More East Nashville Infill Development

[bwithers1]

Tennessean article about redevelopment of 800 Main Street "Bank of America" site

Attached is an article about a possible redevelopment of 800 Main Street, the nearly block-long site of the Bank America processing center that was to house Bridges Academy. The development will likely include apartments and retail. As I understand the zoning laws, if the building is torn down, the new structure would have to front Main Street, which will be a big help. I am not sure about the Woodland Street side, though, which is at a higher elevation.

[bwithers1]

TN article about East River development, 8th Street & Ramsey

Attached is an article about the demolition and redevelopment of an apartment complex at N 8th Street and Ramsey, which runs parallel to Main Street one block north. These apartment buildings are immediately behind some businesses on the north side of Main Street and are quite an eyesore. I am thrilled to hear that more "workforce housing" will be going in so close to 5th & Main.

On a side note, while I applaud Mike Jameson for pushing LEED design, are all buildings in Nashville going to have to comply?

[it's just dave]

Both of these projects are just what's needed to continue a renaissance being boosted by 5th & Main. The bank property has been vacant for so long, I'm particularly interested in what's in store for that acreage. As the article stated, it's unusual to have such a large site available for infill development. I sense a grocery component among other things.

Excellent news for the east side.

[East Side Urbanite]

Friends,

the former BofA site is massive so you have to wonder -- given the slumped economy -- how Double A can pull off such a large-scale development. Maybe it will be done in stages. District Lofts (which is in North Capitol, and not Gemantown, as noted in the article) is a very nice project.

WW

[it's just dave]

I think the keyword here is "apartments and retail." With home and condo sales continuing their nationwide slide, reports are that apartments are becoming much, much more prevalent in development plans. I think the area would benefit from both these projects as rentals. If these succeed, look for the boom. Just look at parts of the Murfreesboro Road corridor. The increased density has created huge amounts of retail and small office. I wouldn't expect anything on that scale to develop as "strippish" as that, particularly given the strict East Nashville guidelines and its proximity to downtown, but I see the area becoming very densely populated over the next few years because of higher fuel prices, still high home prices, lenders' reluctance to lend money to those underqualified, and the proximity to downtown amenities.

There are still huge (collectively) swaths of land on which to build an active and diverse community here. This will help the immediate area and provide population density figures to help attract businesses either in the core, or in the new ring of development around the core that seems to be burgeoning right now. "Bringing it all home" so to speak. If Mt. Juliet can build its Disneyland Providence and be such the suburbanites dream, East Nashville can build a real city, even in these days. I, for one, think it will happen sooner than later. And East will be so much cooler. Transit options and even walking into downtown are distinct possibilities to increase the attractiveness of this area even more.

[JGarrison]

I would certainly hope they will address the Woodland Street side

[bwithers1]

TN article about East River Place

Attached is a follow-up Tennessean article on the East River Place apartment development at 8th St N and Ramsey in East Nashville. While this design may not make anyone particularly happy - it is neither historic-looking nor edgy - I ask that everyone keep in mind what horrible buildings this complex will replace. That piece of the neighborhood does not really have a coherent visual identity, and this complex will not forge a new one, but it will be a huge improvement over what is there now, and might even add some nice grass (the lawn kind) and landscaping to make an inviting ring around the school that faces these properties. At three stories, these buildings will be taller than the two-story 1960s-ish buildings that are there now, and the ones along Ramsey street will be taller than most of the buildings on Main Street. So this development will make an impression on Main Street even though it does not face that street. The buildings are set back a little bit from the street which is completely appropriate for side streets. Parking is in the rear along the alleys. I think that about 30 units will front Ramsey Street and 60 will face N 8th Street to form sort of a backwards "L" shape.

[vinemp]

I say, build rows of'em. The building design is fair enough--providing that the materials aren't of low quality.

I think we, the people of low-density environs, place too much emphasis on visual continuity, style reproduction, and "edge". As much as we should be mindful of aesthetics as our city develops, we may want to consider the differences between viable habitation spaces and theme parks.

What's more, East Nasty is often lauded for its eclectic flair. Since when did "eclectic" imply any notion of homogeneity?