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Nashville Bits and Pieces


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The bottom line is that Austinites have, more broadly than Nashvilians, embraced urbanism. We all must acknowledge that. It is what it is.

 

WW

So true, im just wondering how does building a skysraper over 40 stories in the downtown area , take away any culture, music, or anything else that Nashville already is? Why in the hell is Everything so restricted??

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And I can tell you from personal experience that property taxes in Texas are quite high, which are offset only slightly by the fact that there is not a sales tax on groceries. Much of that state's advance in municipal construction (schools, roads & rail, sidewalks, etc) is, no doubt, due to those higher real estate tax dollars!

This is true.  Property taxes for a SFR DET with an appraised value of 280,000 in TN (Davidson):  3,600... in TX (Travis County): 8,000

Edited by HGMIII
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So true, im just wondering how does building a skysraper over 40 stories in the downtown area , take away any culture, music, or anything else that Nashville already is? Why in the hell is Everything so restricted??

1) Fear of becoming a big city. A lot of people in MDHA, BZA, Metro Council etc. are  still waxing nostalgic of 1950's-1960's Nashville.

 

2) Age demographics. Nashville needs more young people to stay and build for their generation.

 

3) Lack of developers. For some reason and many I listed, developers avoid cities like Nashville, Louisville, Memphis, Jacksonville, and Birmingham because they know we are in the group of suburban cities. Jacksonville sprawl easily spans 90 miles in any direction. Hell, you can go between Jacksonville and St. Augustine without missing a gas station, fast food joint, strip mall or an office park

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1) Fear of becoming a big city. A lot of people in MDHA, BZA, Metro Council etc. are  still waxing nostalgic of 1950's-1960's Nashville.

 

2) Age demographics. Nashville needs more young people to stay and build for their generation.

 

3) Lack of developers. For some reason and many I listed, developers avoid cities like Nashville, Louisville, Memphis, Jacksonville, and Birmingham because they know we are in the group of suburban cities. Jacksonville sprawl easily spans 90 miles in any direction. Hell, you can go between Jacksonville and St. Augustine without missing a gas station, fast food joint, strip mall or an office park

I think it's crazy at this point , examples , encore would have been 22, or stories, SunTrust , 16 not 13, the downtown Hilton could have been taller

The proposal sheet music got chopped from 40+ to 36!! Etc, etc, with everything allover the City !! :-(

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What does this mean? I mean how can a city be pretentious. Having been to Austin recently I found it to be the exact opposite.

 

Tend to agree.    I've been spending a good deal of time in Austin and haven't picked up on any pretention, other than the usual Texas bravado that permeates the state and the beloved Longhorns.    Actually, the Lone Star boosterism in Austin is somewhat watered down due to the huge influx of non-Texans.    There is a detectable level of civic pride about where they are as a community and where they're going, with good reason.    But there is also a good deal of discussion/concern about the cost of all this growth at such a rapid pace and the ability of Austin's infrastructure to keep up, particularly w/r/t traffic.

 

I'm also not so sure about the comment about Austin suburbs.   Austin suburbia continues to grow and sprawl.     True, there is no great flocking to the suburbs in the sense of people trading the central core for the burbs, but I wouldn't say that about Nashville in 2014 either.    Like here, there are large numbers of new arrivals choosing to live out from town, and also large numbers of people (mostly young, not all) actively embracing urban living.    The numbers there are just larger. 

Edited by CenterHill
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Actually, at last night's Nashville Next meeting on Culture and Placemaking, it was presented that Nashville is ranked #4 in the nation on the creative vitality index.  Nashville's creative vitality index rating is 80% higher than that of Austin, which is closest to us out of our competitors such as Charlotte, et al.

 

Sorry, I didn't scribble down more information in my notes about where to locate said index.

 

I think that Nashville is doing just fine as long as we can focus on quality, not quantity, of buildings (which is definitely a struggle) and as long as we can retain and cultivate the creative talent that makes our city unique.  Building tons of huge residential (or even office) towers does not inherently create an interesting skyline, streetscape, or quality of life.

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Tend to agree.    I've been spending a good deal of time in Austin and haven't picked up on any pretention, other than the usual Texas bravado that permeates the state and the beloved Longhorns.    Actually, the Lone Star boosterism in Austin is somewhat watered down due to the huge influx of non-Texans.    There is a detectable level of civic pride about where they are as a community and where they're going, with good reason.    But there is also a good deal of discussion/concern about the cost of all this growth at such a rapid pace and the ability of Austin's infrastructure to keep up, particularly w/r/t traffic.

 

I'm also not so sure about the comment about Austin suburbs.   Austin suburbia continues to grow and sprawl.     True, there is no great flocking to the suburbs in the sense of people trading the central core for the burbs, but I wouldn't say that about Nashville in 2014 either.    Like here, there are large numbers of new arrivals choosing to live out from town, and also large numbers of people (mostly young, not all) actively embracing urban living.    The numbers there are just larger. 

Three of the ten fastest growing cities in the US last year were suburbs of Austin, as a percentage, the suburbs are outgrowing the city.  

 

from http://www.austintexas.gov/page/top-ten-demographic-trends-austin-texas

 

The Austin region will continue to experience intense urban sprawl, please see map.  Although there is an enormous amount of residential development currently underway within the urban core and in downtown Austin, the thousands of new units being created there will be only a drop in the regional bucket of total residential units created.  There simply are very few land availability constraints in the territory surrounding Austin. 

Edited by Neigeville2
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Three of the ten fastest growing cities in the US last year were suburbs of Austin, as a percentage, the suburbs are outgrowing the city.  

 

from http://www.austintexas.gov/page/top-ten-demographic-trends-austin-texas

 

The Austin region will continue to experience intense urban sprawl, please see map.  Although there is an enormous amount of residential development currently underway within the urban core and in downtown Austin, the thousands of new units being created there will be only a drop in the regional bucket of total residential units created.  There simply are very few land availability constraints in the territory surrounding Austin. 

That is all correct.  Austin is continuing to sprawl in all directions in addition to all the Downtown/Central residential construction taking place.

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Maybe we could have our bridge going into the gulch look like this? I saw this as a Vol fan.   It really does seem like the U.S. overall is so far behind when it comes to infrastructure, especially embracing the cyclist. This area of Copenhagen looks really cool!

 

IMG_9053.jpg?format=1500w

 

http://dw.dk/cykelslangen

Edited by bigeasy
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That is all correct.  Austin is continuing to sprawl in all directions in addition to all the Downtown/Central residential construction taking place.

Thanks, Hill Country. What you guys are going through right now is on a scale few US cities have experienced. Kudos to your civic leaders for having the cahones and clear headed thinking to invest in public transportation. Every great city crosses that barrier at some point when they wake up and realize the lack of transportation is holding back the growth and vision they truly desire.

I'll be in Austin again next week. Always enjoy my visits.

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Thanks, Hill Country. What you guys are going through right now is on a scale few US cities have experienced. Kudos to your civic leaders for having the cahones and clear headed thinking to invest in public transportation. Every great city crosses that barrier at some point when they wake up and realize the lack of transportation is holding back the growth and vision they truly desire.

I'll be in Austin again next week. Always enjoy my visits.

I never like to get political on sites like these.  But I think Austin is extremely lucky in that it greatly benefits from the politics of both parties.  The very liberal, progressive local government creates an amazing creative, artistic and entrepreneurial class that is a huge job creator that significantly improves the quality of life here.  And the very pro business/jobs and fiscal responsibility at the state level only enhances that environment.  When both parties work together great things can happen. Enjoy your stay.  Are you coming here for business or pleasure, if you don't mind me asking?   

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I never like to get political on sites like these.  But I think Austin is extremely lucky in that it greatly benefits from the politics of both parties.  The very liberal, progressive local government creates an amazing creative, artistic and entrepreneurial class that is a huge job creator that significantly improves the quality of life here.  And the very pro business/jobs and fiscal responsibility at the state level only enhances that environment.  When both parties work together great things can happen. Enjoy your stay.  Are you coming here for business or pleasure, if you don't mind me asking?   

Business. But it's always a pleasure, particularly when the day concludes at the TenOak. :-)

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Business. But it's always a pleasure, particularly when the day concludes at the TenOak. :-)

Cool.  That would be in the Warehouse District which is only a couple blocks from where I work. (As an Austinite I would strongly suggest that anyone not familiar with Austin stay away from the 6th St./Red River entertainment district unless you're packing and spend your time in either the Warehouse District or on Rainey St. instead.)   

Edited by Texas Hill Country
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And...Hill Country, while we've got you on the line, one more question.

The degree of political cooperation you describe isn't something we've seen much of lately, having just had the TN legislature shoot down the city's rapid transit plan. We haven't given up, but buy you a beer for any tips on how to get to a transit plan with community buy-in.

Edited by CenterHill
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We're still working on that transit plan with with community buy in, so I don't have any advice in that respect.  Despite its Boomtown reputation, Austin has a large anti-growth/don't build build it populace.  But as I posted in the Austin Commuter Rail thread, TxDot recently gave the city of Austin funds for new rail cars and a downtown station for the commuter rail line.  The fact that TxDot did that was a major reversal from their historical highways only solution.  

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Somebody at the permit office is having some fun with descriptions of tree removal permits.  Last week (can't remember which day) the purpose was described as something like "to cut down glorius, beautiful, shady Bradford Pear Trees."    

 

There's also good one slipped in today's report.  Very last item, good for a chuckle:  http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/Codes/docs/permits/kd140714.pdf

 

Edit:  Sorry, direct link isn't working properly.  Link to the permit reports site.  Check July 14:  http://www.nashville.gov/Codes-Administration/Construction-and-Permits/Daily-Reports.aspx

Edited by Bezoar
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Several building permits were pulled yesterday at/about 488 Myatt Drive in Madison to construct operations buildings/vehicle parking and other uses for NES.  Any ideas?

 

NES has been quoted as saying they want to move those facilities from their 11th Avenue lot in the north Gulch and make it available to sell.

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NES has been quoted as saying they want to move those facilities from their 11th Avenue lot in the north Gulch and make it available to sell.

 

It's a really good location and a lot of land.  They could fetch a good price for that spot.  

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NES has been quoted as saying they want to move those facilities from their 11th Avenue lot in the north Gulch and make it available to sell.

 

Can't blame them... I thought as I drove by there yesterday that their land must be worth a fortune now. Plus, I'm sure the Eleven North crew would be thrilled to have a better view than what's there now.

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Somebody at the permit office is having some fun with descriptions of tree removal permits.  Last week (can't remember which day) the purpose was described as something like "to cut down glorius, beautiful, shady Bradford Pear Trees."    

 

There's also good one slipped in today's report.  Very last item, good for a chuckle:  http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/Codes/docs/permits/kd140714.pdf

 

Edit:  Sorry, direct link isn't working properly.  Link to the permit reports site.  Check July 14:  http://www.nashville.gov/Codes-Administration/Construction-and-Permits/Daily-Reports.aspx

 

 

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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