cdkoellein

Jice, There are plans for transit and traffic demand management to be introduced at the very outset, modest at first, but growing into as full-fledged a system as technology and city-wide transit infrastructure will allow. May Town Center will be a key part of bringing transit visions to reality in Nashville. The OHB bridge has been planned by the MPO for decades for the sake of connectivity. The intention was that the new bridge relocated to Cockrill Bend would displace the need for connectivity provided by the OHB bridge. This is now a topic of ongoing discussion--when, where and what sort of bridges might be needed for the sake of connectivity. For the sake of capacity, the Cockrill Bend bridge suffices. As for OHB, the preservation of its rural character has been priority number one for the community and the Planning Department. It is the link between the underused Bells Bend and Beaman Parks. So, the developer will be donating $4 million for the express purpose of preserving other land throughout Bells Bend, and $3 million of that has a specific focus on Old Hickory Boulevard, acquiring existing development rights and placing properties in permanent conservation easements. This sort of investment in land preservation is without precedent. MTC itself is visually and physically buffered from OHB so that it really will be virtually invisible unless you are in the development itself. By the way, and I also said this on Nashville Charrette, there has been much made recently of archaeological studies. I think we all know that this issue is a red herring and that the developers will, of course, do all of the appropriate excavations taking direction from all of the proper authorities, far more than is customary. It will be part of the zoning docs. A wonderful inventory report (apparently not a "survey" for the semantically inclined) was done by Zada Law so that we know what is out there and have developed a plan that respects the site. The more that is said, the more mountainous the molehill becomes. So, 'nuff said. My words have already been manipulated on this subject elsewhere.

The report notes that while the bridge proposed to connect to Centennial Boulevard meets the traffic capacity requirements of the project, a second bridge that carries pedestrian, bicycle and transit traffic (not cars) is also desirable. The "third bridge" mentioned in the report is one that has been on the MPO's list of future projects for a very long time, and its conception is completely unrelated to May Town Center. It would connect Old Hickory Boulevard in Bells Bend to I-40. The Planning report notes that in the future its construction, if warranted, would improve connectivity to the area generally. These points of access are the subjects of continued discussion to determine what is warranted and when, but, to be clear, the report does NOT require three bridges to develop May Town Center.

It has been some time since I have posted on Urban Planet, but I am glad to reconnect, at least for the next several weeks while debate concerning May Town Center continues. I am a member of the MTC design and development team, and I am obviously a major supporter of the proposal. On its most basic level, the arguments concern Nashville's ability to compete for 90% of the office market, the implementation of mutually-supportive land preservation strategies and compact development patterns, sustainable practice on a large scale (not just individual buildings), and the creation of jobs to grow Nashville's economy and support the desirabilty of living, working, and playing here, especially Downtown. I hope that this debate can take place in the most informed way possible, so I am glad to be an informational resource over the next few weeks. Facts clearly lead to better discussion than misinformation. I know that some participate in these forums who are not as excited about May Town Center as I am, for whom the proposal frustrates well-intentioned ideals, but I hope to provide insight that convinces at least a few that this is good for Nashville and supportive of long-term strategies to urbanize and green our city. (I have added this same post on Nashville Charrette for those of you who peruse both.) Thanks, David Koellein