[BROADWEST (former West End Summit), 36 story Conrad Hilton Hotel/condo tower, 22 story/510,000 sq. ft. office tower, 4 story/125,000 sq. ft. retail/office, 1 acre plaza, 2,500 car garage, $490 million]

The world is powered by happy thoughts?

Maybe not. But I live in New Orleans now, and I can tell you negative, cynical attitudes get nothing done. Bashing developers for not being able to get a project off the ground in time adds nothing positive to the conversation nor does it speed up the process. It is one thing to criticize poorly planned development projects that were outlandish or unachievable from the beginning; however, it is another thing to pass judgment on developers that are trying to operate in an extremely weak economy and housing market. Sure, I

[BROADWEST (former West End Summit), 36 story Conrad Hilton Hotel/condo tower, 22 story/510,000 sq. ft. office tower, 4 story/125,000 sq. ft. retail/office, 1 acre plaza, 2,500 car garage, $490 million]

My sincere apologies if I have offended anyone with the childish comment, but for those who really want these developments to happen....why not show optomism rather than pessimism. I love Nashville and would still live there if not forced to move to Atlanta because of my job and I want to see Nashville continue its rise to becoming a top tier American city. Believing these projects will help that progress, I want to stay optomistic about them. Tony Giaratanna and Alex Palmer have already done more than their part to make that happen even if WES and Signature never get out of the ground....so I for one applaud them both and wish them the best of luck in the future!

I have to agree too. Although I do not usually add comments to this forum, I usually do read it at least once a week. I'm always surprised at how many people attack the developers for not being able to make something happen. Remember most of us are just setting on the sidelines and really don't have a dog in the fight--other than pride in our city. It is extremely easy to be critical from behind a computer. We are not investing tons of money into these projects, nor do we have to negotiate with banks on financing projects. Likewise, none of us has to worry about risking our careers or reputations on these projects. I prefer to stay optimistic as well. Even though, Mr. Palmer has not been about to build WES after several years, at least he has not abandon the project. And, I'm sure he does not like the fact that there is a large hole filling with water were his tower is supposed to be. I glad to that both Tony Giaratanna and Alex Palmer have a "vertical" interest in Nashville. I hope they both are able to realize their projects in the near future, and stick around afterwards to erect more.

[Where are you from?]

Born in East Tennessee, but have lived an even amount of years in East Tennessee and the Nashville Area. I voted that I was from East Tennessee, since my family is there. However, I consider myself a Nashvillean, even though I currently live in Baton Rouge, LA.

[Signature Tower]

You have a legitimate point, and no one should poo-poo it. High-rise buildings make mockeries out of fire safety codes, and every fireman knows it. How it is that we can require standard emergency exit signs and multiple exits in every public building, but yet permit people to be marooned 600 feet in the air where no ladder could ever reach them, is a testiment to the public's inability to apply critical thought to their surroundings. Very few people would be willing to work 600 feet undergorund, beneath tons and tons of rock and soil--yet this would actually be considerably safer.

An inverted 600 foot towers would have beautiful views.

[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

Samsonh, I just want to start out by saying you make a good point: "A huge difference between roads and rail is that the roads are being paid for by those who use them. The rail is being paid for by everyone for only a select few." It pains me to agree with this, but the rail was costly and only benefits a few people (at least at this moment). Also, you are you bring up a good point about the subsidized gas that helps keep people in their cars. Unfortunately, the low rider turnout and the bad press it gets may end the project and hurt future projects geared towards public transportation in the form of rail.

My belief for why Nashville