Nashville Fairgrounds

[timmay143]

Something the Metro Council might look at for the fair grounds.

Metro might look at new theme park for Nashville

[nashwatcher]

any updates on the future redevelopment of the fairgrounds??

seems like this area of town could really get a shot in the arm if Nashville moved forward and developed the property intelligently...

maybe one day this area could be full of townhomes, brownstones- a vibrant residential market, etc that would be in close proximity to downtown...

[bwithers1]

Sadly, no. As much as he would like to get some redevelopment going there, I can't see the Dean administration pushing anything through there. He got spanked last time. And one nearby council member who tried to keep the meetings fair between the pro- and anti-redevelopment commentators in her district lost her council seat to someone who pledged to keep the fairgrounds. Besides, Mayor Dean has a lot on his plate trying to get the BRT up and running and maybe a new downtown amphitheatre and maybe even then a Sounds stadium built somewhere. I think that these things will keep him busy for the rest of this term.

There is a (yet another) master plan thing going on for the fairgrounds. The last time that I read the public comments, there were tons and tons of comments wanting to keep the speedway and to refurbish the existing buildings. In other words, to keep things the way they are but maybe find more uses for the speedway (apparently the Harpeth Bicycle Club uses it ?!?!) and better events at the expo buildings. These commentators may not all live in Davidson county, but that is a large portion of the public comments that have been posted to the planning commission's site.

You also have to keep in mind the political struggles between Metro and the state legislature. Some of the more conservative council members have run for (and so for 1 has won) a seat in the state legislature and they are all for keeping the fairgrounds (and the race track) where they are. Even if somehow Metro decided to relocate the fairgrounds activities themselves, I would personally look for the state legislature to come in an try to override Metro on that, possibly at the urging of former Metro council members who now serve in the legislature.

[Nathan_in_DC]

It's been a few years since I was at the fairgrounds, I think just for a gun show maybe 7 or 8 years ago. I was struck at how dilapidated everything seemed. The exhibit halls were mostly structurally sound, but they looked as if they hadn't received proper maintenance in years. The pavement was all crumbling and the paint was peeling everywhere. It was, frankly, kind of embarrassing. Is it still like that?

[samsonh]

Last time I went it was similar. I cannot fathom people wanting to keep the fairgrounds and racetrack. It literally makes zero sense to me.

[UTgrad09]

Last time I went it was similar. I cannot fathom people wanting to keep the fairgrounds and racetrack. It literally makes zero sense to me.

I agree that the fairgrounds is a dump. The race track (though I don't really care for) I can understand. It's a former NASCAR circuit track and has a bit of nostalgia surrounding it. NASCAR outgrew it and it became old and antiquated. Some old things are worth keeping and improving. Others are not. I think this falls into the latter category.

[chelovek]

The one thing I fear with this property is that the anti-fairgrounds people will get their way, the whole facility will be demolished, and then... not much will happen. In particular, I worry that this area will become the new "North Capitol-" that wasteland of surface parking and empty lots between James Robertson and Jefferson Street.

With a property this size, you could leave the fairgrounds, speedway, and exhibition halls in place and still open up acres and acres for immediate redevelopment or greening. All it would take would be to consolidate some of the sprawling lots into garages. Whether racing and the state fair is the best use of this space is up for serious debate, but as a former resident of wedgewood-houston I can say that the fairground is a huge asset to many of my former neighbors who worked there, vended there, exhibited there, etc...

I think the best transition for this property would be to redevelop in phases, leaving the existing functions in place for now. Perhaps in twenty years, if every spare acre of the property has been developed into mixed-use, residential, greenway, or whatever, then reconsidering the state fair and other functions may be in order. That would also give the racetrack zealot people plenty of time to let such a transition sink in. For the time being I think that redevelopment and preservation can easily coexist, and it is a shame that political circumstances turned the fairgrounds debate into a polarized for-us-or-against-us train wreck.

I think a lot of us on UP are getting the sense that Nashville is pulling into a post-recession boom, and that's great. I would urge people to temper their expectations, however, if they think our economy can float the revitilization of SoBro, the North Gulch, Midtown, Germantown, Rolling Mill Hill, etc... and now also build an entirely new neighborhood in the footprint of the fairgrounds. It seems like a lot to ask from the real estate market in this climate.

[bwithers1]

I agree with you that it seems as though there are two vocal sides who have totally different visions and each group's agenda seems totally to exclude the other.

What I think that both sides DO agree on is the desirability of having the creek, which is the cause of the floodplain, become part of a larger greenway. That could happen in a corporate campus environment or in a fairgrounds/park setting. Craighead Street is technically a bikeway, although there is precious little paved shoulder and the speed limit is 45 MPH, so it is not especially inviting to bikes although I see them periodically on my drive to work each morning.

Since that creekbed and the adjacent grassy plot is not used for anything in even the current configuration, I am hoping that the fairgrounds fencelines can be moved back across the creek and closer to the actual fairgrounds, that environmental remediation can begin on the creek, and that the parcel can be turned into an accessible, bike-friendly or even dog-friendly park that can benefit everyone. Since that sliver or land is part is a floodplain, no real development of any kind can occur there anyway. In my opinion, cleaning up the creek for better flow and creating a nice park there could go ahead while the other deliberations persist. Meanwhile, the neighborhood would benefit from a better park, and the park access would actually make the site more desirable to future tenants.

And adding crosswalk signals at the Nolensville and Bransford intesections along Craighead would make that street more pedestrian and bike friendly as well at relatively little cost.

[smeagolsfree]

The debate continues about the fairgrounds. A 150 million dollar price tag to update facility or not.

http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wztv_vid_14733.shtml