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


smeagolsfree

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No new-to-the-game developer should be bad mouthing any other developers publicly, even if she feels that way.

She is speaking as a person that lives in the community, not only as an investor. If you asked other people in that community you would hear more of the same. She did a good job being one of the voices for that community.

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Quite the contrary. I think she has a great attitude. She apparently cares about the neighborhood. Probably doesn't want to see it turned into a neighborhood full of two attached homes on one lot. With the time and money that she put into the area how can anyone say her attitude is awful.

 

Agreed. Would've loved to have seen more of this kind of attitude in East Nashville a few years ago.

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I really like this project.  In an era where a century's worth of history is often gleefully disposed of for the chance to erect some trendy, soulless condos for the ultra-rich, it's really nice to see a project that enthusiastically pays homage to the roots of the neighborhood it calls home. 

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Was just about to post that smeagolsfree - between that and the new Meharry building on 21st and whatever is going to happen on the property at Heiman and the railroad tracks, lots of density coming to that little section of north nashville

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Used to drive to a joint on that site to buy records (45s) during the mid-late '60s.─ I think it might be the same red-brick structure (Dixon Bldg) shown nearby on Google street view.  Stuck further from the street in this same plot was an ol' tacky burger joint from back in the '50s, named "Jet-Burgers", which had been sort of like today's Krystal squares.  The development of this proposal would be a shot in the arm for that particular block segment (or for any other in that strip, for that matter), which keeps losing structures because of prolonged disuse and decay, and can help to reverse the pattern of too many "grassy knolls" with concrete steps to nowhere.

 

As MLBrumby brought up a couple of weeks ago, the Council is going to have to stop ignoring the mounting traffic problems on Jefferson St. as a whole, especially on "upper" Jefferson, where the road is only 2 lanes wide in some blocks, 3 lanes east of 18th (D.B.Todd).  That part of Jefferson, fed from the I-40 dump-offs at 26th and 28th, never should have been "upgraded" from the start with wide sidewalks and fancy light poles (from the '90s), because now, if codes requires buildings to front the sidewalks, then nothing ever could be done to widen the street for handling increased capacity for years to come.  On another topic a few blocks east of 21st, the MNPD precinct [correction: now they say Admin only] office proposal at 14th, does not in the least seem well thought out as a plan, but more as yet another reaction by the "closed" interests, given how narrow Jefferson is at 14th (with that site bordered on 2 sides by the interstates).  At best, traffic-wise, it'll end up becoming another Broadway, as it is between 17th and 20th, even worse with constrained passage with virtually no options.

 

But I'm glad and hopeful about this proposal on upper Jefferson, although I'm not sold on the style.

-==-

Edited by rookzie
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I hope they write a better RFP this time. It would be really great to get this 1/2 block developed.

 

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2015/04/29/new-search-planned-old-library-site-buyerdeveloper/26610497/

 

 

Michael Baron, CEO of Nashville-based Baron Construction LLC, the previous sole bidder, couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.

The nearly 50-year-old, three-story building at 225 Polk Ave. has sat vacant for nearly a decade except for brief usage after the May 2010 flood. In addition to that building, which the current Nashville Public Library main branch on Church Street replaced, the property includes a parking garage and a small adjacent surface parking lot.

After MDHA’s initial request for proposals, the agency extended the deadline beyond Jan. 16 to allow potential bidders more time.

Under that RFP, developers had to describe their proposed project and provide a schedule for completion and a financing package. It noted that the building was designed to allow for expansion through a four-story addition and the enclosure of service areas, but required that development proposals include preservation of the hanging interior stairways.

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Rally against Jefferson St police HQ: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2015/04/29/rally-oppose-police-hq-move-jefferson-street/26573131/

 

The article mentions this is planned to be an administrative office, rather than a precinct / jail.

Edited by UTgrad09
moved
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I have seen photos of the building that was demolished for this one... and I have to say, it was far superior to this one.  This one is a strange one... while striking, it's not very pretty. I like to say these sorts of buildings look better at night.  So then, not to be too obvious, I must (however) ask if this building would make a good police HQ.  I hear they're looking to move... and the people on Jefferson Street don't want them. It even has an underground garage where the squad cars could park.  

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Picture from the Tennessean

B9317165691Z.1_20150429204506_000_GD0AL6

 

I actually think it is a very nice building. If you put it in the context of the times in which it was built, it stands out as fine piece of modernist architecture that was even praised in the Architectural Record magazine when it first opened.  I am struggling to think of proposals in Nashville today that strike me as worthy of national recognition. But, I suppose they will sell it, demolish it and build another 12 story, boring glass box.

 

And, as I proposed some time ago, the Ben West Library should have been re-purposed as a performing arts center for the community. It would provide much needed space for community dance recitals, community theater, piano recitals, etc.

 

 

I look at that and think it should be torn down.  It is an extremely valuable piece of real estate, and evidently all but one developer thought the redevelopment of the building with Metro's requirements was unfeasible. The building is just ugly walls that do not address the street at all, its built like a fortress.

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I agree.  I'm all for historic preservation, but while the Ben West is representative of an interesting point in the history of architecture, there is nothing about it that I personally find to be worthy of saving, particularly because I just don't see how it could be transformed into a viable urban development that met today's standards.  I mean, the ground floor appears to be a parking garage, and that is surrounded by blank support walls.  What could possibly be done with it that would merit keeping it over a larger more contemporary development that could really provide a spark to that corner of downtown?

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I like the Ben West Library. It's got some interesting features, and it's personally a bit nostalgic for me.

 

If the city can come up with a good alternative use for the building, I'm all for it. Perhaps something could be developed on the parking lot behind it, and utilize the library structure as some sort of event space.

 

But if the right development came along, I wouldn't be opposed to its demolition. 

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