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

[CenterHill]

  Now though, instead, I'm afraid that we're probably going to end up with yet another cheaply designed chain hotel that doesn't really provide any of the amenities badly needed by the actual residents of The Gulch.  Another great opportunity on a prime piece of land squandered by a mundane hotel development. 

I really don't think Marketstreet Development would let a schlock hotel go there. It may be a chain but the design will have to meet the Gulch master plan standards. This is a prime piece of real estate in the Gulch project. A big suburban stucco design in that key spot would kill the Gulch vibe. Please no.

[BnaBreaker]

I really don't think Marketstreet Development would let a schlock hotel go there. It may be a chain but the design will have to meet the Gulch master plan standards. This is a prime piece of real estate in the Gulch project. A big suburban stucco design in that key spot would kill the Gulch vibe. Please no.

 

I hope we'll at least get a decent looking structure out of it.  This really is THE prime lot in The Gulch, if you think about it.  It is in the center of it all, where all the main streets in the neighborhood converge.  I suppose I just feel like if Marketstreet is truly trying to build a real, honest-to-goodness neighborhood, then there really needs to be something in this spot that could be a true centerpiece...a gathering point, perhaps, for everyone who calls it home.  The hotel itself could be a highly sought after, high-end name and the design could be absolutely iconic and groud-breaking, but it still wouldn't get the job done, because in the end, whether it's a Hampton Inn or a Mandarin Oriental, it would still be nothing more than a hotel.   

[Leif]

Wasn't there a rumor that Four Seasons was looking at the Gulch? Any chance at all?

Yes but it wasn't this lot.

[CandyAisles]

I really don't think Marketstreet Development would let a schlock hotel go there. It may be a chain but the design will have to meet the Gulch master plan standards. This is a prime piece of real estate in the Gulch project. A big suburban stucco design in that key spot would kill the Gulch vibe. Please no.

 

If we are talking about the bean shaped piece where 11th and 12th run into one another, I think we should feel lucky if anything goes there.  It's an odd site.  I too liked the previous rendering but question the realities of how a building can work.  Would we be ok if it meant leveling the Station Inn to make the site workable?  I wouldn't either, so I wouldn't pin any responsibility on Marketstreet since they clearly tried to make something usable here.

 

I assume you are talking about this site.

https://www.google.com/maps/preview/@36.1523457,-86.7841753,129m/data=!3m1!1e3

[Paramount747]

I am still waiting for the Sliver Tower to go up across from Terrazzo!

[TMcKay9]

Although it's bean shaped I think its still wide enough at its narrowest point to accommodate a nice structure.  I will reserve judgement on the hotel until I see the design.  The neat thing about this lot is that it has about 550ft of prime street frontage, I really hope they take advantage of this.  Maybe I can get a little more info pretty soon.

[volsfanwill]

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I think a nice park would work on that lot as well. yea, a nice tower is good for density but it seems perfect for a park especially with all the people living surrounding it.

[BnaBreaker]

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I think a nice park would work on that lot as well. yea, a nice tower is good for density but it seems perfect for a park especially with all the people living surrounding it.

 

I'd much rather a nice park/plaza go there than a hotel, due again to the fact that the site screams 'public gathering spot.' No local is going to get any use out of a hotel. 

[Leif]

I'd much rather a nice park/plaza go there than a hotel, due again to the fact that the site screams 'public gathering spot.' No local is going to get any use out of a hotel.

If street level is retail, and not worthless for residents retail I don't care what the upper levels are.

Also of note Burger Republic opened today.

[TMcKay9]

I third the idea of a nice park on that lot.  Green space is one of the things The Gulch is lacking and with the way values have risen and the fact that the city doesn't own any of the land, I doubt we will see any real green space in The Gulch proper.

[erdichia]

It might make sense to put an underground parking garage on that site and then make the street level a park. (Kind of like the park in front of the CMHOF/Hilton downtown)

[dmillsphoto]

It might make sense to put an underground parking garage on that site and then make the street level a park. (Kind of like the park in front of the CMHOF/Hilton downtown)

 

I like the idea but the issue with the Station Inn & little hotel/restaurant already on the site would be an engineering nightmare...

[bigeasy]

Where do people take their pets in the Gulch? I never really thought about it until you brought up the idea of a park, but there is really no green area around there. What is that small lot used for at the corner of 12th and division? maybe that could be turned into a very small park since I doubt it could be used for a building.

[samsonh]

Its fun to talk about a multimillion dollar 1 acre green area(which is what this would be), but as a Davidson County taxpayer I really don't want to pay to buy this lot from a developer, forgo property taxes in a high value area, and pay to keep up a park.

[volsfanwill]

ok, well, I still think area needs a small park, so that could be part of the interstate cap

[nashvillwill]

I agree that the Gulch is in desperate need of a small green space. These gathering places are what make a neighborhood. As a taxpayer, I would much rather my money go towards parks than freeway expansion. Different strokes for different folks, I guess, but I definitely consider parks as a necessity when considering a neighborhood as a home.

[Paramount747]

I always imagined a flat iron building about 12-18 stories tall on this bean shaped lot.

[chelovek]

Its fun to talk about a multimillion dollar 1 acre green area(which is what this would be), but as a Davidson County taxpayer I really don't want to pay to buy this lot from a developer, forgo property taxes in a high value area, and pay to keep up a park.

 

Or MarketStreet could decide to create a publicly accessible park on their privately owned land. It would only increase the value of their surrounding investments. Public Space is a quality of life generator that will help guarantee occupancy and high rents for decades to come. If I worked at MarketStreet and was developing a long term strategy- I'd get my butt in gear on an open space plan for the few remaining vacant parcels in the neighborhood.

 

I agree that Metro shouldn't be expected to contribute at this point. Considering all the public investment and now the pedestrian bridge that has been concentrated in this area, MarketStreet should be expected to provide public benefits like open space. In fact, MarketStreet reps seem to agree: http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2011/10/public-financing-may-help-bring-an.html

 

 

Joe Barker, with MarketStreet Enterprises, said tax increment financing would let the developer “do something special” with the project that benefits the community. Tax increment financing is a method of funding projects through future gains in property taxes.

 

“TIF is not a gift the city gives away,” Barker said. “The trade off is you’ve got to do something that helps the public domain. Maybe it’s enhanced public parking or a plaza that’s accessible to everybody.”

Tax-increment financing has played a significant role in the Gulch’s transformation. Six Gulch projects have received a total of $17.4 million in tax-increment financing. About $7 million in TIF remains allocated for the area that includes the Gulch.

 

I personally wish MarketStreet would convert the currently vacant lot bounded by pine street, gleaves, and the railroad yard into an urban park with some character (not just a grassy area for dogs to crap on). They could grant metro an easement for an ada accessible ramp to the new pedestrian bridge at the same time, as the bridge project designers initially pursued.

 

I think this side of the gulch is too often overlooked. In my opinion there is a really good urban fabric and existing building stock there that has allowed for creative locals to come in and do cool stuff that simply isn't cost effective in a brand new mixed use building. The "middle Gulch" is great too, but it is pretty cookie cutter new urbanist. A pine street park would tie together the south and middle gulch and would allow MarketStreet to bring much better rents from their surrounding buildings. It would also be something appreciated by locals and tourists alike. Come on MarketStreet! Bring some park space for the Gulch!

[CenterHill]

Where do people take their pets in the Gulch? I never really thought about it until you brought up the idea of a park, but there is really no green area around there. What is that small lot used for at the corner of 12th and division? maybe that could be turned into a very small park since I doubt it could be used for a building.

 

There is some green space behind 11 North with a paved path and a small fenced dog play area.    The Tennessean parking lot that is adjacent to 11 North is for sale and I think one of the conditions is that there be an extension of that greenway (and another condition being structured parking for Tennessean - good luck with that).    I don't see many prospects for green space elsewhere in the Gulch, but hope to see it included in the master plan for the NW Mutual site.  

Edited January 24, 2014 by CenterHill

[barakat]

The plans I've seen online show the gulch greenway extending to an area near Magazine Street, where it ends at a small green space.

[Paramount747]

Where is Magazine Street?

[barakat]

Here's the plan showing the extended gulch greenway, and a park fronting Division St.

 

http://thegulchinnashville.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/VDowntown4Gulches.pdf

[bhibbs]

Where is Magazine Street?

backside of the Icon

[Paramount747]

backside of the Icon

Okay Thanks!  It appears the lot that used to have the gas station may finally get built on soon.  There was a mixed use project slated to go there a few years ago. Hopefully with the new hotel it will be sooner than later.

[dmillsphoto]

Nelson Mazda is here to stay having purchased their lot for $4.5M.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/blog/2014/01/nelson-mazda-buys-broadway-property.html