkc2j said:

I do remember reading some years back a similar thing happened in Austin with a lot of backlash against the growth they were having with the population there but the state of Texas stepped in with incentives for potential relocations. I'm hoping it's a similar situation here with the current governor if the city is not willing to make the investment. 

We have had similar situations in Austin.  Our current Mayor helped push  Amazon HQ2 away with a public letter he released after Austin was a top 20 finalist.  Four of the 10 City Council members did not want an MLS franchise and voted against it even though the team was handed to the City along with a free new stadium.

[Buildtall]

Can the council step in and remove him?

[BnaBreaker]

2 hours ago, jkc2j said:

It's just strange to me, with all the growth and success Nashville has had the last couple of years, in one fell swoop all of that can possibly come to a halt due to a lot of Nashvillians fear of change. Not sure about most of the posters here but I'm a born and raised Nashvillian and I remember what it was like here pre boom and before and the city was not something to boast about. Very poor infrastructure(still is to a degree) a hollowed out downtown, lots of suburban malls and strip malls and neighborhoods that you wouldn't want to step foot in during the day much less at night. Transforming to a bustling city with a bright future cut short all due to shortsightedness and a segment of the population that's still stuck in the past. It's too early to say what the long term ramifications are of this current administration but I'm not sure if the city will be able to maintain it's allure if the mayor remains in office. 

Yeah... unfortunately people irrationally fearful of change have been doing a great deal of damage lately in this country and around the world.

[downtownresident]

5 minutes ago, Buildtall said:

Can the council step in and remove him?

It’s governed by section 15 of the Metro Charter: 

Sec. 15.05. Ouster of metropolitan officers.
The mayor, vice-mayor, members of the council, and every member of a metropolitan board or commission appointed for a special term shall be subject to ouster under the terms and provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated, sections 8-47-101 through 8-47-107, and within the meaning of such law metropolitan officers are hereby declared to be county and municipal officers.
(Res. No. 88-526, § 29, 10-4-88)

Sec. 15.06. Recall of metropolitan officers.
The mayor, vice-mayor and members of the council and metropolitan board of public education may be removed from such office by the qualified voters of the metropolitan government or of a councilmanic or school district according as the official sought to be removed has been elected by the voters of the metropolitan government or of a councilmanic or school district at any time except during the first one hundred and eighty (180) days or the last one hundred and eighty (180) days of their terms, in the manner hereafter provided.
Editor's note— Section 15.06 was added by referendum election held Aug. 1, 1991.

Sec. 15.07. Procedure in general.
In order to recall an official set out in Section 15.06 of this Metropolitan Charter, a petition demanding the election of a successor of the person sought to be removed and containing a statement of the reason(s) why removal is sought must be filed with the metropolitan clerk. The only purpose of such statement is to furnish information to the electors.

A recall petition for the offices of mayor, vice mayor, and councilman-at-large shall contain signatures and addresses of registered qualified voters in number equal to fifteen (15) percent of registered qualified voters in Davidson County; a recall petition for the offices of metropolitan board of public education and district councilmember shall contain the signatures and addresses of registered qualified voters in number equal to fifteen (15) percent of the registered qualified voters of the district from which the officer was elected. The above percentages shall be computed from the total number of qualified registered voters for each office according to the latest official count of registered qualified voters made by the Davidson County Election Commission thirty (30) days prior to the date the recall petition is initially filed with the metropolitan clerk. The signatures and addresses to any recall petition need not all be appended to one sheet of paper. The verification of the signatures shall be made by the Davidson County Election Commission and certified to the metropolitan clerk.

A notice of the intention to obtain signatures for a recall petition, together with the form of the recall petition, must be filed with the metropolitan clerk prior to obtaining signatures of registered qualified voters. Such recall petition containing the required number of registered qualified voters must be filed with the metropolitan clerk not later than thirty (30) days following the date the notice is properly filed.

 

To recall, you'd have to get 15% of registered voters to sign a recall petition within 30 days of filing the notice of intention to obtain signatures, which is all but impossible. 

[BnaBreaker]

2 hours ago, nashvylle said:

 

It would be one thing if he were simply a tough negotiator trying to get the best initial deal for the city.  But I think what it really is that has these companies spooked is seeing him attempt to micromanage plans already completed, and meddle with and go back on deals ALREADY MADE.  I mean, honestly, WHAT is he thinking??

Edited February 4, 2020 by BnaBreaker