NASHVILLE | Development Showcase

[MIRYDI]

^I like it. It's not a drastic difference or anything but it does add a little more flare to the tower. It's kind of dull and bland looking as it is right now (IMO) so this will definitely help. I wish they would have done a full reclad but of course that's just wishful thinking.



OneCity developers want to double residential piece of Charlotte Avenue project
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville...sidential.html

The developer of the OneCity project in Midtown Nashville wants to double the number of residential units it's allowed to build.
As it's drawn up today, OneCity can build up to 300 residential units. Developer Cambridge Holdings Inc., of Dallas, wants to raise that cap to 600 units.
The Metro Planning Commission will consider the request at its Thursday meeting, according to a public agenda.

OneCity is one of at least four projects that would collectively reshape Charlotte Avenue, viewed by many in the commercial real estate business as Nashville's " last frontie r." Others belonging in that category include projects called The Sheds on Charlotte, Capitol View and Hill Center Sylvan Heights.
Boosting the number of people who could live at any of those locations would make Charlotte's budding revitalization more sustainable. And there are other companies looking to build apartments along Charlotte, even at the same intersection as the OneCity project.
For the developer of OneCity, it's also about flexibility.

"We've got eight buildings and we don't want to be limited," said Ryan Doyle, general manager of OneCity.
"We see residential as an added amenity. It's a great opportunity for our business clients," Doyle said. "We're trying to create as energetic a community as we can, and people living there is a critical piece of that."
OneCity is a roughly $400 million project with 1.2 million square feet of office and residential space. Each of the eight buildings planned will have ground-floor retail, totaling 100,000 square feet in all.

The development is located behind Centennial Park, at the 28th Avenue/31st Avenue Connector, near where I-440 crosses over Charlotte Avenue. The developer, Cambridge Holdings, owns and manages health care facilities and "healthy, mindful-living communities" across the country.

Construction began last month on the first office building. It is set to open one year from now.
That building is 120,000 square feet in size. Doyle said 70 percent is leased. The building's anchor tenant is Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance, occupying half of the building. Doyle declined to identify newly signed tenants.

Apartments planned near North Gulch development
http://www.tennessean.com/story/mone...ment/13965583/

A Charlotte, N.C.-based multifamily developer is in discussions to buy 3.4 acres in the North Gulch from AT&T, with plans for an apartment project.

Terrence Llewellyn, who owns Llewellyn Development LLC, was picked to negotiate a contract from among several parties that had submitted bids.

AT&T has a work center and garage on the site at 11th Avenue North and Jo Johnston Avenue. It is adjacent to the 32-acre Capitol View site, where Northwestern Mutual and Boyle Nashville plan a more than $500 million mixed-used development project that would include headquarters for two subsidiaries of hospital chain HCA plus other offices, hotels, apartments, retail space, a conference center, qn urban park and open community space.

Llewellyn typically secures sites and obtains required zoning approvals for financial partners and then retains a minority stake in the development.

His other activities locally include a contract on the 3.3 acres at 901 Second Ave. N., where Stock-Yard Restaurant sits, and securing apartment sites on Demonbreun Street for Faison Enterprises and Childress Klein Properties.

Steve Massey, a multifamily investment broker at CBRE Capital Markets, called the North Gulch site a good location that should benefit from having a lot of new employees nearby, including at the building that will house headquarters of HCA’s Parallon Business Solutions and Sarah Cannon Research Institute subsidiaries.

“Being within walking distance of HCA is a positive,” he said.

[PillowTalk4]

The UBS Tower renovation is a waste of money to me. The changes aren't going to make a significant change in how the building looks, so why redo it just to add your name? If they are going to do something at the top, do something significant. Consider topping the building with LED panels on all sides that can be used to tell the time, temp and provide changing visual light art displays.

[arkitekte]

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

The UBS Tower renovation is a waste of money to me. The changes aren't going to make a significant change in how the building looks, so why redo it just to add your name? If they are going to do something at the top, do something significant. Consider topping the building with LED panels on all sides that can be used to tell the time, temp and provide changing visual light art displays.

Sarcasm?

[MIRYDI]

I like the idea of incorporating some LED lights into the UBS building.


The latest news on a few of the more significant projects.

No news article as of yet, but the Eakin tower project has officially broke ground and excavation is currently under way according to a few posters on UP. I'll post up some pictures and an article as soon as the story breaks.









Several different plans are now being considered for old convention center site. The original plan called for a cost of $230 million (rendering below). There are now at least three other versions with a cost of $350 million, $400 million, and even a whopping $500 million dollar version. Also, developer Pat Emery said that the project could now potentially include a residential and hotel component as well.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for St. Patrick's Day of 2015 with a completion of 2017.

Price tag for convention center site rising as Emery, team alter designs
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville...te-rising.html

The price tag for revitalizing downtown Nashville's most pivotal piece of property has grown roughly 50 percent as developer Pat Emery works to solidify his plans.
Emery, the president of Spectrum Properties | Emery, captains a team of companies with the exclusive rights to redevelop the site of the city's original convention center (outdated and made obsolete by Music City Center, which opened last year).
I've conducted a few interviews with Emery for a profile that runs in tomorrow's print edition. He's one of the most prominent developers in the area, and we're going to be hearing a lot more from him in the coming months, between the convention center project and Franklin Park, an office development he's begun in Cool Springs.
Emery has worked in commercial real estate for four decades. He knows the convention center is different. Even his pharmacist is asking Emery what tenants he's lining up.
If location is everything in real estate, this spot is to-die-for. The neighbors include Bridgestone Arena, Ryman Auditorium, the Avenue of the Arts and the Lower Broadway tourist district.
“This is the heart of everything that will happen in the near future,” Emery told me. “This one is right in the center of the public eye. I’ve never had a project like that.”
Emery said he is in talks with four institutional investors who are interested in providing the money to make the redevelopment a reality. He declined to identify them.
The original version would have cost $230 million to build. That price tag is going one direction.
"I've seen a $500 million version, a $400 million version, and it's currently drawn up at $350 million. It's got a lot of latitude right now," Emery said.

Groundbreaking is penciled in for St. Patrick's Day of 2015, with completion likely in 2017.
Much of the change in price occurs as Emery and the team reconfigure what, and how much, to build. Also, construction costs continue rising, with workers and supplies in demand (just count the cranes in the sky).
At the end of last year, Metro government granted Emery's team the rights to redo the convention center site. That winning proposal called for up to 840,000 square feet of top-grade Class A office space, which would mean a tower as high as 30 stories.
All told, that plan cost $230 million. The current $350 million version is 52 percent larger, an increase of $120 million.

Emery said he has not yet secured an anchor tenant, a company that would consume the majority of the office tower. The project's price tag changes as the tower's potential height is revised, perhaps to less than half of that stated 30-story peak.
The amount of retail space is fluid as well. Such space is costlier to build, but generally commands higher rents than office space.
Emery would not rule out the potential to include two elements that were not present in the team's bid late last year: A boutique hotel, and some high-end living space, likely apartments. That, in turn, would impact what type of retailers Emery and his team target.
The variety of options is not surprising or unusual, as developers can work through countless alternatives before settling on a final version. Emery knows the time is approaching when city leaders will want to see a firmer plan.
“We want to create a project unique to Nashville,” he said. “We want something where if you woke up and looked at it, you would know where you are. And it has to complement everything. We’re not trying to take the market away from anybody.”
Dick Fleming also understands the stakes. Fleming and Buck Haltiwanger — both brokers at the firm Cushman & Wakefield | Cornerstone — are in charge of pursuing tenants for the project.
"It literally will put Nashville over the top in terms of corporate relocations, tourists, and the vibrancy of people wanting to live downtown," Fleming told me. "It will be the premier place to be. The corporate identity available at this location, coupled with parking and the mixed-use elements, make it ideal.
"As we all told the city: Every team member is local. We cannot fail. We live here," Fleming said.

Perhaps with these new mega budget versions we could end up seeing something like some of the earlier renders for this project (below) that included office, hotel and residential components.









In a recent article, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced that they will break ground this summer on the 25 story Westin hotel in SoBro, next to the Music City Center. This has been moving through the permitting/approval process and has been recently approved for a sewer abandonment...http://www.nashville.gov/mc/ordinanc...bl2014_830.htm

About a week ago a sign was put up on site saying Westin coming soon. I expect a groundbreaking soon with this project.








Ground has broken and excavation continues on the 33 story apartment tower in SoBro next to the Pinnacle tower.








An intriguing bit of news today with the West End Summit (WES) project that has been proposed for over 10 years and most have written off as dead. According to a few posters on UP, new fencing and four large banners have recently went up around the site of this project that is currently a gigantic hole in the ground. This could mean nothing....but it's definitely piquing the interest of some for sure, including me.



This is what the site currently looks like.

[PillowTalk4]

Originally Posted by arkitekte

Sarcasm?

Not at all. Changing light displays can make a very attractive addition to a building. There's a building in Philly that the entire top of the building has LED light panels wrapped around it. In addition to showing time and temp, it is also used to create light art displays and messaging displays for the sports teams in Philly. Miami has several buildings that use LED lighting to provide impact at night with changing light displays and during the basketball season one of the buildings is like a giant billboard for the Heat.

LED lighting is used in so many ways to enhance architecture and create visual art as well. Nashville's skyline needs something intriguing. Until someone builds that long awaited iconic building, I think existing buildings can be updated to include lighting to add visual effects. I've long thought that the tower on top of TPAC should be lite in a way that provides much more interest at night. So much can be done to enhance the existing buildings in downtown and it doesn't have to be done in a cheesy way or insignificant way. The proposed change to the UBS tower is insignificant to me.

[arkitekte]

^I generally don't have a problem with LED lighting or different lighting schemes, but when text that constantly changes is displayed that large for people to actually be able to read it gets somewhat tacky. Just my opinion though.

[MIRYDI]

Two national hotel developers are vying for the First Baptist Church property across the street from the Music City Center. Each of the developers have bids in for $15 million. This is the same property that Tony Giarratana had under contract to buy and planned on building a 17 story Marriott hotel, but wasn't able to make it happen.

Hotel developers up the ante for First Baptist Church site downtown
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville...t-baptist.html

Two national hotel developers each have bid $15 million to buy land located across from Nashville's mammoth downtown convention center.
That's the word I'm receiving from officials at First Baptist Church, which is selling its 1.26-acre property along Demonbreun Street, across from Music City Center.
More hotel rooms would be a relief to Nashville convention officials. They've complained that a lack of sufficient nearby hotels has caused 16 conventions to bypass Nashville during the year-and-a-half that Music City Center has been open.
That translates to a need of 800 to 1,000 rooms. A hotel on the First Baptist Church property would help plug that gap.

The church boosted its asking price by 25 percent, to that $15 million figure, after a first attempt to sell the property for a hotel fell through.
Nashville developer Tony Giarratana won the bidding that time, going under contract with the church for what would have been a $12 million purchase.
Giarratana's original closing date was one year ago this month. He paid $1.26 million in the months that followed, to continue extending the contract.
In June, Giarratana abandoned his vision of building a 400-room, Marriott-style hotel. In a letter to church officials, Giarratana said he was unable to pull together the equity investors needed to secure a loan for construction.

The church promptly sought new bids for the land.
Hugh Sloan, chairman of the church's master plan committee, told me two developers bid $15 apiece. Sloan declined to identify them, but described them as "nationally recognized developers."
Sloan said he hopes for the committee to recommend a decision to the congregation by Sept. 15.

[Rail>Auto]

Do any of the old convention center proposals call for reusing any of the existing convention center area?

[MIRYDI]

Originally Posted by Rail>Auto

Do any of the old convention center proposals call for reusing any of the existing convention center area?

No. All the proposals that I've seen call for the complete demolition of the convention center.

Edit: Now that I think about it...I take that back. There was a medical mart convention center planned for the site at one time that called for building on top of the existing structure. The developers abandoned those plans a while ago though.

[MidTenn1]

Originally Posted by MIRYDI

No. All the proposals that I've seen call for the complete demolition of the convention center.

Edit: Now that I think about it...I take that back. There was a medical mart convention center planned for the site at one time that called for building on top of the existing structure. The developers abandoned those plans a while ago though.

I thought a portion of it would be retained as a part of the Renaissance Hotel. I'm pretty sure I had heard that some time ago.

[PillowTalk4]

Originally Posted by MidTenn1

I thought a portion of it would be retained as a part of the Renaissance Hotel. I'm pretty sure I had heard that some time ago.

I thought the ballroom and meeting room space of the old convention center would remain for the hotel.

What I think is interesting about the need for more hotels to support the MCC is that so many people felt the Omni was going to be too small and it should have been considerably bigger. I wonder if they are regretting building a relatively small convention hotel considering the demand.

I hope who ever builds a new hotel near the convention center will consider doing something that compliments it's design and not just throw up another box structure like the Omni.

[arkitekte]

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

I thought the ballroom and meeting room space of the old convention center would remain for the hotel.

I was under this impression as well. If not those exact pieces then at least part of it was to remain.

What I think is interesting about the need for more hotels to support the MCC is that so many people felt the Omni was going to be too small and it should have been considerably bigger. I wonder if they are regretting building a relatively small convention hotel considering the demand.

I hope who ever builds a new hotel near the convention center will consider doing something that compliments it's design and not just throw up another box structure like the Omni.

Possibly, but they played it safe and will make their money. Add to that the fact that they didn't have help from the City of Nashville to finance the hotel there like Omni did in Dallas and other places. That also probably determined how large of a hotel they built.

[PillowTalk4]

10 Questions for fun and interest...

1. How long will it be before Nashville see's a 50+ story building (actually 50+ floors)?
2. Will the WES ever be built?
3. Will Nashville ever get a 5 star hotel? If so, which one?
4. Will Jefferson Street be developed as the North Gulch, Germantown and other nearby neighborhoods continue to develop?
5. Will Nashville ever have a commuter rail system of some sort?
6. Will Charlotte Pike turn into a hot spot for restaurants and bars as it continues to develop?
7. Will Charlotte Pike have buildings over 10 - 15 stories?
8. Will Nashville ever get an Ikea?
9. Will the East Bank ever be developed into more of a white collar commercial, residential, dinning and entertainment spot?
10. Will the I-65/Trinity Lane area ever be revived with decent hotels, restaurants and other necessities for travelers? (I ask this because I think it is a crying shame that the last major intersection before you approach the inner loop is pretty much a nightmare. It used to be a thriving area for travelers with decent hotels, gas stations, fast food restaurants and a few chain restaurants that you could sit down and dine).

[arkitekte]

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

10 Questions for fun and interest...

1. How long will it be before Nashville see's a 50+ story building (actually 50+ floors)?
2. Will the WES ever be built?
3. Will Nashville ever get a 5 star hotel? If so, which one?
4. Will Jefferson Street be developed as the North Gulch, Germantown and other nearby neighborhoods continue to develop?
5. Will Nashville ever have a commuter rail system of some sort?
6. Will Charlotte Pike turn into a hot spot for restaurants and bars as it continues to develop?
7. Will Charlotte Pike have buildings over 10 - 15 stories?
8. Will Nashville ever get an Ikea?
9. Will the East Bank ever be developed into more of a white collar commercial, residential, dinning and entertainment spot?
10. Will the I-65/Trinity Lane area ever be revived with decent hotels, restaurants and other necessities for travelers? (I ask this because I think it is a crying shame that the last major intersection before you approach the inner loop is pretty much a nightmare. It used to be a thriving area for travelers with decent hotels, gas stations, fast food restaurants and a few chain restaurants that you could sit down and dine).

I'll play. I'll say my "possibly" answers are at 50%. Eventually 75%-100% in the next 10-15 years.

1. That's years down the road, IMO...I'll say proposed and U/C by 2025.
2. No
3. No.
4. Possibly
5. No, if you're asking about light rail within the core.
6. Yes
7. Eventually yes, even if it's just one.
8. Yes
9. Eventually
10. Possibly

[Baronakim]

Nashville already has 5 of them.
Loew's, Hilton, Renaisance, Hutton and Hermitage

[BnaBreaker]

Originally Posted by Baronakim

Nashville already has 5 of them.
Loew's, Hilton, Renaisance, Hutton and Hermitage

Not sure where you're getting that from, but according to the 2014 Forbes (formerly Mobil) Travel Guide http://blog.forbestravelguide.com/th...-award-winners, which is the guide that originated and still uses the star system for rating hotels and restaurants, Nashville has only one five star property in The Hermitage. But, yes, it does have one, and having only one is nothing to be ashamed of.

For comparison, cities like Washington DC, Seattle and Atlanta also only have one, whereas cities like Austin, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, New Orleans, Tampa, Orlando, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Portland, Philadelphia etc. etc. have none at all.

[MIRYDI]

Im sorry, you guys are correct. I went back and looked at some old articles and found this.

The portion of the convention hall available for redevelopment includes exhibit hall space plus support space that fronts both Broadway and Fifth Avenue. It doesn’t include meeting rooms Metro granted the Renaissance Nashville Hotel as part of an agreement under which the hotel agreed to set aside blocks of rooms for future conventions at Music City Center. That pact also relieved the city of its obligation to operate a convention facility at that old center through 2017.

So, I guess there will be a small portion reused.

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

10 Questions for fun and interest...

1. How long will it be before Nashville see's a 50+ story building (actually 50+ floors)?
2. Will the WES ever be built?
3. Will Nashville ever get a 5 star hotel? If so, which one?
4. Will Jefferson Street be developed as the North Gulch, Germantown and other nearby neighborhoods continue to develop?
5. Will Nashville ever have a commuter rail system of some sort?
6. Will Charlotte Pike turn into a hot spot for restaurants and bars as it continues to develop?
7. Will Charlotte Pike have buildings over 10 - 15 stories?
8. Will Nashville ever get an Ikea?
9. Will the East Bank ever be developed into more of a white collar commercial, residential, dinning and entertainment spot?
10. Will the I-65/Trinity Lane area ever be revived with decent hotels, restaurants and other necessities for travelers? (I ask this because I think it is a crying shame that the last major intersection before you approach the inner loop is pretty much a nightmare. It used to be a thriving area for travelers with decent hotels, gas stations, fast food restaurants and a few chain restaurants that you could sit down and dine).

I'll play too... I'm a little more optimistic than arkitekte by the way...

1. Yes. Within the next 5 years there will be a tower with 50 floors or more. Whether it be 505 CST or some other developer/project, I have little doubt there won't be a tower with that kind of height to it.
2. Possibly. If not WES then some other large scale project will fill that hole eventually.
3. I think we already have one or two if I'm not mistaken... We've also heard of Four Seasons and Trump being interested in Nashville, and I could easily see Four Seasons coming here.
4. Yes. Eventually it will be developed. How long that will take I wont even guess.
5. Yes. Eventually
6. Yes.
7. Yes. The OneC1ty project is pretty much on Charlotte and there is several planned buildings in that development over 15 stories.
8. No. It will pop up in Cool Springs somewhere.
9. I sure hope so! I HATE seeing a giant scrap yard along with a big truck stop right next to the Titans stadium. That, along with the run down hotels and all the old run down industrial warehouse buildings make really make the city seem trashy...IMO.
10. Probably yeah. Maybe in the next 10-15 years.

[nashvol85]

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

10 Questions for fun and interest...

1. How long will it be before Nashville see's a 50+ story building (actually 50+ floors)?

Absolutely no clue. It could be as early as next year (as 505 is already proposed at ~60 floors). It could be never. It's hard to say. I think if we get one (either at 40 or 50), then we will see another not too long after. I feel as if we need to break through that imaginary ceiling.

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

2. Will the WES ever be built?

In it's proposed form? I highly doubt it. The better question will be if Palmer will develop it. It WILL be developed. The question is when. And what.

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

3. Will Nashville ever get a 5 star hotel? If so, which one?

As has been pointed out, we already have The Hermitage. 5 stars are rare in general, so I don't think we need another one. It would be nice. But I would be fine with further development of full service 4 star hotels.

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

4. Will Jefferson Street be developed as the North Gulch, Germantown and other nearby neighborhoods continue to develop?

No. And I don't think it should...at least not in the fashion of North Gulch or Germantown. As a corridor, I think it would look better to be revitalized in a manner similar to 12th South, and keep a lot of the independent businesses, but add a nicer streetscape and some infill.

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

5. Will Nashville ever have a commuter rail system of some sort?

Well, we do have the Music City Star...lol. Will we have a comprehensive system? I think we will...eventually. But I think it will take things getting to the point that people can no longer argue that highway widening will help alleviate things.

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

6. Will Charlotte Pike turn into a hot spot for restaurants and bars as it continues to develop?

I think the area around Sylvan Park is already becoming that way -- and that will continue as The Nations and Sylvan Heights see more development.

The stretch between 440 and downtown is a little more of a question mark. I think OneCity and the Sheds project will have some impact on that...

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

7. Will Charlotte Pike have buildings over 10 - 15 stories?

...but to continue from above, I think it will take higher density functions -- either 10-15 story office or 5-10 story residential will lead to more bards and restaurants. I think you will see some higher density development. 10-15 stories is probably the max you would see there.

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

8. Will Nashville ever get an Ikea?

I think so, unless IKEA feels that they reach a saturation level in the region. Is their strategy population based, or proximity based?

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

9. Will the East Bank ever be developed into more of a white collar commercial, residential, dinning and entertainment spot?

It is really hard to say what the East Bank development will resemble. The most common theme I keep seeing is lots of extra green space, and much more low/midrise in nature for development (probably to preserve some of the views of downtown from that area). I think there could be some potential office and residential development, but I think perhaps one of the most overlooked potential would be that for hotels. A couple of 10-15 story hotels near the river, just south of the Gateway Bridge would have both spectacular views of town and proximity to both the stadium and the entertainment district. Right now, the only hotels on/near the East Bank are dumps. It would be nice if EN could at least claim to have a decent hotel.

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

10. Will the I-65/Trinity Lane area ever be revived with decent hotels, restaurants and other necessities for travelers? (I ask this because I think it is a crying shame that the last major intersection before you approach the inner loop is pretty much a nightmare. It used to be a thriving area for travelers with decent hotels, gas stations, fast food restaurants and a few chain restaurants that you could sit down and dine).

I think that could happen -- but the problem motels have to go. Period. Too much history of prostitution and drugs. Once those places are gone, even some mid level, Comfort Inn types of places, it would really stabilize the area.

Appearance can do a lot of things. Renovating current gas stations/markets and fast food places will make it seem safer as well.

[MIRYDI]

12-story Luxury boutique hotel coming to the Gulch
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville...the-gulch.html

A San Francisco luxury boutique hotel company will create a 12-story hotel in Nashville's Gulch.

Commune Hotels & Resorts announced Thursday morning that it will bring its Thompson hotel brand to the Gulch. Commune Hotels is teaming with MarketStreet Enterprises, the primary developer of the Gulch.
The hotel will have 224 rooms. It is expected to open in summer 2016. Its location will be a lot along Pine Street, where 11th and 12th avenues intersect.

Nashville-based Hastings Architecture is leading design. Investors in the project include AJ Capital Partners and The Berger Co.

There are several developers active in the Gulch. MarketStreet was the first of that group, and remains the largest player today, driving much of the Gulch's transformation from a rundown rail yard into a vibrant spot of luxury apartments and condos, high-end restaurants and upscale trendy retailers.

To this point, the Gulch has not been known as a place for hotels. But such a development would mark another key step in sustaining the longevity of the Gulch's revitalization.

[MidTenn1]

Another week, another major announcement...

The long rumored, 12 story Thompson Hotel is to be built in the Gulch and open by 2016.

From the Tennessean....

Commune Hotels & Resorts, an international hotel group, is planning a new hotel in Nashville's Gulch neighborhood.

The 224-room Thompson Nashville, expected to open in summer 2016, will be the first major hospitality entry into the revitalized Gulch neighborhood.

Durn! Three minutes too slow!!