Jump to content

Surrounding Counties - Cheatham, Dickson, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson, Williamson, Maury, etc.


Rural King

Recommended Posts


Murfreesboro really is exploding right now. Two new walmart super centers have been approved with one going on south Church Street and the other on Memorial Boulevard. Also a new shopping center over 200,000 square feet is also proposed near the new Joe B. Jackson extension along South Church Street. It will be called Marketplace at Savannah Ridge. Developed by Baker Story Macdonald, the center will have 4 anchors and several smaller outlets. Fortress Landing is a 130-acre mixed use development along Manson Pike that will have luxury apartments, retail, and office space. 264 units of class A apartments called Integra Creek. In addition, a Walgreens has also been approved for the development. I would add some things about MTSU, but there are too many projects to list.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

full_33219.jpg

Looks like they came to their senses and are closing the road that leads to the downtown area. Leaving it open had been requested in the 90's and doing that would have killed the operational efficiency of the project.

The project will improve overall operation but will still have significant delay problems. There's just too much traffic here. It was one of the five busiest intersections in the state at one time.

Edited by PHofKS
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are a few organizations operating to unite the regional area trough transit and smart development. Bringing many of the players to the table for discussion and, hopefully, compromise.

Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee

Cumberland Region Tomorrow

Forgot

Nashville Area MPO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Okay, I don't know quite where to put this stream of thought, but since it's Williamson County related, I figured here works for now. Ron/Tim can move it later if you see fit.

 

I was just cruising around Facebook and had come across a post by Crema for an event/charity fundraising they are doing today. I presume that the one person who had commented when I looked was our own e-dub even though I have never met him (probably seen him at Crema, though). I know this must be him because one of the pages on his profile is "Stop Nashville Sprawl," a Facebook-based movement to influence what it's name implies.

 

Now, as I am cruising what they have posted, I saw several comments against higher urban density. As I scrolled down the page, I noticed several images from CSB looking north on 65 taken when only 2 vehicles were on the road. And that's what spurred this thought. We constantly want what's best for Davidson County and the core - and most of us see Cool Springs/Franklin as, simply, a suburb of Nashville (at least I have until now). I now believe this to be incorrect. As central Williamson County grows in business and population, so in fact does their own style of urban density.

 

Now, do I agree that more business for the CBD/SoBro/Germantown/etc make for a better and more vibrant downtown? Yes. Does more apartments and condos and various other housing contribute to a better and more livable core? Yes. And what does the 65 corridor offer to central Williamson County? All of these things. Take, for example, the two primary mixed use developments happening now: Pat Emory's 74 acre project and Southern Land's Dwell project. Two very high-density projects situated both on McEwen Drive, flanked with grocery, retail, entertainment, and a massive amount of offices. Honestly, if you look at the layout there, they've created and are building upon what we are still seeking for Nashville - outside of the Gulch. That stretch is actually becoming what we want the core to be, and they've already been at it for years.

 

So I guess the point of saying all this is that I think it's time to recognize Franklin/Cool Springs/37067 for what it really is - competition. A growing, urban, population-dense area that has been, in my eyes, a bit more successful than Nashville has at creating a livable work/shop/stay experience. And quietly, at that. Because none of us that I can remember reading, has said anything similar to that. I think the Stop Nashville Sprawl Facebook page tries to convey the wrong message with focusing their attention with those photos. Do we like it, being urbanites? Not particularly, but when you step back and look at what has actually been accomplished there - collectively - it kind of messes with your head.

Anyway, as mentioned before, this was just some stream of conscious writing. Feel free to add, disagree, agree, move the post, whatever. I just wanted to get that out in the world and see what it gets...

 

.dm

 

EDIT: Link to the aforementioned page: https://www.facebook.com/StopNashvilleSprawl

Edited by dmillsphoto
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now, do I agree that more business for the CBD/SoBro/Germantown/etc make for a better and more vibrant downtown? Yes. Does more apartments and condos and various other housing contribute to a better and more livable core? Yes. And what does the 65 corridor offer to central Williamson County? All of these things. Take, for example, the two primary mixed use developments happening now: Pat Emory's 74 acre project and Southern Land's Dwell project. Two very high-density projects situated both on McEwen Drive, flanked with grocery, retail, entertainment, and a massive amount of offices. Honestly, if you look at the layout there, they've created and are building upon what we are still seeking for Nashville - outside of the Gulch. That stretch is actually becoming what we want the core to be, and they've already been at it for years.

 

Some interesting things are happening in Cool Springs, for sure. What started out as a large mall, some freestanding restaurants, and a handful of strip shopping centers has turned into a massive retail machine, corporate center, and now residential center. Growing up on the south side of Nashville, and working in Cool Springs in high school, I've watched the area transform -- and it has been remarkable. But this remarkable growth has come at the cost of having traffic problems that can be an absolute nightmare at times. 

 

I do like that Franklin seems to be adapting to the times and attempting to create a more urban environment. But with all the damage done with the already constructed sprawling strip malls, stand-alone restaurants, and single family homes, it can't really be that urban. It can strive to be Green Hills urban -- that's about it. The live-work-play communities they construct might be attractive places to do such activities, but, at least to me, they all seem isolated. Have you ever attempted to walk around Cool Springs? The place takes up a larger land area than downtown and midtown combined. While the east side of 65 seems to be more park-like and "somewhat" pedestrian friendly (at least in comparison to the mall area), everything is still very spread out. The problem I see with these new urban communities is that they won't operate as urban communities (even most of Nashville's urban communities don't really operate in that way in comparison to a lot of peer cities). Since the urbanity will be somewhat isolated, it will still be totally car dependent, so in this case, I can see the argument against "more density" because what it will do is just stuff even more traffic into an already crowded Cool Springs. 

 

I'll give Franklin a lot of credit for doing a better job at planning -- but ultimately, the more that is added to Cool Springs, the more traffic issues the place will have. In the pure terms of having an area to live, work, and play...yes, Cool Springs and Williamson County have accomplished that. But that is NOT what I want the core to be. Our core has a long way to go -- but unlike Cool Springs, it has a chance to operate as a more cohesive neighborhood. Yes, right now we have splotches of urban residential...some of the core neighborhoods seem isolated right now. But as we continue to grow -- as these neighborhoods grow together (and someday, they will) you will have a fusion of urbanity, not a development here and there. What our core lacks -- what Cool Springs has in abundance -- is retail. But in Cool Springs, you have to drive to all of the retail. It's not even like with downtown Franklin, where you park in a single spot and walk around. Everything is incredibly spread out.

 

So I guess the point of saying all this is that I think it's time to recognize Franklin/Cool Springs/37067 for what it really is - competition. A growing, urban, population-dense area that has been, in my eyes, a bit more successful than Nashville has at creating a livable work/shop/stay experience. And quietly, at that. Because none of us that I can remember reading, has said anything similar to that. I think the Stop Nashville Sprawl Facebook page tries to convey the wrong message with focusing their attention with those photos. Do we like it, being urbanites? Not particularly, but when you step back and look at what has actually been accomplished there - collectively - it kind of messes with your head.

Anyway, as mentioned before, this was just some stream of conscious writing. Feel free to add, disagree, agree, move the post, whatever. I just wanted to get that out in the world and see what it gets...

 

.dm

 

EDIT: Link to the aforementioned page: https://www.facebook.com/StopNashvilleSprawl

It is a competition, at least on some level. Cool Springs can (or at least might some day) provide a compromise for people looking for something more urban, but close to their job in the suburbs. I know from my posting on C-D of a number of folks who want to live in an urban environment, only to find downtown's options lacking, or that they have to work in Cool Springs. With such a huge workforce, and in some cases, because of their great schools, Cool Springs has a big advantage over Nashville.

 

 

 

 

I'll add more later, but it's getting late.

Edited by UTgrad09
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe we should just rename this thread as "Williamson County".

 

Anyway, this is the land at the southeast corner of McEwen Drive and Carothers. The last piece of land like it in the county. Look for this to be developed relatively hastily.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/morning_call/2012/12/franklins-pickering-property-fetches.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe we should just rename this thread as "Williamson County".

We had one before.  It got moved to the Coffee House I think.  I thought about having one for every county, but some have more going on than others.  Not every county but something like Clarksville-Mont, Dickson-Cheatam-Ashland City, WillCo-Frank-Brent-Nolensville (maybe a TS-SH-Columbia-Maury), WilCo-LeB-MJ, already have the Murf-Ruth-LV-Smyrna sub forum, and then Sumner-Gallatin-Hendersonville.  But I am not sure there is enough going on/traffic to warrant it.  Nor do I think we have forumers who are familiar/live in the area to help out with that.  Poor old RobertsonCo, what's going on there these days?  Don't hear much from there!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some updates on Tapestry.  From their FB page by Aerial Innovations of TN, Inc.

I see now why I was confused. These are only the parking structures. I thought that they were only going to be wrapped somewhat, but there is a lot of space "up front" (I guess to the west is more direct). I guess the holes in the one side of the "north" structure was throwing me off. I guess my brain quickly analyzed those as windows and not a parking deck!

 

6399_479303378775652_1858647447_n.jpg

399290_479303258775664_1441153794_n.jpg

59995_479303288775661_334914151_n.jpg

[http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/148610_479303215442335_2039463721_n.jpg]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool photos. Haven't seen that perspective of Brentwood in quite a while.


This project is slower than....well...Christmas. I'm surprised it has taken as long as it has for them to just do the parking structure. It seems like they've been working on this forever.


399290_479303258775664_1441153794_n.jpg

 

See...even Brentwood has a wrong side of the tracks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.