Peabody Union (27 story residential, 354 units, 251,000 sq. ft. office, 50,000 sq. ft. retail), Peabody Plaza (9-story, 280,000 sq. ft. office), & 4 smaller buildings, MDHA Trolley Barn sites

[LA_TN]

8 minutes ago, Buildtall said:

Like this a lot. Looks like lots of shopping. I have one problem with it. Those huge power lines and if they remain will there be enough room  to get equipment in there to work on them when needed with out destroying the landscaping and walkway.  Other than that, I’ll keep my fingers crossed  that it gets built at current height. I also count 26 floors if the space between the pedestal and tower counts as a floor. 

Welcome to the forum!

[Pdt2f]

Wow, I never thought I’d actually be excited about this project. It makes the sacriledge of Eakin a bit less glaring, I suppose. Looking forward to seeing it rise. 

[Buildtall]

Thanks I been reading for years and finally decided It was time to participate a little on here. 

[smeagolsfree]

I will take them at their word thag this will be 25. Thats what was agreed to by MDHA and in the release.

[markhollin]

12 hours ago, Buildtall said:

Like this a lot. Looks like lots of shopping. I have one problem with it. Those huge power lines and if they remain will there be enough room  to get equipment in there to work on them when needed with out destroying the landscaping and walkway.  Other than that, I’ll keep my fingers crossed  that it gets built at current height. I also count 26 floors if the space between the pedestal and tower counts as a floor. 

I echo LA_TN by welcoming you to the forum, Buildtall!  Hope you can make it to one of our Monthly Meet-Ups.  The next one is this Saturday, Feb. 3rd, from 10 AM to noon at La Lluna Taqueria at 300 James Robertson Parkway (NW corner of JRP and 3rd Ave. North).  We're a real friendly bunch.

Like you, I loathe those power lines.  It would seem that with all the money being spent on the riverfront that they could be buried.  Afterall, they ARE buried when the run alongside the Rolling Mill Hill apartment complexes a thousand feet further to the east.  If it could be done there, then why not here as well?

[markhollin]

The MDHA Board of Commissioners approved a modified plan related to a 25-story condominium tower  today.

[bigeasy]

19 hours ago, Buildtall said:

Like this a lot. Looks like lots of shopping. I have one problem with it. Those huge power lines and if they remain will there be enough room  to get equipment in there to work on them when needed with out destroying the landscaping and walkway.  Other than that, I’ll keep my fingers crossed  that it gets built at current height. I also count 26 floors if the space between the pedestal and tower counts as a floor. 

You are going to fit right in here with sentiments like this!!!! Welcome to the site.

 

Side note: I think for once I am happy about a design change. Must.....fight.....positivity........

Edited January 30, 2018 by bigeasy

[AronG]

Looks pretty nice. It's definitely time for metro to start winding down these huge parking garage subsidies though. They may have been necessary 10 years ago, but there are ample alternatives to driving downtown and parking now. We should let the market handle this, and put that $17 million towards something more useful. If developers want to include lots of parking for suburban commuters, let them factor that into their business plan.

Also, I love this bike lane and I hope it gets connected into the network in a useful way. Nashville has done a decent job of getting a few protected bike lanes (Davidson, 11th Ave, 16/17th)  in place over the last 10 years, but sometimes it seems like no effort was made to tie them in in a usable way. For example there's a sort-of-separated lane on KVB that seemed like it was going to be a useful east-west route, but it literally runs into a curb at the roundabout instead of putting some thought into, say, combing it with the pedestrian crosswalk. With a little effort this one could go under KVB and then tie into the bike lane, instead of just dumping off into the sidewalks at Ascend.

[bigeasy]

39 minutes ago, AronG said:

Also, I love this bike lane and I hope it gets connected into the network in a useful way. Nashville has done a decent job of getting a few protected bike lanes (Davidson, 11th Ave, 16/17th)  in place over the last 10 years, but sometimes it seems like no effort was made to tie them in in a usable way. For example there's a sort-of-separated lane on KVB that seemed like it was going to be a useful east-west route, but it literally runs into a curb at the roundabout instead of putting some thought into, say, combing it with the pedestrian crosswalk. With a little effort this one could go under KVB and then tie into the bike lane, instead of just dumping off into the sidewalks at Ascend.

I thought it did go under KVB and up to Rolling Mills already?

[AronG]

22 minutes ago, bigeasy said:

I thought it did go under KVB and up to Rolling Mills already?

The sidewalk does. That render shows a dedicated bike lane, which would be new (I think? I've only gone that way a couple of times to pinewood social and it's been a while). It's usable now, don't get me wrong, my only point is that sometimes a little effort on the margins would make our bike facilities twice as usable.

[markhollin]

Feature with Ray Hensler talking about why he is all-in on this new Union at Peabody development.

Hensler said he's setting out to create a concentration of shopping and dining that is rare in urban Nashville today, options that are increasingly sought after by the fast-growing number of people living and working downtown. Downtown's population has swelled well past 10,000 people, more than double the level in 2010, according to stats from the Nashville Downtown Partnership. The organization's studies have found that those residents are wealthier than in past years. A flurry of hotels is under construction, signaling the arrival of even more people downtown on a daily basis.

"If you're from out of town, or if you're a local, you want to go someplace where there will be interesting retail and great restaurants — a place where you can spend three hours," Hensler said. "If we're going to continue to be the 'It City' and attract the growth and visitors that we're having, we'll have to create new experiences for those folks. Lower Broad is terrific, but you can only do that so many times. If you come for a second or third trip, you want new experiences. Right now, the retail offerings for people are scattered."

Full story behind the paywall:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2018/01/31/retail-on-the-river-what-sold-ray-hensler-on-his.html

[nashvylle]

can't say I disagree...

[titanhog]

What is missing is some type of children's activity within the loop.  Not saying there should be an amusement park of anything like that...but something that would allow parents to do something with their kids during off times while staying downtown.

[troyboytn]

Just one observation here...how do they possibly think they can sell/lease units on the north side of that building (unless dirt cheap) which will be overlooking what will arguably the trashiest view (PSC) in the entire city?

[Pdt2f]

5 hours ago, titanhog said:

What is missing is some type of children's activity within the loop.  Not saying there should be an amusement park of anything like that...but something that would allow parents to do something with their kids during off times while staying downtown.

The Polercoaster and east bank Ferris wheel!  

[AronG]

17 hours ago, titanhog said:

What is missing is some type of children's activity within the loop.  Not saying there should be an amusement park of anything like that...but something that would allow parents to do something with their kids during off times while staying downtown.

This would be a great quality of life improvement; right now the best thing is the parks. Cumberland Park and the splash pad thing at the Bicentennial park are both enough to entertain my kids for hours (climbing walls, playground, rope web, etc.). Ascend is nice, but there aren't quite enough residential developments around so I think it hasn't hit critical mass. They should add a permanent food truck area. There or the hall of fame park.

15 hours ago, troyboytn said:

Just one observation here...how do they possibly think they can sell/lease units on the north side of that building (unless dirt cheap) which will be overlooking what will arguably the trashiest view (PSC) in the entire city?

From the NBJ article:

Quote

Hensler said he wasn't deterred that the current view across the river is the PSC Metals scrapyard and some oil terminals. "When you're in that spot, you're really so far removed from it. You're more focused on looking up and down the river, and at downtown," Hensler said. "Over time, imagine what happens on that side (of the river)."

 

[Leif]

16 hours ago, troyboytn said:

Just one observation here...how do they possibly think they can sell/lease units on the north side of that building (unless dirt cheap) which will be overlooking what will arguably the trashiest view (PSC) in the entire city?

I'd take PSC over my current view of the architectural dumpster fire that Edgehill is turning into.

[markhollin]

So, with the announcement that Asurion will be leaving it's 2nd Ave. location for their new digs at the Gateway Gulch along Church Street (former Tennessean site) in 2021, then this corner lot owned by MDHA as part of the Trolley Barns site will be available at that point.  It is currently serving as a surface lot for Asurion employees. Developers are probably starting to line-up (if they haven't been already) to purchase this from MDHA.  Joe Cain of MDHA told me 18 months ago that this was being earmarked for at least 30 stories.
 

It is the burgundy "Temporary Lot" in center of this screen shot form Smeagolsfree's excellent development map (SE corner of KVB and Hermitage Ave.):

[markhollin]

Barriers going up around the Eakin site, 2 shovels stating to dig up foliage and asphalt.

Looking east from interchange of Hermitage Ave. and Peabody:

Looking SE from interchange of Hermitage Ave. and Peabody:

Looking NW from interchange of Hermitage Ave. and Lea Ave:

 

Looking north from interchange of Hermitage Ave. and Lea Ave:




Looking south from intersection of Lea Ave. and Peabody St:

 

Looking SW from intersection of Lea Ave. and Peabody St. (City Lights UC across Hermitage in upper left):

[MLBrumby]

Question for the zoning experts who use this forum.

Doesn't look like a whole lot of power lines/poles, but anyone here know if Eakin will be required to put those underground? 

Every little bit helps. 

[markhollin]

Eakin is now going to call his 9 story office building at the Trolley Barns site Peabody Plaza at Rolling Mill Hill.

Billionaire Gaylon Lawrence Jr. and a local investor fund are the equity sources for the project. Pinnacle Bank is providing a construction loan. The building will be open in mid-2020 according to John Eakin.

Some new renderings below.

More behind the NBJ paywall:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2018/04/13/eakin-reveals-name-new-look-of-his-next-nashville.html

[PaulChinetti]

Does he just think that he will only be able to fill 9 floors, I'm still just very confused as to why it's being built so short. 

I know not every building can be a 50 story big boy, but only 9, why???

[MLBrumby]

I will celebrate when a 50 story office tower goes up at that corner, and blocks the view from this ugly little building. 

[henburg]

Better renderings, same crappy design. This is reminding me of 222 in all of the wrong ways. The views from their will be spectacular though. 

[markhollin]

1 hour ago, PaulChinetti said:

Does he just think that he will only be able to fill 9 floors, I'm still just very confused as to why it's being built so short. 

I know not every building can be a 50 story big boy, but only 9, why???

Because it's stretched out so long, it is actually quite a bit of space at 280,000 sq. ft.   Originally it was going to be 5 or 6 stories, so at least it's a bit taller now.