What now for SoBro?

[reednavy05]

Now with the height cap lifted, the sky really is the limit. What is to become of our beloved warehouse and parking lot district? I am invisioning a duplicate of ATL's Midtown, which is absolutely stunning, with the extension of Gateway BLVD, can it become our version of Michigan Avenue? Atlanta is trying to turn Peachtree St. into the South Michigan Avenue, can we beat them, I think so. This is now setting the stage for an explosion of condo,office, and hotel high-rises. What yall say, wanna join me?

[jcoop]

not quite so fast in my opinion. I still want to work on the density north of broadway while continuing to make sobro an extremely liveable area. there needs to be an extension almost of some of the nightlife from the lower broad and 2nd ave areas over towards sobro there are already a few bars, but add some nice dining options and good retail that will stay open relatively late and everything will keep falling in place

of course hopefully the sounds project will help with this too.

[franktown]

I don't really care that SoBro is a Southern Michigan Avenue as much as I'd like for it to be a complete and well-rounded area for people to live in Nashville. We need sidewalk cafes that stay open well into the night and then people can get a cup of coffee before returning to their apartment or heading to the Symphony... I don't care that it's filled with skyscrapers as much as I would like for it to be livable. Many of the neighborhoods of Nashville aren't complete in my opinion, because they either lack walkability, retail or places to get to work easily (although different deffinitions of complete may differ). SoBro, in my opinion, is our best hope for total livability because it isn't yet developed, and because of its connectivity to the CBD.

[nashvillwill]

man, i was really hoping for row houses south-philly style. oh, well. i guess i wish i owned some land there now. I wonder if the patch of recently demolished buildings has something to do with the lift of the ceiling(which has stood for what...6 months). maybe we'll get lucky with a major player who has something big planned!

on a side note, IF the new C.C. is to be built i have very strong feelings that it shouldn't disrupt the street grid. it needs through traffic and heavy sidewalk retail/restaurant. although realistically, i expect a big box with blank walls.

[memphian]

I agree that if a new CC is built in SoBro that it needs to NOT disrupt the foot-traffic of the area. I would like to see the CC go above the street level like the one in Kansas City. The ground-level should have nothing more than an entrance to the CC and the rest be devoted to NON-CC retail and restaurants.

Chattanooga did a great job of rebuilding their downtown for the citizens of the city - not toursists. We need to follow that direction.

Just my two-cents though.

[reednavy05]

man, i was really hoping for row houses south-philly style. oh, well. i guess i wish i owned some land there now. I wonder if the patch of recently demolished buildings has something to do with the lift of the ceiling(which has stood for what...6 months). maybe we'll get lucky with a major player who has something big planned!

on a side note, IF the new C.C. is to be built i have very strong feelings that it shouldn't disrupt the street grid. it needs through traffic and heavy sidewalk retail/restaurant. although realistically, i expect a big box with blank walls.

[reednavy05]

i was pickin around, and I noticed a building that caught my eye big time. 1010 Midtown(1010 Peachtree) in Midtown Atlanta, place that at Gateway and 4th Ave. S, and I'd drool. it is a fantastic condominium/retail tower of 38 floors. now people wonder why I refer to Atlanta so much, they have amazing buildings, Nashville is home and I love it, but we really need new color schemes, baige is too over used nowadays

www.1010midtown.com

[hayesmw]

no, that recently cleared area at the termination of Gateway BLVD is to be a contuation of Gateway BLVD.

[BnaBreaker]

The "Miracle Mile" portion of Michigan Avenue is actually one of my least favorite streetscapes in Chicago.

[ATLBrain]

I've had a powerful inkling since reading the article on Tower Investment's acquisition of these parcels that they will put something very big there. Of course the price of the property indicates that it would be vertical. Their point man in Nashville (one of the family members) has said as much... that if the CC is built then they're going with a hotel... if it's not built/or put there, then they'll go mixed use. It must be nice to have money and options. LOL

[Hankster]

I've had a powerful inkling since reading the article on Tower Investment's acquisition of these parcels that they will put something very big there. Of course the price of the property indicates that it would be vertical. Their point man in Nashville (one of the family members) has said as much... that if the CC is built then they're going with a hotel... if it's not built/or put there, then they'll go mixed use. It must be nice to have money and options. LOL

[BnaBreaker]

Speaking of the Convention Center, I don't know where else we could put it, but i'm a little disappointed it is going in SoBro. A new Convention Center will be a fantastic thing for the city, no doubt, but just think of all the dead space such a massive structure is going to cause. This thing, unless there is something I am not understanding, will add the equivalent of three or four straight blocks worth of blank, faceless wall to a street which has the potential to promote some fantastic street life, and I don't think I like that possibility.

[it's just dave]

I believe the blank wall syndrome is being heavily, heavily discussed and hopefully will produce wall with apartments, condos, restaurant and retail on the outside of the center. The current discussions are leaning toward the continuation of the street grid by building portions of the building over the traffic lanes.

One thing about building a new center now as opposed to a few years back is people's sensitivity to issues of pedestrian life, connectivity and a building's relationship to its surroundings. SoBro is not a bad place for this at all, probably the best, but will remain so if, and only if, the proponents for intelligent design stick to the guns and make lots and lots of noise. I would like to see the MCC become a national model for how to do it right.

Fingers are crossed.

[titanhog]

Any chance the main convention space would be below street level with several building then growing upwards, with space left for the streets? Cost prohibitive?

[BnaBreaker]

I believe the blank wall syndrome is being heavily, heavily discussed and hopefully will produce wall with apartments, condos, restaurant and retail on the outside of the center. The current discussions are leaning toward the continuation of the street grid by building portions of the building over the traffic lanes.

One thing about building a new center now as opposed to a few years back is people's sensitivity to issues of pedestrian life, connectivity and a building's relationship to its surroundings. SoBro is not a bad place for this at all, probably the best, but will remain so if, and only if, the proponents for intelligent design stick to the guns and make lots and lots of noise. I would like to see the MCC become a national model for how to do it right.

Fingers are crossed.

[Nashvillain]

After gazing into my crystal ball, I will make some predictions. I figure at at least one high rise hotel will rise in Sobro, in addition to the Westin after the Convention Center project is built there. Also, there could also be one more high rise office tower. I see all of the high rise properties going from Gateway Blvd. north, at least at first. The balance of construction should be a mix of residential and retail. There will be about 5 more high rise residential structures north of Gateway. I see mostly midrise construction, primarily resdential, south of Gateway. All of what I've described will happen within 10 years from today. Within 30 years, the whole SoBro area all the way south to I-40 and west to the Gulch will be built out. By then, there will at least 10 more highrises built in the area, possibly 20 more. There will be at least 5 structures 40 stories or higer in SoBro 30 years from now.

[smeagolsfree]

He may not be far off. He gives it 30 years adn the US population will have added another 100 million , many of which will be in the south.