Smeagolsfree gets tour of the east side

[william]

Friends,

I gave Smeagolsfree (Ron) a car tour (IJDave would have been proud) of East Nashville this sunny Sunday afternoon and we discussed the long-term future of the area. Five Points was bustling fairly well. The 37206 Building (I call it "The Zip") in Martin Corner is on the second floor, with work on Floor 3 soon to begin. The building will be massive in relation to the other structures nearby. I have been told by an Everton Oglesby Architects officials that ground is to be broken on Phase I of Fifth and Main this month. And some site work has already been done for the East Park community center building. Still waiting for ground to break on East End Lofts, but I know that the financing (SunTrust) and permits are set. Lots happening over here. Ron was absorbing it all on the tour. As the Doorman of Poetry notes, "Ron is a machine" regarding his research, memory and his desire to be in the know. It was a good tour. All were with Ron and me in spirit.

WW

[smeagolsfree]

Thanks William for the tour. I really enjoyed myself.

I think everyone in the forum should get over to East Nashville and see all the activity. I am not talking as much of building activity as I am about people activity. We drove by numerous coffee shops restaurants and through many neighborhoods and all around were people, people everywhere in those resteraunt's. This was at 5 pm on a Sunday. The entire area has sooooo much potential and is now only starting to realize it. There are bike lanes everywhere and this would be a great area to have a trolley system.

This is just a thought but the area right along the river walk through Shelby park area would be the place to have a number of park and ride stations with a trolley system running through the parks and along the river all through E Nashville.

There are a number of developers who have plans over there and when the big developers discover this area, then watch out. This is the area to build affordable housing, not governmant or subsidized housing though. There are many areas that have vacant land where a 7 or 8 story could go and fit in really good Worth the area. It already has a lot of density but can have a lot more. The 5 points area is a miniature little 5 points like Atlanta has and our 5 points has a lot of potential for more growth.

One thing I have noticed over the past several months is the number of historical replica homes that are being built in Nashville. I did not realize there were being built in E Nashville but did in Germantown. Does anyone know if this is a national trend? I thought they stopped building homes with nice front porches on them but this has proved that wrong.

I challenge everyone in the forum to get out and discover Nashville.

[bwithers1]

Gosh, I can't wait for 5th and Main to get going. That will help the neighborhood so much, even if just from the perspective of making it more inviting to visitors. As it is, when you come over JRParkway or get off the expressway at Main Street, the first things that you see other than that abandoned lot are gas stations, practically abandoned light industrial buildings, liquor stores (Weiss should stay!)/pawn shops/bail bonds/check cashing places, clinics, and storefronts that just plain ought to be town down. 5andM will help to clean up the area between the Spring Street intersection and the Five Points area. Then maybe something worthwhile will go into the old plantation house in the 900 block of Main. Eventually that whole strip of Gallatin will clean up from the interstate all the way up to the Auto Diesel College area. Not soon enough for me!

[ATLBrain]

The last time I was up there, (per usual) I-24 through DT was jammed, so I wanted to get off at Ellington... but I couldn't. That exit is u/c. I was wondering if they plan to finally make a better junction with the Interstate.

[LA_TN]

^ No, just doing repairs, replacing bridge deck, etc. If a nice interchange with I-24 was constructed, then our 'super-secret' parkway wouldn't be so secret anymore...

[L'burgnative]

The last time I was up there, (per usual) I-24 through DT was jammed, so I wanted to get off at Ellington... but I couldn't. That exit is u/c. I was wondering if they plan to finally make a better junction with the Interstate.

I was just wondering the same thing; it would be nice if they would connect Ellington and I-24. If you look at the area on Google Earth, it does not look like there is too much in the area that would be affected. Maybe when TDOT quits all the interstate widening in the suburbs and focus on the biggest problem (which is all the Interstates bottle necking at downtown) then they will connect Ellington and I-24, I hope.

[bwithers1]

What about those plans to turn the Ellington Parkway into an honest-to-goodness, boulevard-like Parkway rather than just another expressway? It seems that this roadway should either be turned into more of a neighborhood thoroughfare street or it should be better connected to the interstate system. One way or the other. Although my friends in Inglewood love it for the quick commute downtown. It sure beats driving all the way down Gallatin.

One more thing on that tangled area: somewhere I have seen a map of the Music City Star system wherein the proposed Hendersonville/Gallatin line will have a proposed train station right there around Spring Street. I wonder where exactly that would go? It would be cool to incorporate it into the 5andM project, but I think that the railroad tracks are on the other side, closer to the public housing redevelopments.