City Parks/Greenways

[rookzie]

5 hours ago, GregH said:

A huge dropoff queue for cars seems like an incredibly wasteful process for a school right in the middle of the city.

In a way, I understand the rationale for that queuing loop, although at glance it seems rather tight for both teachers' parking and drop-off scrunched into such a confined space.

If Metro already owns that property (I'm assuming that it acquired it a while ago), then the site's location probably precludes the use of the property for construction of an occupied structure, without some kind of aerial bridge access.  The fact that Metro reopened W-B relatively recently as a school has brought along the issue of drop-off and pick-up that plagues so many other schools.  Reopening Waverly-Belmont has helped to address the needs for primary education within a historically dense inner-city district, but the same issue with traffic flow would have occurred regardless of whether or not the school had been shuttered around 1974, as the city undertook accelerated efforts to reorganize its school district, to meet court-ordered integration.  In retrospect, some of these measures arguably may have been misguided and short-sighted, while at the same time, the demand often could not be answered with funding to achieve goals with a reduced physical plant.  This was not limited to Waverly-Belmont, and sadly some structures in other inner-core districts were razed altogether ─ Ford Greene ES and Washington JH School in the Hadley neighborhood, both schools of which were razed in the mid-1980s ─ are prime examples that come to mind.

The neighborhood had experienced a cycle of generational flourishing, followed with a downturn a decay and underserving, during early post-war decades, in part as of result of "White flight".  The resurgence of the community in recent decades, along with infill development and demographic evolution, has only exacerbated the congestion that returned to the school almost instantly beginning August 2015, and it only has become worse since then.   The booming 12South corridor only has added to the problem, as 12th Ave no longer affords uninterrupted passage through the district, resulting in spill-over cut-through traffic along 10th.  

So without former Mayor Barry's ill-fated downtown transit tunnel (cough-cough) reincarnated and adapted into use as a widened parallel-lane underground tube below the surface of 10th Ave., I foresee no ready solution to that ongoing problem, other than the proposal as presented.  To be clear, I for one certainly am not advocating that use of the property.  The school is land-locked in part because it was allowed to close almost a half century ago, when land-acquisition was not so expensive and invasive as it is now.

Edited October 9, 2022 by rookzie

[donNdonelson2]

Roadwork and other infrastructure projects continue in the conversion of the former Ravenwood Club in Hermitage to a substantial regional Metro Park. Photo from Stones River Greenway.

[markhollin]

Metro is planning to swap properties with a local builder in an effort possibly to expand the Centennial Dog Park.

Upon approval of a rezoning of the properties at 3138 and 3140 Parthenon Ave., Metro Parks plans to trade the property at 3140 for a property of equal size at 3136 Parthenon Ave.

The rezoning application, proposed by Metro Councilmember Brandon Taylor, aims to rezone the two Metro Parks-owned properties so that 3140 Parthenon Ave. is the same size as the .26-acre 3136 Parthenon Ave. property, as well as permit the development of 10 multi-family residential units at the site. The proposal passed through the Metro Planning Commission on Thursday despite some backlash from Nashvillians who live near the property.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/metro-proposes-land-swap-with-developer-for-park-expansion/article_0689e4b2-4c02-11ed-8f7f-03c3d873e07e.html
 

[smeagolsfree]

This is just such a sweetheart deal for this developer. They are getting a property almost twice the size and are being allowed to build a 10-unit condo building on that space. Imagine the price of those condos now. One side will be right next to your own dog park and the rear will back up to one of the nicest parks in Nashville.

Metro should neither trade nor sale park land and if anything on that black be trying to buy the last two remaining parcels.

[Archibum]

As I read it, the developers lot size would be the same it's current lot. The parks property would be split with as shown in red such that the developer gets the red portion parks keeps the left over and adds it to their new lot they traded for. Though I could be misunderstanding it.

[markhollin]

Percy Warner Public Golf Course will close in November, beginning an 11-month renovation. Some improvements include new irrigation, a practice area, expansion of tee boxes + bunkers, and landscaping. The course will tentatively reopen in September 2023.

[markhollin]

Centennial Park's Phase 3 of revitalization will bring improvements to the Park Plaza side, including a new even pavilion on Lake Watauga, access points connecting the West End side to the Park Plaza side, a vehicle entrance on Park Plaza, and the repurposing of the historic Croquet Clubhouse into a cafe. 

https://www.mainstreet-nashville.com/news/next-phase-of-centennial-park-revitalization-to-include-new-lake-watauga-event-pavilion/article_e25b38ca-555c-11ed-bf69-1345a3b9f2ff.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NASH_11.02.2022_NOV&utm_term=NASHtoday: Subscribers - MASTER

[chc3]

The Laurel Woods Trail in Beaman Park 20 minutes northwest of my house is a jewel. I’ve hiked it many times and am always amazed how empty it is compared with Radnor Lake and Percy Warner. Today I saw less than 6 people on the 7.5 mile half-loop.

Edited November 18, 2022 by chc3

[BnaBreaker]

7 hours ago, chc3 said:

The Laurel Woods Trail in Beaman Park 20 minutes northwest of my house is a jewel. I’ve hiked it many times and am always amazed how empty it is compared with Radnor Lake and Percy Warner. Today I saw less than 6 people on the 7.5 mile half-loop.

Wow, that is some extremely high quality, and properly thorough, signage.  

[markhollin]

Sevier Park is starting to have ground moved to create new driveway/parking on NE side of old mansion.

Looking south from Kirkwood Ave., 1/2 block east of 12th Ave. South:

[smeagolsfree]

They just pulled a 4.5 million dollar permit for renovation for the mansion.

[chc3]

7 hours ago, BnaBreaker said:

Wow, that is some extremely high quality, and properly thorough, signage.  

Yes, the signage is brand new. I hike all over the country and Europe and the Laurel Woods Trail is one of the best marked and blazed of all. I saw a rare scarlet tanager on the more remote  West Fork in the spring of 2021.

[donNdonelson2]

59 minutes ago, chc3 said:

Yes, the signage is brand new. I hike all over the country and Europe and the Laurel Woods Trail is one of the best marked and blazed of all. I saw a rare scarlet tanager on the more remote  West Fork in the spring of 2021.

I saw a scarlet tanager at Long Hunter State Park back in the spring also. First one I ever recall seeing!

[GregH]

Thanks for the Laurel Woods reminder, I went out and did the short loop today and it was lovely.

[chc3]

2 hours ago, GregH said:

Thanks for the Laurel Woods reminder, I went out and did the short loop today and it was lovely.

Don’t tell TOO many people about it!

[markhollin]

Update on progress of Wilson County  parks in Mt. Juliet and Lebanon:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/wilson/mt-juliet/2022/12/02/where-mt-juliet-lebanon-park-projects-and-enhancements-stand/69672655007/

[markhollin]

Sevier Park is starting to have ground moved to create new driveway/parking on NE side of old mansion.


Looking SE from Kirkwood Ave., 1/4 block east of 12th Ave. South:

Looking south from Kirkwood Ave., 1/2 block east of 12th Ave. South:

[markhollin]

Brentwood will have a new park next year after the recent approval of a master plan by city leaders. 

Windy Hill Park, located on the south side of Old Smyrna Road, will be a “passive recreational park,” meaning open space and multipurpose trails are the main features. The 52-acre park will also include small picnic facilities, a gazebo and a playground.

City Manager Kirk Bednar emphasized there is still work that must be finished in the months ahead before construction starts. 

“This a master plan concept," Bednar said. "None of this has been engineered.”

Trails will be 10-feet wide, with perimeter sections that include a 2-foot shoulder for those who prefer not to run on pavement. 

A 400-meter loop trail will also be created in the north section of the park. 

More at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/williamson/2022/12/15/brentwood-windy-hill-park-with-trails-400-meter-track-moving-forward/69688052007/

[markhollin]

Mill Ridge Park in Antioch update at The Tennessean:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson/2022/12/26/antiochs-mill-ridge-park-aims-to-weave-together-diverse-community/69661532007/
 

[markhollin]

A few aerials from the Nashville New Year's Bash at Bicentennial Mall on Saturday evening.  From all accounts, it was a great event i person.  It looked great on CBS nationally.

I do deeply appreciate the Nashville Convention and Tourism Bureau, but once again, they hugely inflated the numbers of people attending.  They stated the crowd was 210,000 downtown, which clearly does not pass the eyeball test.   The section of the mall that was set up for the the audience is about the size of two football fields end-to-end. In one of these shots, you can see that it was not even filled all the way to the back.  At best, there were about 20,000 people watching the primary concert there.  Perhaps there were another 50,000 downtown wandering Lower Broadway and all the clubs in that area (and I think that could be generous).  
 

[bnacincy]

So why don't they have this concert on Lower Broadway anymore? I seem to remember that is where it started.....

[markhollin]

56 minutes ago, bnacincy said:

So why don't they have this concert on Lower Broadway anymore? I seem to remember that is where it started.....

There seemed to be two reasons:

1) Security/safety: the final year before the moved it to Bicentennial, there were just too many people crowded on Broadway--shoulder to shoulder in some places.  It was tough getting in and out of some of the bars.

2) So many big events happen on Lower Broadway, and they felt they needed to spread things out a bit with other areas of the center city being more utilized. 

[MLBrumby]

I watched it this year… they made it part of their program to go back and forth between this main stage and several of the honkey tonks where various singers/bands hosted. I think it worked quite well and gave lots of opportunities for aerial shots of the skyline.

Edited January 2 by MLBrumby

[nashscan]

14 hours ago, bnacincy said:

So why don't they have this concert on Lower Broadway anymore? I seem to remember that is where it started.....

As a 911 dispatcher who works the big events here, I can tell you it's soooo much better not having it on lower Broadway.   Much less chaotic from a public safety perspective. 

[markhollin]

Work update on new entrance to Cumberland River Greenway from Great Circle Drive in SE corner of MetroCenter: