Inner Loop - CBD, Downtown, East Bank, Germantown, Gulch, Rutledge

[BnaBreaker]

Agreed.  Oddly enough, that stairway is one of my favorite things about the Gulch Crossings project.  It's little details like that that really make a neighborhood in my opinion.

[titanhog]

Does anyone know if there will be an elevator near the "driveway" that would allow people to go down to 11th?

[Guest]

A little bird just emailed me that 8th Ave (Rosa Parks) is getting a hotel built between The Westview (my building) and The Standard Club and Restaurant. Still trying to get more details. Ron do you have more info on this?

The property is two building that span the block between 8th and 9th. The property is currently owned/occupied by Walter Nipper's Sporting Goods (169 Rosa L Parks Blvd

Nashville, TN 37203). Also, FWIW this is a total tear-down and new build not a rehab.


 

Edited April 10, 2015 by Guest

[UTgrad09]

Interesting...

[BnaBreaker]

Kind of a random question here, and forgive me if this has already been covered, but has there been any talk of capping the expressway through that area say from, 12th Ave. to Broadway?  In my opinion, that would be such a huge boon to the entire area.  It would obviously be a big boost in terms of aesthetic beauty, providing park land to an entire section of the city that is sorely lacking in functional green/open space.  But it would also cut down on noise pollution from the highway and significantly increase connectivity by opening up the possibility for so many of those streets that were severed and cut off with the construction of the expressway to be rejoined again.

Edited April 11, 2015 by BnaBreaker

[rookzie]

Kind of a random question here, and forgive me if this has already been covered, but has there been any talk of capping the expressway through that area say from, 12th Ave. to Broadway?  In my opinion, that would be such a huge boon to the entire area.  It would obviously be a big boost in terms of aesthetic beauty, providing park land to an entire section of the city that is sorely lacking in functional green/open space and allow.  But it would also significantly increase connectivity by opening up the possibility for so many of those streets that were severed and cut off with the construction of the expressway to be rejoined again.

 

Talk to our moderator UTgrad09.  He showed me a year or so ago a rendering on his phone of a cap, to help reduce the effects of demarcation by just that capping.  Yes, that was quite some time ago. although I don't necessarily recall it being posted.  He's likely already queued you up for a response after hearing your beckon. so you might just stand back before the big splash.

-==-

[rookzie]

A little bird just emailed me that 8th Ave (Rosa Parks) is getting a hotel built between The Westview (my building) and The Standard Club and Restaurant. Still trying to get more details. Ron do you have more info on this?

The property is two building that span the block between 8th and 9th. The property is currently owned/occupied by Walter Nipper's Sporting Goods (169 Rosa L Parks Blvd

Nashville, TN 37203). Also, FWIW this is a total tear-down and new build not a rehab.

 

 

It's always been foremost in my mind that the stalwart Walter Nipper's Nashville Sporting Goods would have it's curtain call from that site.  My hat off to Nipper's (and my shoes, too).  Just like Claude P. Street Pianol, another DT bastion of bygone times, bowed out from across the Rosa Parks Blvd. quite some time ago.  I guess one can say, this is the "other shoe" that falls.

 

That's going to make The Westview look right skinny and deep, for the time being, until they "refill" both flanks to the north and south.  Last time I went to Nippers's was around 2001, to get some softball cleats.  It's always been a treat to go inside, often entertaining and amusing because of the grit and clutter from all the wares and custom team uniforms, housed in a tacky, run-down structure that transcended time from several generations past.

-==-

[smeagolsfree]

This one is news to me. Go in Nippers and ask them and get it from the horses mouth.

[Mr_Bond]

This may bring our sidewalk sidebar back to where it belongs.  The bright green "State Law: Pedestrian Crossing" signs are up on both sides of Division from the corner of Icon to the parking lot across the street.  The sidewalk on the parking lot side was made ADA-compliant about a week or so ago.

 

There are a lot more people parking there and walking to locations in Icon and beyond than there were a few months ago, so this crosswalk will make the neighborhood a bit more walker-friendly.

[UTgrad09]

Kind of a random question here, and forgive me if this has already been covered, but has there been any talk of capping the expressway through that area say from, 12th Ave. to Broadway?  In my opinion, that would be such a huge boon to the entire area.  It would obviously be a big boost in terms of aesthetic beauty, providing park land to an entire section of the city that is sorely lacking in functional green/open space and allow.  But it would also cut down on noise pollution from the highway and significantly increase connectivity by opening up the possibility for so many of those streets that were severed and cut off with the construction of the expressway to be rejoined again.

 

Forgive the MSPaint-ish graphics, but this will at least give you an idea of what I am thinking:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=z4W5arWAGhSI.kST4nxR13X0c

 

**ZOOM IN FOR BEST RESULTS**

 

It isn't just an interstate cap. It is a park/plaza and new thoroughfare (using existing streets/ROWs, but with much greater importance).

 

-The downtown clustermess of exits, ramps, and horrifying merging will be no longer. The Demonbreun, Broadway, and Church exits will be done away with in favor of primary downtown access via 12th Ave S and Charlotte Pk.

 

-The exit at 12th S will have right AND left lane exits due to the close proximity of the 40/65 interchange (no longer will drivers exiting 65 have to cut across I-40 to exit downtown -- likewise those entering the highway from 12th can choose to enter the right (65) or left (40) side. I think that would clear up a lot of congestion caused by merging traffic. The 12th Ave exit would likely be or resemble a single point interchange.

 

-The exit at Charlotte would be modified to a simple diamond interchange.

 

-There could possibly be an additional exit added between Herman and Jackson Sts...a partial exit. Whether it is south off/north on or vice versa would depend on a traffic study.

 

-A new corridor would be created linking 12th Ave and Jefferson St, straddling both sides of the interstate. This would be a divided road consisting of 3-4 lanes, possibly including a bus lane, but definitely a bike lane, throughout its existence. It would serve as a primary artery, a grand boulevard, that separates Downtown from Midtown, and provides a crucial, uninterrupted artery from north to south THROUGH downtown (right now, only 8th Ave serves that need). There might be some portions where land adjacent to the corridor would have to be built up to give it more of a level feel throughout.

 

-The primary interstate cap would start at the 12th S overpass, and continue on for roughly 2/3 of a mile to about the midway point of the NES building on Church (roughly 200 ft past Church St). The cap would include a winding pedestrian/bike path (not pictured on the map) that would pass over Division, Demonbreun, and Broadway, and have primary ROW over any other crossing (with the exception of 12th and Church, the termini). This would not be so much a pedestrian/bike throughway as it would be a means of connecting the many 'parcels' of the new park so they wouldn't seem so chopped up. It could be used as a single, long park, skinny park (think Central Park meets Kate Moss). It would more or less be the entire length of the interstate canyon, where the depth of the interstate is approximately bridge clearance depth (safely enough for a standard tractor trailer to pass through).

 

-The secondary interstate cap would be an approximately 200'x300' (~1.4 acre) park starting at Jefferson St and heading south. While small, this would provide a larger connection between Hope Gardens and the Fisk area neighborhood. There is also a possibility of creating a new bridge at Jackson St, further connecting the two neighborhoods (right now, power lines cross, but not the road itself). So much of the street grid was ripped apart for the creation of the interstates...this would merely be a bandage, but perhaps it could start the "healing" process, increasing the connectivity of our urban neighborhoods.

 

-Laurel, McGavock, and Grundy Sts would now have a level connection with their separated sections. My initial thought is that these would not be converted to full streets, but rather the corridors would create a clear pedestrian path, complete with flashing street signs (a la Demonbreun Hill). I imagine this would become a bigger deal as the side streets on both sides of the interstate fill with new urban development.

 

-The entire corridor (both the part bordering the parks, and the part that would be below the interstate grade) would be tree-lined, bike laned, and sidewalked (OF COURSE!) As stated earlier, a bus lane might or might not be included.

 

The interstate would be a constant 4 lanes through the entire tunneled section.

 

 

To summarize the impacts:

-Ingress/egress of downtown exits simplified.

-New corridor created.

-New parks created.

-Land values increased.

 

 

Thanks, rookzie, for reminding me that I created that!

[rookzie]

Forgive the MSPaint-ish graphics, but this will at least give you an idea of what I am thinking:

 

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=z4W5arWAGhSI.kST4nxR13X0c

 

**ZOOM IN FOR BEST RESULTS**

 

It isn't just an interstate cap. It is a park/plaza and new thoroughfare (using existing streets/ROWs, but with much greater importance).

 

-The downtown clustermess of exits, ramps, and horrifying merging will be no longer. The Demonbreun, Broadway, and Church exits will be done away with in favor of primary downtown access via 12th Ave S and Charlotte Pk.

 

-The exit at 12th S will have right AND left lane exits due to the close proximity of the 40/65 interchange (no longer will drivers exiting 65 have to cut across I-40 to exit downtown -- likewise those entering the highway from 12th can choose to enter the right (65) or left (40) side. I think that would clear up a lot of congestion caused by merging traffic. The 12th Ave exit would likely be or resemble a single point interchange.

 

-The exit at Charlotte would be modified to a simple diamond interchange.

 

-There could possibly be an additional exit added between Herman and Jackson Sts...a partial exit. Whether it is south off/north on or vice versa would depend on a traffic study.

 

-A new corridor would be created linking 12th Ave and Jefferson St, straddling both sides of the interstate. This would be a divided road consisting of 3-4 lanes, possibly including a bus lane, but definitely a bike lane, throughout its existence. It would serve as a primary artery, a grand boulevard, that separates Downtown from Midtown, and provides a crucial, uninterrupted artery from north to south THROUGH downtown (right now, only 8th Ave serves that need). There might be some portions where land adjacent to the corridor would have to be built up to give it more of a level feel throughout.

 

-The primary interstate cap would start at the 12th S overpass, and continue on for roughly 2/3 of a mile to about the midway point of the NES building on Church (roughly 200 ft past Church St). The cap would include a winding pedestrian/bike path (not pictured on the map) that would pass over Division, Demonbreun, and Broadway, and have primary ROW over any other crossing (with the exception of 12th and Church, the termini). This would not be so much a pedestrian/bike throughway as it would be a means of connecting the many 'parcels' of the new park so they wouldn't seem so chopped up. It could be used as a single, long park, skinny park (think Central Park meets Kate Moss). It would more or less be the entire length of the interstate canyon, where the depth of the interstate is approximately bridge clearance depth (safely enough for a standard tractor trailer to pass through).

 

-The secondary interstate cap would be an approximately 200'x300' (~1.4 acre) park starting at Jefferson St and heading south. While small, this would provide a larger connection between Hope Gardens and the Fisk area neighborhood. There is also a possibility of creating a new bridge at Jackson St, further connecting the two neighborhoods (right now, power lines cross, but not the road itself). So much of the street grid was ripped apart for the creation of the interstates...this would merely be a bandage, but perhaps it could start the "healing" process, increasing the connectivity of our urban neighborhoods.

 

-Laurel, McGavock, and Grundy Sts would now have a level connection with their separated sections. My initial thought is that these would not be converted to full streets, but rather the corridors would create a clear pedestrian path, complete with flashing street signs (a la Demonbreun Hill). I imagine this would become a bigger deal as the side streets on both sides of the interstate fill with new urban development.

 

-The entire corridor (both the part bordering the parks, and the part that would be below the interstate grade) would be tree-lined, bike laned, and sidewalked (OF COURSE!) As stated earlier, a bus lane might or might not be included.

 

The interstate would be a constant 4 lanes through the entire tunneled section.

 

 

To summarize the impacts:

-Ingress/egress of downtown exits simplified.

-New corridor created.

-New parks created.

-Land values increased.

 

 

Thanks, rookzie, for reminding me that I created that!

 

For your own sake, I hope that you at least already had a transcript of that "full-text" citation of your proposal.  This took a lot of wording, which is needed to detail the intent, features, and rationale underlying the concept, so such documentation is due, as you have presented (and easy to follow, even for me). but that takes time, so that's the reason that hope that you had something "pre-writ" (since I called it out).

-==-

[UTgrad09]

For your own sake, I hope that you at least already had a transcript of that "full-text" citation of your proposal.  This took a lot of wording, which is needed to detail the intent, features, and rationale underlying the concept, so such documentation is due, as you have presented (and easy to follow, even for me). but that takes time, so that's the reason that hope that you had something "pre-writ" (since I called it out).

-==-

 

Nope. It's all been in my head, so it wasn't too difficult to transcribe -- but I wrote this pretty much thought for thought after I read your call-out. And I didn't mind doing it. It helps me clarify my thoughts.

 

 

On that note -- while this is my take on it, I'm sure I'm not the only one with ideas about this area or corridor. Other ideas, tweaks, or even criticisms are certainly welcome if anyone wishes to add them.

[BnaBreaker]

Wow, that is quite a brilliant plan!  It's clear that you've thought long and hard about this.  I hope that one day this will be much more than just an idea in your head, because it deserves to be!  Thanks so much for taking the time to detail it for us. 

[Paramount747]

The guy that runs Nippers has always ben rude and downright mean. He won't tell you anything. I asked him a few years ago about Josh Smith and all the improvements he made on 8th, and all he did was insult and say mean and nasty things about Josh. Very unprofessional and pitiful.

 

Would not give that guy the time of day.

[Guest]

The seller of a property may not have the full story. Just sayin....

[Guest]

P747 is correct about the proprietors of the sporting goods shop. They are an anachronism straight out of a 1960s documentary of Nashville... old school, good- ole- boy, chain-smoking, crusty-country...not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

[fieldmarshaldj]

We could use more anachronisms today... except for the chain-smoking part. *cough*

[nashmoney]

Image released for North Nashville residential project

 

Solid looking project. Hopefully this sparks interest for this part of town. Also, this will be an affordable apartment project, which Nashville desparately needs.

 

Edited April 13, 2015 by nashmoney

[mundiejc]

I am so excited about this project (I live just 3 blocks away) The abandoned suburban style apartment complex that is almost entirely razed now was a magnet for crime and honestly was the most detroit looking thing in all of Nashville. This is going to be great for this location.

[Bezoar]

Plans for Elliott School (currently home to Centerstone) to be converted to 90 residential units.  http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/real-estate/2015/04/13/the-mainland-cos-james-a-lennon-manuel-zeitlin-centerstone-elliott-school/25722367/

[ariesjow]

I am so excited about this project (I live just 3 blocks away) The abandoned suburban style apartment complex that is almost entirely razed now was a magnet for crime and honestly was the most detroit looking thing in all of Nashville. This is going to be great for this location.

 

Those apartments were pretty nasty when my cousin lived in them well over a decade ago so I'm happy to see they'll finally be torn down. Many family members on my mom's side grew up in Cumberland View so it's neat to see the new development starting to pop up in that part of North Nashville. It's happening sooner than I expected too!

[MidTenn1]

Would this be the proposed Holiday Inn location? Not the 'L' shape, I know!

 

[rookzie]

If this outline does show the location of the proposed Holiday Inn, then the specific site would be same general area that ariesjow pictured, with the core-drilling gantry shown in the easternmost half of that same block, even though the field of view from that vantage point does not specifically show the southeast border at Peabody.  That curbside timber NES pole (in ariesjow's pic) is about at the halfway point of that block between Peabody and KVB, so the gantry shown is probably being staged for initial earth-boring sampling, as close to the southeastern quadrant as practical for the project.  Have no real idea of what might actually go at the northeastern quad of that block, or its ownership (but I'm certain some of those posting here must know).

-==-

[ariesjow]

If that is indeed the site, then I must agree that the height restrictions are outdated and should be revised given the area's current quick evolution. I also hope that some colorful materials are added to the Holiday Inn design like the new Spring Hills Suites on West End. I'm not expecting an extremely eye-catching design from a budget hotel, but a little color to liven it up more than recent nearby hotels like the Hyatt Place or Fairfield Inn would be a nice touch. 

[MLBrumby]

That is the site... the Caring Bridge building.