East Bank – I-24 to the Cumberland/I-24 Overpass up to Jefferson – 338 Acres, Nissan Stadium, "Imagine East Bank"

[Luvemtall]

13 minutes ago, downtownresident said:

It’s for a community plan amendment. I wonder if they are following the Monroe playbook, amass the land and get zoning in place, then sell off to a larger player / group of developers to implement the vision. 

That's my thoughts, as I mentioned above a large corporate relocation like Oracle , or a developer like Hines, Congress , Tishman. 

[MLBrumby]

55 minutes ago, Luvemtall said:

Although it seems like a lot of smoke & mirrors, as hot that Nashville is Ewing might have a chance of pulling off something. If he can entice a major player, with a large corporate relocation or a deep pocket investor/ developer anything could be possible. There’s no time like the present, to invest in Nashville!

I still expect that whatever he can get built will look more like a suburban office park (perhaps even like Metro Center) than the uber urban renderings he proffered.  So question... is Vashti Street under I-65 wide enough to serve as a major artery if/when Cowan Street is widened through the Oracle and River North developments? 

Edited January 2, 2022 by MLBrumby

[smeagolsfree]

Again the problem they are facing up there is access. It’s just a crappy location when it comes to that. Trinity Lane or Buena Vista Blvd is all you have. They wanted a trio of bridges at one time, but that is a lot of money and they would have connected into Metro Center. That is another area with limited access.

It’s not as bad as the Maytown Ctr with just one access point being OHB, but almost the same concept. They wanted a bridge too. When you have these large projects without easy access to the interstate, then there are difficulties. 

[Luvemtall]

Yeah, totally agree with you on that. but do you think , if it was a large scale relocation the likes of Oracle or Amazon , that the State .. TDOT would get involved to entice the deal. Look at what they are capable of with the infrastructure for River North. Between Metro &  State I would think if it was a solid project, we would see new bridges and even a interstate spur a possible solution.

[smeagolsfree]

2 hours ago, Luvemtall said:

Yeah, totally agree with you on that. but do you think , if it was a large scale relocation the likes of Oracle or Amazon , that the State .. TDOT would get involved to entice the deal. Look at what they are capable of with the infrastructure for River North. Between Metro &  State I would think if it was a solid project, we would see new bridges and even a interstate spur a possible solution.

To that project, I hope not! An Interstate spur to that location for that project along would make zero sense and a bridge maybe, but that would be a 30 to 50 million dollar expense minimum.

Just like the Maytown area project that was planned at one time. The Mays still have all that land and desperately want to develop it against the wishes of the neighbors, but they would need a bridge but I doubt that would even help them.

[Mike G]

On 1/2/2022 at 2:15 PM, MLBrumby said:

So question... is Vashti Street under I-65 wide enough to serve as a major artery if/when Cowan Street is widened through the Oracle and River North developments? 

According to this screenshot it could be, but I've run there a few times- the curve and eroding bank would make it difficult without major work. 

[Bos2Nash]

Cowan is expected to be expanded to approximately 110' wide ROW. Vashti will certainly need improvements, but the question will be is how much seeing as the road terminates up at Baptist World Center Drive. Unless the plan is to improve from Vashti allll the way up Brick Church Pike to Trinity (which would be great if it was improved and not expanded), I think most of the eggs will be going into the Cleveland Street tunnel project for the second major, vehicular access point. 

[smeagolsfree]

When the river goes up pretty high, Vashti St. goes underwater too. There are a number of back roads that weave around in that area to Dickerson & Trinity, not to mention Baptist World Center Drive.

None of those roads are designed to handle large amounts of traffic except W. Trinity and when you get to I-24/65 there will be a major bottleneck if there is a major amount of traffic flowing into that intersection.

[markhollin]

Courtesy of Josie Norris at The Tennessean:

[markhollin]

Plans now underway envision up to $600 million in upgrades at the 23-year-old stadium over three seasons. Around it, a new neighborhood and entertainment district will spring up with new transit connections and parks.  "Every corner" of the 1990s-era stadium is in play, said Titans President Burke Nihill.

An elaborate deal is expected to be finalized in the coming months to finance the new stadium and district without relying on general taxpayer funds. A new lease will spell out funding streams for more regular ongoing renovations.

A 130-acre stretch of urban riverside will become a new tax district, redirecting lucrative future sales tax payments into stadium maintenance and upgrades.

Metro Sports Authority, the stadium's landlord, could issue $300 million in bonds to be repaid with local and state taxes from the district. The Titans will finance another $300 million along with other private investors developing in the district.

Mayor John Cooper is seeking to seize on the moment with an elaborate private-public development strategy to guide billions of dollars to fill out hundreds of acres of underutilized industrial riverfront on the downtown banks of the Cumberland River. 

"There's a whole lot of (investors with) capital that would like to come to Nashville and be part of the next great chapter of our city," Cooper said. "It's quite something to be an international icon of investment." 

At some point in the next few months, a new lease between the Titans and Metro Sports Authority is expected to be finalized.  District design plans to be released include: 

- A large reserve for parks and connected walking paths.

- An "activated riverfront" with boat docks, waterside dining and canoe launches.

- Plenty of social media-friendly experiences. 

- A variety of stadium lounge experiences. 

- Technology and infrastructure upgrades throughout the stadium. 

- A concessions overhaul with convenient, tech-savvy vendors and a range of sit-down options.

- Options to more easily repurpose the stadium for concerts and other events.

- A roof is not included in plans and would cost an additional $400 million.

"We're trying to create a sense of place," Nihill said. "This isn't just a simple stadium deal, this is something where we're trying to take a current stadium lease that is antiquated and doesn't work for the city or the team -- we're trying to find a really elegant solution that delivers a great result for the citizens of Nashville in terms of building to world-class standards."

More at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2022/01/07/nissan-stadium-upgrades-plans-underway-tennessee-titans/9093029002/

[markhollin]

Overview piece  on the win-win plan for Nissan Stadium's new campus on the East Bank:

The financing strategy for Nissan Stadium's modernization is shaping up similarly to past major public-private deals in Nashville, but with added confidence from Metro officials buoyed by the city's rising profile. 

Tennessee Titans officials are hammering out final details of the complex agreement after months of negotiation with Metro government.

Together, they plan to make the stadium "Super Bowl-ready" and simultaneously build a sprawling extension of downtown across the Cumberland River on the industrial east bank and moving into North Nashville. 

"It's a win-win for just about every stakeholder," Titans President Burke Nihil said. "It has a lot of moving parts so it's taking quite a bit of work. We feel a stewardship that this neighborhood becomes celebrated for generations."

Not only will Nissan Stadium get a combined public-private infusion of $600 million, but a new neighborhood and a "sports-entertainment district" will rise in an area around it mostly occupied by Metro-owned parking lots.

Beyond that, at least 200 additional acres are included in downtown's extensive expansion plan, which was the subject of Metro Planning design meetings throughout 2021.

The East Nashville projects are expected to deliver windfalls of new sales and property taxes.

Like prior major downtown investments, those revenues will be contained within the development area to fund construction and maintenance. 

Nissan Stadium will increasingly be a destination for concerts and events beyond football and soccer games after its three-year makeover.

The arena is managed by Metro Sports Authority, requiring the county to maintain it in "first-class" condition. 

Not only must Metro and Titans officials agree on sharing stadium upgrade costs, but they also have to plan for higher annual payments for Metro Sports Authority to keep the arena in top shape. 

Meanwhile, they are partnering on the redevelopment strategy to draw investment to hundreds of east-bank acres that will finance the extensive public infrastructure needed via property deals and future tax revenue. 

The projects will capture investment during a crucial period of rapid growth fueled by global companies expanding and relocating to the area. 

The state chipped in for Nashville's stadium redevelopment by redirecting its share of the sales tax collected in the new sports-entertainment district toward repaying construction costs. 

The Titans are expected to shoulder $300 million worth of stadium upgrades.

"Getting a substantial contribution from the football side – up to half – is under active discussion," Cooper said. "But that would be paid for, ultimately, on the sales tax redirect."

The city owns much of the land around the stadium and can use profits to finance new roads and public services to support a new neighborhood, Cooper said.

"How can the city best capture its land ownership potential?" Cooper asked, before answering himself: "As a partner in the project."

The first step is to lay a new north-south boulevard parallel to the river past the stadium, the east bank and into North Nashville. 

...

Mayor Cooper's most hard-fought development deal, over the previously-approved MLS stadium at the Nashville Fairgrounds, took four months into early 2020 to finalize. 

The mayor sought concessions beyond the original deal inked in 2017 for the city to issue $225 million in revenue bonds and pay $25 million for infrastructure. 

In the end, he said his efforts captured $54 million in taxpayer savings diverted to pay for infrastructure and debt, and the Nashville SC agreed to pay overrun costs.

Cooper has approached the east bank deals with the same spirit – developing a plan that relies on new development to pay for itself. 
 

More behind The Tennessean paywall here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2022/02/02/inside-plan-pay-nissan-stadiums-new-campus/9210246002/?utm_source=tennessean-Daily Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing_greeting&utm_term=hero&utm_content=1056TN-E-NLETTER65

[nashville born]

On 1/6/2022 at 6:35 AM, markhollin said:

Courtesy of Josie Norris at The Tennessean:

This photo took me back.  It shows the National Baptist Convention's headquarters building and I attended the opening back in 1988 as a college student.

[markhollin]

Major players weigh in on East Bank development. Meg Epstein, founder and CEO of CA South; Eric Fang, principal at Perkins Eastman; Burke Nihill, president and CEO of the Tennessee Titans; and Matthew Robinson, principal at MRP Realty, spoke on a panel discussion on the development of the East Bank during Nashville Business Journal's Growth of Nashville event at the W Hotel last week.

“We’re doing a plan for the next 100 years. We know a lot of what goes in there is really going to be about the kids, so what do we know about them? We know they’re going to have different preferences, different family formations, the climate is going to be different. We have to make sure that what we’re planning will be robust enough to withstand [change,]" said Eric Fang, an architect with New York-based Perkins Eastman. "With regard to … the river, docks and parks are very important and we need to make sure that the East Bank is plugged into a larger system of parks, greenways and trails.”  Perkins Eastman has been hired by Metro to develop a plan for the redevelopment of 300 acres on the East Bank. 

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2022/03/11/the-east-bank-for-locals.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_34&cx_artPos=1#cxrecs_s

[markhollin]

Finance attorneys vie to partner on Nashville's downtown expansion on the East Bank.

More at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2022/03/24/nashville-tn-downtown-expansion-project-financing-oracle/7140602001/

[lmc123]

19 hours ago, markhollin said:

Stillwater Capital is planning a 361 unit residential complex on 4.2 acres at 186 North 1st St. according to a stormwater grading permit. No word on the height (probably 4 or 5 stories).  Park Center is the current owner of the site and 1 story warehouse on the lot, having paid $7 million for it 4 years ago.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/east-bank-warehouse-seemingly-has-buyer/article_e19c3920-b43a-11ec-bcaf-cb30ec35b4b4.html

The site is the warehouse on the lower left of this view:

This screen shot from Smeagolsfree's excellent development map shows the site highlighted in teal at the center of the frame:

So I may have missed this earlier, but how does this project location impact the new East Bank connector road? Weren't the renderings going right through this property and aligning Cowan with 2nd? Or with the Titans project will they just keep 1st Street the main connector road? See below for reference:

Edited April 5, 2022 by Logan McCoy

[Baronakim]

3 hours ago, Logan McCoy said:

So I may have missed this earlier, but how does this project location impact the new East Bank connector road? Weren't the renderings going right through this property and aligning Cowan with 2nd? Or with the Titans project will they just keep 1st Street the main connector road? See below for reference:

All of the river side greenway is improbably  optomistic..  From Jefferson Street Bridge to the existing docks east of the stadium  is much lower than what this concept shows.  There is nearly a 30 foot vertical drop down to the normal river level and there is the historicsite of the first bridge abutments that should not be destroyed as this is also part of the Trail of Tears history.  I find the streets proposed through the current stadium parking ludicrous as this would preclude a new stadium being located ther.  This needs to go back to the drawing board y'all.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Baronakim

[Bos2Nash]

The spine road is "being adjusted" as the new stadium is being designed on a new site (presumably to the east of the current stadium BLAH). This diagram came out last summer well before anything for the stadium was even brought up. So I would say it wouldn't be an unreasoable presumption that the proposed street grid will "be adjusted" just like the stadium siting is being adjusted. 

As for the project that @Logan McCoyis referencing. Similar to the RMR project, the developers and spine road design team are going to have to work together for the desired solution. We know of the opinions of folks who don't like the idea of the spine road, but ultimately this is a NDOT capital improvement and ROW acquisition is part of that. Whether that is through purchasing or eminent domain. I would think it is in the developers best interest to work with NDOT so that they receive something in return for the dedicated ROW. At this point, I have no sympathy for developers and their relationship to the spine road as it has been part of the conversation for coming up on a year now, so if they are not coordinating with a known element like that, it is a shameful effort on their design team.

[Baronakim]

5 hours ago, Logan McCoy said:

So I may have missed this earlier, but how does this project location impact the new East Bank connector road? Weren't the renderings going right through this property and aligning Cowan with 2nd? Or with the Titans project will they just keep 1st Street the main connector road? See below for reference:

I think tis doesn't work at all with the new cental road.  It looks doable  in plan with intersections at Main Street and Woodland Street, BUT there is a massive elevation diffeence  at those points.  There can be no intection at the Victory Memorial Bridge as  it could only pass UNDER the existing bridge ramp up.  Similarly the small  new road has a similar problem and the clearence is totally inadequate to go under it  and then steeply ramp back down to Woodland.  I do not think a complete rework of the approach to the Victory bridge is very likely  at all.  I think some  folks have not done a lot of homework on this outdated propsal.  Thank heavens this is being restudied now.

[Bos2Nash]

16 hours ago, Baronakim said:

There can be no intection at the Victory Memorial Bridge as  it could only pass UNDER the existing bridge ramp up.  Similarly the small  new road has a similar problem and the clearence is totally inadequate to go under it  and then steeply ramp back down to Woodland.  I do not think a complete rework of the approach to the Victory bridge is very likely  at all. 

I will respectfully disagree. If I recall correctly CM Withers mentioned in passing at the possibility of an eventual rebuild of the Main Street/James Robertson Bridge. While it would be a long way out, I see it as a very doable project. If nothing else because we know Woodland drops back to grade much quicker than James Robertson. There is absolutely no need for a viaduct to be such a divider like it currently is. Looking at the imagine below, I would say James Robertson could be rebuilt even without the spine road and connect into the existing street grid, imagine if 1st shifted to the East some. 

We all understand that this is just a concept grid, yes? I wouldn't hold this grid as the bible just yet. I mean this is what, two ramps to the highway south of the interstate? Do we really think the state is going to give up highway access points? Ideally, yes, but in reality I don't see that happening any time soon.  Lastly, we also have to remember that this area of town is 3x or 4x larger than the South Gulch (Hell PSC Metals is the size of the South Gulch alone). This isn't going to be the same, run of the mill plan that Nashville has seen. It is something way bigger than this city has ever seen previously. Give it time.

On a note about the Spine Road, if the stadium is indeed going to be moved east (BLAH) then the curve in the spine road may occur within the current foorprint of Nissan Stadium and align with the existing 1st Ave alignment. This would leave the RMR site intact somewhat. The ROW of 1st will still most likely be widened to accommodate everything in the spine road. If I had to guess, the ROW would grow from the planned 81' within the MSCP to about 110'. This will require extra dedication from the RMR site along 1st avenue. Metro won't have to purchase this property, it will be a requirement of the developers to dedicate that property to 1st Ave. This shifts attention north of the CSX tracks where the original question was posed. The spine road will still want to align with Cowan Street and Dickerson, so we would need a more substantial intersection just north of the CSX tracks (the concept plan shows a very minimal one), I'm thinking a roundabout would be perfect there. This would then require some ROW acquisition to make the alignment up to Cowan work smoothly. The Planning Department/City has ultimate say on when these projects can start, so if the developments need to wait while things are sorted out, Planning has every right to delay certain projects.

[go_outside]

13 hours ago, Bos2Nash said:

That being said, I would hate to see any above grade parking on the East Bank. It'll happen, of course, but I would love if we could set the design guidelines for no at or above grade parking structures.

In the MLB thread, Bos2Nash raised the topic of parking on the East Bank. (I'm continuing that conversation here to keep things on topic.)

Normally, I would agree with the preference for below grade parking. But due to the flood risks of the area, I think at or above grade parking might actually be better for the East Bank.

What do y'all think? I feel like flood mitigation has not been a big enough part of the conversation.

[Bos2Nash]

29 minutes ago, go_outside said:

In the MLB thread, Bos2Nash raised the topic of parking on the East Bank. (I'm continuing that conversation here to keep things on topic.)

Normally, I would agree with the preference for below grade parking. But due to the flood risks of the area, I think at or above grade parking might actually be better for the East Bank.

What do y'all think? I feel like flood mitigation has not been a big enough part of the conversation.

I think flood concerns have been at the forefront of the East Bank study in terms of being a very real obstacle. I think it has been less discussed on the board, because there hasn't been a proposal to really dive into on it. We do a fair amount of speculating, but even that can only go so far haha.

Flood mitigation is going to be a challenge for every single project on the East Bank. Any building service should ultimately have to be 1' above flood or record (2010 flood) which is approximately an elevation of 422' above sea level. Looking at Parcel viewer, it seems like most of the East Bank - south of James Robertson at least - is right around the 420' elevation. Garages can be sacrificial for certain buildings (ie office) but become more important with residential. There are a number of ways to mitigate floods, above grade parking being one of them, but there are also things like flood walls that can be deployed.

Another interesting tidbit, is none of these buildings will be eligible for any LEED certification as they will be built in the flood plain.  To me that would mean that Metro should look at requiring other "green" certification for things such as Bonus Height. Well AP, Living Building, Passive Haus (not really appropriate, but an example nonetheless).

I'll be interested to see what any new stadium proposes for flood mitigation as the site to the east of the current stadium is a bit higher (closer to 430') than the current stadium, but if they intend to drop the field like they do in so many stadiums, just how far will they drop it.

[markhollin]

The East Bank infrastructure plan could cost at least $175 million.  Part of the project would include South 5th Street being extended from the east side over the Cumberland River to Fairfield Ave. in the west side in the Railyard District and Sudakem-Napier terminating near Chestnut Hill.  Some of the other recommendations for the street grid along the East Bank are in diagrams below. 

The Metro Department of Transportation (NDOT) will, with Metro Council approval, file an application for a $5 million federal grant. If approved, Metro will match the grant (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equality — a.k.a. RAISE) with $4 million.

The council is slated to vote on a resolution related to the grant on Tuesday. A major document Metro has created details funding for the overall East Bank infrastructure, still in the conceptual plans phase.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here;

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/metro-seeks-grant-to-fund-east-bank-study/article_38ad5418-bf4b-11ec-97cc-b7c7491fd66f.html


And at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson/2022/04/19/east-bank-boulevard-development-grant-application-reveals-details/7360324001/?utm_source=tennessean-Daily Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing_greeting&utm_term=hero&utm_content=1056TN-E-NLETTER65

The full current version of the study (169 pages) is here:

https://nashville.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=E1&ID=922864&GUID=D3FFCAC1-279E-48F4-A545-42FA4363F9CE
 

[UrbanWes03]

While I love the connections being made and remade with this plan, as well as dedicated bus lanes, I am still disappointed to not see bike paths/lanes. It is a huge missed opportunity especially since this is essentially a brand new road. Hopefully they will be implemented in future renderings. And maybe those bus lanes could be turned into LRT in the future.

[MLBrumby]

Quck math says nearly 21,000 new aparments!! Wow!  So is there any expectation that TDOT will be "on the ball" and upgrade/widen I-24 while this whole plan is being built?  If TDOT needs to buy more land for that effort, they may find themselves up a creek.  I like the frontage road along I-24, but how will the connector from South 6th to Hermitage work without a major exit? So is this plan simply independent of whatever TDOT plans for exits and upgrades? I find the location of that new bridge interesting and wonder if it might have anything to do with future plans for a ballpark in that area.  

This map tells me the most about their plans, but I don't see what the thick broken line where Cowan Street meets Vashti means. I realize the broken thin lines are bike/pedestrain paths, but what is that line from the RMR (center of the map) to Ellington Parkway?  To my point about I-24 (above) that whole interchange needs to be redone, like yesterday. 

[smeagolsfree]

A question for those with the knowledge; Does TDOT really need more land for enhanced interchange upgrades if they use diverging diamond interchanges? Those type of interchanges seem as if they could work anywhere. Also, TDOT has more right of way they can use to expand, not much but a little more, just like they do on the south loop of 40.