Nashville Bits and Pieces

[smeagolsfree]

Here is the email from Emporis to all contributing members. The first link does not even work!

Dear Emporis Community Member,
 

I am writing to let you know that we have made the decision to retire the Emporis community platform. This change will take effect on Tuesday 13^th September 2022. Following the retirement you will no longer be able to access Emporis.
 
This decision was not made lightly. For more than twenty years, Emporis (and its predecessor site) has served as a platform for community members to share data, information and of course, great imagery of some of the tallest buildings and skyscrapers across the globe. I would like to thank you for your contributions over the years.
 
CoStar Group acquired Emporis in November 2020, recognising the truly global nature of the data in Emporis, and since the acquisition we have integrated much of that data into the global CoStar information platform for the benefit of our client base of brokers, owners, and lenders.
 
We know that many Emporis members share our passion for real estate – some of them as data enthusiasts; some as photographers; some as individuals who loved researching new cities and all of whom enjoyed contributing to an expanding real estate database.
 
CoStar is one of the largest commercial real estate information and analytics platform in the world and we are always seeking to hire new, talented individuals to help expand the platform into new markets and continue researching existing ones. If you are interested in any of our available roles within the Research group, please visit our careers website by clicking on the following link: https://www.costargroup.com/careers
 
In the meantime, should you have any questions or feedback, please contact our team at [email protected].
 
Once again, thank you for your contributions over the years and we wish you the best.
 
Matthew Green
CoStar Europe, Managing Director

[nashville born]

Really cool article in the Nashville Post's magazine about Nashville's lack of true 600 footers.  Same issue had a nice article on @Rlooper.  Kudos!

Edited September 13, 2022 by nashville born

[Bos2Nash]

6 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

Here is the email from Emporis to all contributing members. The first link does not even work!

Dear Emporis Community Member,
 

I am writing to let you know that we have made the decision to retire the Emporis community platform. This change will take effect on Tuesday 13^th September 2022. Following the retirement you will no longer be able to access Emporis.
 
This decision was not made lightly. For more than twenty years, Emporis (and its predecessor site) has served as a platform for community members to share data, information and of course, great imagery of some of the tallest buildings and skyscrapers across the globe. I would like to thank you for your contributions over the years.
 
CoStar Group acquired Emporis in November 2020, recognising the truly global nature of the data in Emporis, and since the acquisition we have integrated much of that data into the global CoStar information platform for the benefit of our client base of brokers, owners, and lenders.
 
We know that many Emporis members share our passion for real estate – some of them as data enthusiasts; some as photographers; some as individuals who loved researching new cities and all of whom enjoyed contributing to an expanding real estate database.
 
CoStar is one of the largest commercial real estate information and analytics platform in the world and we are always seeking to hire new, talented individuals to help expand the platform into new markets and continue researching existing ones. If you are interested in any of our available roles within the Research group, please visit our careers website by clicking on the following link: https://www.costargroup.com/careers
 
In the meantime, should you have any questions or feedback, please contact our team at [email protected].
 
Once again, thank you for your contributions over the years and we wish you the best.
 
Matthew Green
CoStar Europe, Managing Director

Think of it this way Smeags, you get you get personal time back for other research endeavors haha.

[Rick Dalton]

M Street just announced two restaurant closures back to back. Whiskey Kitchen in the Gulch and Tavern in Midtown. We know Whiskey Kitchen will be a hotel, any word on Tavern? Or just simple closure?

[nashville born]

I missed the last meet up.  Any rumors or such on the lot at Rosa Parks and Church?

[PaulChinetti]

2 hours ago, natethegreat said:

M Street just announced two restaurant closures back to back. Whiskey Kitchen in the Gulch and Tavern in Midtown. We know Whiskey Kitchen will be a hotel, any word on Tavern? Or just simple closure?

Sounded like they we were stealing wages/ tips based on comments on Redditt (so take that as you will). But that because of that nobody wanted to work there anymore. 

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2021/03/18/nashville-restaurant-workers-awarded-628-k-wage-theft-lawsuit-settlements/4734302001/

[Melrose]

2 hours ago, natethegreat said:

M Street just announced two restaurant closures back to back. Whiskey Kitchen in the Gulch and Tavern in Midtown. We know Whiskey Kitchen will be a hotel, any word on Tavern? Or just simple closure?

Elsewhere in Midtown,  Flatiron has also closed.   It was perfectly fine, but never seemed to catch on.   

Along with the empty space that was Caviar and Bananas, and I think all of the open retail space on the street level at the new 2010 West End building,  a lot of Midtown vacancies at the moment.....

[Rick Dalton]

Hmm didn’t realize Flatiron had closed already. ReBar is also gone. Seems counterintuitive because Midtown is getting a lot of residential build.

[Nash_12South]

I'm just going to guess that all the construction in Midtown isn't helping. I avoid the area as much as possible as traffic moves so slow . 

[donNdonelson2]

7 minutes ago, natethegreat said:

Hmm didn’t realize Flatiron had closed already. ReBar is also gone. Seems counterintuitive because Midtown is getting a lot of residential build.

The “ReBar at the Dam” location closed earlier this year. I had heard the owners were retiring. (I believe that both locations were the same ownership.) That one was rumored to have sold, but has not yet opened by a new owner. There was, however, some activity there yesterday, so things may be inching toward a renaissance.

[PaulChinetti]

Rebar's owner was also wildly racist on film against a DJ they had playing at the Midtown location. Not good for business...

Union Common, Flatiron both were just like @Melrosesays, "perfectly fine". I also thought it was pretty pricey for the food they served you, very hohum. 

[GreenHillsBoy]

On 9/14/2022 at 10:11 AM, Melrose said:

Elsewhere in Midtown,  Flatiron has also closed.   It was perfectly fine, but never seemed to catch on.   

Along with the empty space that was Caviar and Bananas, and I think all of the open retail space on the street level at the new 2010 West End building,  a lot of Midtown vacancies at the moment.....

I hate to hear that about "FlatIron as it was always good and had reasonable prices.  I will pay what seems to now be the new norm in Nashville, entrees in the $35 to $55 but it was great to have a place to sit down, with a drink and pay under $25 for a good entree.  Parking may have been the downfall.  

[bnacincy]

Probably what needs to replace Flatiron in that building is something slightly downmarket-so people within walking distance like students and residents of  the new condos going could better afford it

Particularly with where the economy might be headed.

[Baronakim]

https://esarch.com/portfolio/att-tennessee-headquarters/

[L. C. Ice]

19 hours ago, bnacincy said:

Probably what needs to replace Flatiron in that building is something slightly downmarket-so people within walking distance like students and residents of  the new condos going could better afford it

Particularly with where the economy might be headed.

Wha? What's going on with the economy?

[MontanaGuy]

4 hours ago, L. C. Ice said:

Wha? What's going on with the economy?

I noticed that if you switch the letters around with your user name it spells Licec!  That's interesting!

[smeagolsfree]

He must be living under a rock as that was a stupid question.

 

If it is YOU KNOW WHO either go away now or you will be sent away! If not ask a good question.

[KJHburg]

I hear from reliable sources that these party wagons, buses, tractors etc have been throttled back.  But I saw them everywhere today and suprised how far they go outside of the downtown core.   And the line for the Wings mural was crazy long!  (first photo)   Now remember these tourists are the ones filling up your hotels as Nashville is in the big leagues of party goers in the country along with Miami, Vegas etc.   Nashville has to be the day drinking capital of the US.  

[fishsticks176]

We've truly gone global

[MorganRehnberg]

Nashville ranks 6th in the nation in the number of apartment units added in the downtown core since 2013.

Nashville, TN lands on the sixth spot nationally for the number of new units added to its downtown – over 11K apartments over the past decade. Looking strictly at the expansion of its downtown living situation, Nashville performed best among the country’s largest 100 cities. The 11K apartments added over the last decade represent almost 80% of the area’s total apartment inventory. Moreover, an additional 4,800 apartments are currently under construction.

https://www.storagecafe.com/blog/southern-us-takes-the-lead-for-downtown-apartment-construction/


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[markhollin]

William Williams (EastSideUrbanite) with a nice piece in the latest Nashville Post Magazine entitled "Up in the Air: Nashville offers lots of tall buildings -- but none above 600 feet."

It is behind the Nashville Post paywall, but since it mentions UrbanPlanetNashville several times, I am reposting it in full here:
 

Nashville is a city of tall buildings.

In fact, and relative to its size, Tennessee’s capital is a national power of sorts — home to far more sky-reaching towers than its population would suggest. Though with only about 2 million people living within its metropolitan statistical area (No. 35 in the United States for MSA populations), Nashville ranks in the top 20 of U.S. cities for buildings 100 feet tall and taller — with more than 200 such structures, according to urban construction/architecture database emporis.com.

Nashville offers 31 buildings of at least 300 feet tall. Few of the 19 other U.S. cities with MSA populations of 1.5 million to 2.9 million — and even a handful (including Phoenix and Tampa) of the 20 with 3 million or more — boast more than 20 towers of 300 feet or taller.

High-rise buildings can be, to an extent, good for the environment (as they don’t “waste” land like “horizontal development”). And chamber of commerce officials can use such structures as a recruiting tool for businesses seeking either a relocation or an ancillary office home in a cosmopolitan city that embraces what urban planners term “vertical density.”

“Metro is beginning to view [building/people density and vertical density] as a smart way to accommodate Nashville’s extraordinary growth,” says Tony Giarratana, whose eponymous company, Giarratana, has developed five downtown sites with high-rises (defined by emporis.com as buildings of 115 tall and taller), is under construction with two others and plans an additional two.

“It makes efficient use of land and existing infrastructure, increases walkability and encourages a ‘live, work, play’ lifestyle,” he adds.

With tall buildings peppering downtown and Midtown, Nashville offers those viewing it from a mid-distance an impressive expanse of elevated manmade fabric.

In short, if you like high-rises, you will like Nashville.

But if you enjoy living in a city with truly tall buildings — in general, and as defined by urban planning enthusiasts as those of a minimum of 600 feet tall — Music City is not currently the place to be.

Only one of the city’s high-rises — the iconic 33-story AT&T Tower, or “Batman Building” — stands above that threshold. But its 617-foot height is deceiving in that a big chunk at the top (at least 100 feet) is non-occupiable (instead, being a decorative cap and twin spires that distort the building’s occupiable height).

Nashville’s tallest building in terms of highest level of occupiable floor is the roughly 540-foot-tall Four Seasons Hotel and Residences. Mixed-use tower 505 stands about 525 feet tall.

So, some might ask, “Why build tall?” Portland offers no building taller than about 545 feet, yet the vibrant Oregon city is much more urban in its form and function than Nashville and, as such, is able to attract folks wanting to live and work in its core.

Conversely, Oklahoma City boasts the approximately 850-foot-tall Devon Tower — impressive for a place of only about 1.44 million residents. However, given its lack of building and people density, OKC is not even remotely able to challenge Nashville for urban supremacy.

Indeed, Nashville lacking a building of 600 feet or taller is not harmful. But there are some advantages for any city offering a truly tall building — one 600 to 1,000 feet based on the standards of most large U.S. cities — as such structures are symbolic of economic muscle. A comparison, some contend, is professional sports. There are some U.S. cities without them that are doing just fine — Charleston, Honolulu and Providence, for examples. But having even only one pro sports franchise can provide a city a superior perception to one without (think Memphis with its NBA Grizzlies compared to Birmingham).

Whether bragging rights are important or not, Nashville eventually will crack the 600-foot threshold. Preliminary work is already underway at the downtown YMCA site for Giarratana’s future 750-foot luxury residential tower 1010 Church. Also, the parking component of what is expected to be a skyscraper of at least 600 feet is being constructed at Nashville Yards. In addition, Giarratana plans a roughly 610-foot high-end condominium building at 800 Lea St. in SoBro. One of the future buildings eyed for Houston-based Hines’ Reed District in Midtown (on the former Jim Reed auto dealership site) is expected to approach 600 feet.

Nashville may never have an 850-plus-footer like OKC, but multiple buildings in the 600- to 750-foot range almost certainly will be in the city’s future.

Mark Hollingsworth, a veteran citizen observer of Nashville’s built environment, says that the city’s having landed, and being slated for, three 500-plus footers, two 600-plus footers and one 700-plus footer within a seven-year stretch is “pretty remarkable.”

More encouragingly, the reinvention of the skyline in both downtown and Midtown has not been limited to buildings of 500 feet or taller. Hollingworth says that in 2010, the city was home to 27 buildings of 20 stories (roughly 200 feet) or taller. A decade later, that number had doubled, to 54. By 2025, and based on detailed statistics Hollingsworth maintains, Nashville could have at least 100 buildings of at least 20 stories. And by 2035, that figure could increase to 175. 

“I’m guessing at least five more of those will be 600 feet tall or taller,” says Hollingsworth, who serves as president of the Nashville chapter of message board urbanplanet.org.

Hollingsworth has visited all but a handful of the 56 U.S. cities with MSA populations of 1 million or more residents, closely studying the relationship between tall buildings, high-profile company headquarters and economic health in those places. He says the addition of tall buildings, and particularly those of 600 feet or more, “clearly reflects that Nashville is one of a handful of truly dynamic cities in the United States.”

“Success breeds success, so more developers and corporate heads are attracted to the energy of Music City like never before,” he adds.

That “corporate attraction” element tied to tall buildings can be found in Austin, Charlotte, Cleveland, Columbus, Denver, Indianapolis, 
Las Vegas and Pittsburgh, cities with MSA populations in the 2 million to 2.9 million range and each with at least one building of 600 feet or taller. Collectively, those cities command a certain respect, Hollingsworth says, due to their sporting a degree of the vertical density that is a hallmark of the 14 truly large U.S. cities (those with 4 million or more residents).

Lee Davis, senior design manager with Nashville-based architecture firm ESa, agrees with Hollinsgworth that Nashville has landed few buildings of 500 feet or more due to the availability of lots of land located outside the city’s central business district (but still in an urban setting) and on which to design and construct horizontally instead of vertically.

However, other factors have limited the city’s chances of landing a 600-plus-footer, including 1) the Metro Codes Department’s having adopted the 2018 International Building Code a few years ago; 2) Federal Aviation Administration regulations that make undertaking a building of 750 feet tall or taller in downtown almost impossible (a building of such height could conflict with the flight path of Nashville International Airport Runway 13/31, which is located about nine miles from downtown); 3) the fact that, in Nashville (and many cities, for that matter), the costs of design, labor, materials and construction increase (and sometimes exponentially) once a building rises above 30 to 35 floors (or, essentially, above 400 feet); and 4) outside the CBD, the cap is 30 floors per the Metro Planning Department Downtown Code (though bonus height can be achieved via, for example, exceptional design, green features, etc.).

“The next milestone is not 600 feet — it’s 420 feet,” Davis says. “The way the code is written, anything over 420 feet comes with greater scrutiny — although R-2 occupancy such as apartments and condos are excluded from many of these added requirements — like higher-strength concrete, additional mechanical requirements, more egress stairs, etc. 

“Some individuals like calling this part of the code ‘super high-rise,’ distinguishing it from ‘regular high-rise’ considerations,” he adds. “There have also been some other elected changes to the code that Metro has adopted recently as well, such as the requirement for fresh air replenishment systems. Additional testing such as wind tunnel designs can also add cost and timeline expense that I believe will be necessary for structures of this height going forward. We have not seen those tests and analyses run regularly for standard high-rise projects.”

With these factors considered, Davis says the easiest way to get to 600 feet is through an apartment or condo tower project that effectively eliminates the stiffer requirements for office and hotel design and construction.

“Achieving a building of 600 feet or taller, while interesting and with its advantages, does not signal any cataclysmic change within our local design and construction environment,” he says. “The city has plenty of local architects and contractors capable of putting together a building of this height — and has had for years. The true significance would be a signaling of a tipping point in development that states, ‘Nashville is worth this elevated investment.’ Once we have one building rise over 600 feet, I would imagine we would have others follow suit.”

Beyond the excitement that the visual of a sea of towers yields, Giarratana says there is a practical consideration that comes with maximizing building height on any given site.

“In addition to all the planning benefits of higher density, [taller than otherwise buildings] increase the property tax potential for each parcel of land,” he notes.

[colemangaines]

13 minutes ago, markhollin said:

One of the future buildings eyed for Houston-based Hines’ Reed District in Midtown (on the former Jim Reed auto dealership site) is expected to approach 600 feet.

Did I miss this news or is this the first we're hearing of it? I thought the tallest planned for Reed was in the 400's.

Also, great article. It reads like a succinct summary of Nashville's build situation for those who aren't following it closely.

[titanhog]

Two things I wish would change to help us get more tall buildings in the future is for the Metro government to back off some of their restrictions…and for BNA to do something about their flight path over downtown.

[Nashvillain]

On 9/17/2022 at 11:23 PM, MorganRehnberg said:

Nashville ranks 6th in the nation in the number of apartment units added in the downtown core since 2013.
 

 

https://www.storagecafe.com/blog/southern-us-takes-the-lead-for-downtown-apartment-construction/


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Most of them have been converted to STRs 

[nashville born]

15 hours ago, markhollin said:

William Williams (EastSideUrbanite) with a nice piece in the latest Nashville Post Magazine entitled "Up in the Air: Nashville offers lots of tall buildings -- but none above 600 feet."

It is behind the Nashville Post paywall, but since it mentions UrbanPlanetNashville several times, I am reposting it in full here:

Beyond the excitement that the visual of a sea of towers yields, Giarratana says there is a practical consideration that comes with maximizing building height on any given site.

“In addition to all the planning benefits of higher density, [taller than otherwise buildings] increase the property tax potential for each parcel of land,” he notes.

Thanks for this.  After receiving the edition and reading it, I wasn't sure of how to make mention of it, yet I thought it was really noteworthy within this community, especially.  Thanks @East Side Urbanite, really enjoyed it and so glad you wrote about this topic.