PRIME/801 Church St. (38 stories, 456', 358 units, 2,654 sq. ft. retail, 511 capacity garage)

[markhollin]

Tony Giarratana is under contract to purchase the .43 acre site at the SE corner of Rosa L. Parks Blvd. and Church St. from Speedwagon Enterprises for an undisclosed price in order to build another apartment tower that he says will have at least 350 units. No further specs yet, but Goettsch Partners will be the architect (just like at 900 Church Tower) and Barge Design Solutions will be involved with engineering.  No renderings yet.

"Our contract on 801 Church was only recently executed, so our drawings are trailing behind the 900 Church drawings by about nine months," Giarratana said.

The tower at 900 Church St. will not have parking — it's not required under the property's downtown code zoning.

The tower at 801 Church St. will have a parking garage, for tenants of that building and "to accommodate whatever parking demand we might have at 900 Church," Giarratana said.

"Keep in mind, Amazon is not encouraging employees who have a personal automobile. Neither will we be encouraging residents who have a personal automobile," Giarratana said. "This is a new day for Nashville. Given the fact that we don’t have the $5 billion necessary to execute a public transportation plan, it’s going to be incredibly important that the employees at these downtown companies walk to work and don’t introduce their car into the traffic mix at peak times."

He added: "We don’t think 'live-work-play' is a cliché. That is exactly the lifestyle we’ve been seeking to create downtown."

More behind the NBJ paywall here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2020/06/08/giarratana-apartment-tower-church-street-amazon.html?iana=hpmvp_nsh_news_headline

 

[Nash_12South]

Yes, Nashville is heading to be a car free city, especially since he doesn't want to spend the money to build parking. Next it will be how athletic we all are so we don't need elevators. I get that the whole argument on not having cars downtown, but the folks I know who live downtown laugh at the idea of not having a car. I also know several folks who want to live downtown but don't work there. They are not taking the bus to Cool Springs or biking to even midtown in 90 degree July. It does seem that he is acknowledging the some need for parking by including in this project.

Edited June 8, 2020 by Nash_12South

[nashvylle]

15 minutes ago, Nash_12South said:

Yes, Nashville is heading to be a car free city, especially since he doesn't want to spend the money to build parking. Next it will be how athletic we all are so we don't need elevators. I get that the whole argument on not having cars downtown, but the folks I know who live downtown laugh at the idea of not having a car. I also know several folks who want to live downtown but don't work there. They are not taking the bus to Cool Springs or biking to even midtown in 90 degree July. It does seem that he is acknowledging the some need for parking by including in this project.

I don't know the specifics, but I imagine the lenders for his 900 Church Street tower balked at not having parking, so Tony G 's purchase of 801 will make them comfortable. Tony doesn't have to build both towers simultaneously, but can build the parking lot for 900 on 801 simultaneously. The 801 parking garage can be built to support a future tower, too.

Let's just pray the 801 tower design has a crown. Tony needs his crown!!!!

[JoeyX]

It's stupid to believe that people are going to go without a car and just live their entire lives in a sandbox area of 1 or 2 miles or want to be dependent on some other entity for their transportation.

[donNdonelson2]

35 minutes ago, nashvylle said:

I don't know the specifics, but I imagine the lenders for his 900 Church Street tower balked at not having parking, so Tony G 's purchase of 801 will make them comfortable. Tony doesn't have to build both towers simultaneously, but can build the parking lot for 900 on 801 simultaneously. The 801 parking garage can be built to support a future tower, too.

Let's just pray the 801 tower design has a crown. Tony needs his crown!!!!

Tony already has three residential towers on Church Street. If he manages to build Paramount, 900 Church, and 801 Church, his management of the renaissance of Church Street as a residential corridor IS his crown! (Although it WOULD be amazing to see the Signature Tower, complete with its showy spire, added to Tony’s Church Street collection.)

Just now, JoeyX said:

It's stupid to believe that people are going to go without a car and just live their entire lives in a sandbox area of 1 or 2 miles or want to be dependent on some other entity for their transportation.

Zip Cars and other such services are valid options for those who live in urban areas and don’t have need for a vehicle on a regular basis but want to make a Costco run. For short trips, Uber and Lyft. It’s not that unreasonable to live without a car.

[JoeyX]

I believe the building on first avenue and the building on church street were built simultaneously. 2014 thru 2016

Edited June 8, 2020 by JoeyX

[Bos2Nash]

I find it hard to believe Tony will not go  for 513/517 Church Street. Also wouldn't surprise me if the city does not approve a tower without adding those additional lots. From a planning perspective, leaving those two lots doesn't make a whole lot of sense. 94' x 133' is a tight site to provide parking for 350 apartments. Granted adding another 50' isn't amazing, but it makes it much more of a square site that would make parking manageable. Furthermore, leaving that sliver of land that is those two parcels would lend itself to a structure without parking.

No parking will become a new normal in the new era of planning/design/urban life. Having a car is no longer a requirement to live in downtown. If you want to live in downtown and own a car you will either need to live in a building with a tower, or purchase a parking spot in a structured parking. 

Granted Nashville is still WAY behind on the mass transit front, but the amount of ride share options available (Uber/Lyft, Scooter/Bike, Turo/ZipCar) provide many many options to get around the urban core effectively without a car. 

Edited June 8, 2020 by Bos2Nash

[Nash_12South]

Not trying to be argumentative but - I know several people who live downtown and all have cars. Most folks aren't walking to Publix or Whole foods when it's 30 or 90 outside. They don't have room for stockpiles of groceries. A lot of females are leary Lyft/Uber. Are Zip cars or similar services here? You have to park them somewhere too. Obviously some will do it, but how many folks do you know, in Nashville, that have no car? 

[Bos2Nash]

Totally understand and neither am I. I'm just speaking to my experience in the design/planning in Nashville, but also in Boston in urban settings. Many of my senior colleagues push back on my when I talk about minimized parking too. IDK many folks that don't have a car. I know one specifically that lives basically in oneCity and commutes to Sobro everyday without a car. I know Turo is here, but know Zip is not here. I'm not saying that people have to give up there car, but recognizing that it should not be a given that every single building in the city needs to provide it. Having a car is more of a privilege than it is a freedom and if people want to live in downtown AND have a car, they may have to pay a premium. Parking is not cheap to build and ultimately lends itself to living units and retail slots costing more to rent/lease

It also doesn't help that the city essentially subsidizes parking everywhere....

[donNdonelson2]

Bos2Nash, I have to wonder if the condo building adjacent to 813/817 has the air rights to those two parcels, as their north facing units have windows facing that property.

(image from Google maps)

Edited June 8, 2020 by donNdonelson2

[smeagolsfree]

The article states that there are 706 units for the combined total, so this project should be 396 units as 900 Church is 312 I think.

[MidTenn1]

Where did the 35 story number come from?

[Bos2Nash]

2 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

Bos2Nash, I have to wonder if the condo building adjacent to 813/817 has the air rights to those two parcels, as their north facing units have windows facing that property.

(image from Google maps)

Thanks for pointing that out. It appears to be an alley there. Any development may face the same argument the Orbison is attempting to make over in midtown.

[e-dub]

If that alley is the area behind what used to be Excess and Orbit, I'd love to see what they unearth if that ever happens...

[dmillsphoto]

23 minutes ago, e-dub said:

If that alley is the area behind what used to be Excess and Orbit, I'd love to see what they unearth if that ever happens...

I have so, SO many jokes that I can't publicly post in response to this.

[markhollin]

17 hours ago, PHofKS said:

Where did the 35 story number come from?

I am estimating based on the lot size, the amount of units, and the garage.  It could be even taller.

[smeagolsfree]

Could be that this is the new location for Paramount with parking, and no I do not know anything as I am wishful thinking/speculating. 

About the same size lot.

[MontanaGuy]

1 hour ago, smeagolsfree said:

Could be that this is the new location for Paramount with parking, and no I do not know anything as I am wishful thinking/speculating. 

About the same size lot.

Now you did it, you got me all worked up!  

[Luvemtall]

If this does become the Paramount site, and the actual building stays the same and it gets built on a parking pedestal could it be possible to get over 800 feet?

[downtownresident]

4 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

Could be that this is the new location for Paramount with parking, and no I do not know anything as I am wishful thinking/speculating. 

About the same size lot.

Again, I know nothing as well, but this is the lot we had speculated could be a landing spot for Paramount should the park land swap not work out. Maybe we could get the best of both worlds, get a reprogrammed park/Anne Dudley Davis Blvd, and Paramount. 

[mattbhadley]

12 hours ago, Nash_12South said:

Not trying to be argumentative but - I know several people who live downtown and all have cars. Most folks aren't walking to Publix or Whole foods when it's 30 or 90 outside. They don't have room for stockpiles of groceries. A lot of females are leary Lyft/Uber. Are Zip cars or similar services here? You have to park them somewhere too. Obviously some will do it, but how many folks do you know, in Nashville, that have no car? 

For what it is worth - My wife and I have lived in midtown for a couple of years now. We got rid of one of our cars about a year ago. At the moment, it doesn’t make sense to get rid of our other car, but I know at least a handful of people who are in our building that are doing the same thing and just having one car that they share with their significant other. I also know there are at least a couple of people who live by themselves in this building and don’t have a car entirely.
 

Obviously, the vast majority of people that live in our building do have one car per person; but it is slowly becoming more feasible to live in downtown/midtown and get by without a car. 

[smeagolsfree]

10 hours ago, downtownresident said:

Again, I know nothing as well, but this is the lot we had speculated could be a landing spot for Paramount should the park land swap not work out. Maybe we could get the best of both worlds, get a reprogrammed park/Anne Dudley Davis Blvd, and Paramount. 

I doubt Tony will do the Anne Dudley Davis Park if Paramount doe's not go at the Church St. Park location. Why would he even want to give the city anything if given the shaft by Cooper.

[Bos2Nash]

1 hour ago, smeagolsfree said:

I doubt Tony will do the Anne Dudley Davis Park if Paramount doe's not go at the Church St. Park location. Why would he even want to give the city anything if given the shaft by Cooper.

Of course he wouldn't.  That park would've benefited his project and make Paramount that much more attractive if it were built. Paramount in its current design doesn't really work at this plot because it is right at the corner of a busy intersection. My guess is it would have to be reconfigured to enter off of Rosa Parks and exit through that alley space.

[Armacing]

On ‎6‎/‎8‎/‎2020 at 7:30 AM, markhollin said:

 

 

Wait, so Tony does not yet own the two red parcels next to the blue parcel in the photo above?  That's a pretty significant risk to the project if he still needs to acquire the land, in my opinion.

[nashvylle]

4 minutes ago, Armacing said:

Wait, so Tony does not yet own the two red parcels next to the blue parcel in the photo above?  That's a pretty significant risk to the project if he still needs to acquire the land, in my opinion.

I don't think he needs to acquire them, but I could be wrong.