skybolt900

Monsoon is right on, there is no reason for Tony to build this tower! He tried to build another 1000+ foot tower here for HCA, it failed. 850+ feet is not much different. I can think of only one world city off hand that will build a 60 story building in 2010, and that may be Dubai...maybe. If Tony were smart, he would build what he wanted to do 20 years ago and build the 10 story parking garage and retail center with a 150 foot clock tower on the same lot right after he tore down the Castner Knott building that had been there for almost 100 years. Tony is good about tearing down historical structures as is Alex Palmer and not building anything to replace them. That is Nashville's history...tear it down and HOPE to eventually build something. I know Tony, he is a class act and a fine gentleman, but he is a dreamer. The Viridian, Cumberland, and Encore were done with Novare's help. He has not done anything of any large scale on his own yet, but he is a great salesman. But he has his limits. Alex Palmer did exclusively 3 story style suburban office buildings, and yet he wanted to do a 25 story 400+ foot twin tower development called West End Summit? His 18 story Palmer Plaza took 20 years to get leased. Face it Nashville built environment freaks, Nashville is a small city. We are built out. Kudo's to Monsoon who has the where with all to try to keep us grounded. Most projects like these outside of NYC, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, San Fransisco do not get built. There is no need for them. When Tony embarks on a building that is actually needed, it will get built.

As much as I like the city, I paid $149,000 for a 2000 square foot house and a 1/4 acre of land that is almost paid for. Even if I could sell the house for $200,000 I could not buy but a shoebox in the city. My house will be paid for when I am 50, or 4 1/2 years from now and then I won't need to work but for groceries and expenses, no mortgage. Can't beat that in the city.

Actually, it is NOT an MDHA building at all. It is a privately owned building owned by George and James Keenan out of Franklin, TN. It is officially James Robertson Apartments incorporated. They have no relationship with MDHA at all and it is NOT section 8, as none of the residents are employed. It is also a homeless hostel that has a relationship with the Union Resucue Mission as an overflow facility. I have toured the building with a journalist, undercover mind you, and the place is full of rats, roaches, chronic alcoholism, and people die in their rooms alone on a regular basis. Fights, fires, and medical emergencies are commonplace. The manager Vickie is irate with any journalist that writes an expose' of the place including unexplained deaths and homeless agitators like "Cowboy" who has been arrested several times for public drunkeness and violent protests at new developments downtown instead of building more facilities for the homeless. Phil Williams' assistant from Channel 5 news has done some investigation into the apartment building because Mr. Keenan receives a lot of federal money on behalf of the residents but spend little, if any on the residents. Tony Giarratana has looked into buying the building before, and Anne Roberts had also had some involvement when she was head of the historical commission. She wanted Phil Ryan to make 7th to 8th avenue, Broadway to Union Street as redevelopment districts, but it never went before the Metro Council for some reason. The building used to be a Grand Hotel in the 1940's and 1950's for the Opry Stars. The Keenan Family has done nothing except make money of poor and mentally retarded people wiht no concern for the city of Nashville. Ask the guys at Kone Elevator who worked in the building how many dead bodies they would find in there when old people would die and not be found for days or weeks. Ask about the old man who was sen masturbating with a doughnut with his bedroom apartment door wide open. Ask about Donnie, the massive fat kid who lives there and his room is filled with rats and cockroaches. The point being, no one stays there once they get clean and sober. The place needs to be rehabbed or torn down immediately.

Not sure if that is true Hankster. There are town homes on the North Capital side for $179,000. It could be done in the CBD if some of the developers were not so greedy.

The Tennessean reported the Encore was 40% vacant as I recall and they are having to lease units to generate revenue. Regardless, as long as Tony Giaratanna is give Carte' Blanche' to be the skyscraper king of Nashville, at least build affordable units which are truly affordable! If he did a rehabilitation on the Bennie Dillon, than someone should do it with the James Robertson Apartments as well. Let someone making $30,000 have an affordable unit in the CBD.

Tony's main issue with this project, is that it is based on luxury and lifestyle for only one demographic rather than the good of Nashville. I would rather see Tony build five 20 story apartment towers at a reasonable price so people could live downtown and walk or use mass transit rather than drive cars and create more infrastructure needs based on the automobile. Tony achieved, only moderately, that purpose with Viridian, Cumberland and Encore. Yet, those developments are still for people making income of over $75,000 per year. How about a condo tower with units in the $125,000 to $150,000 range where people with incomes in the $30,000 to $50,000 range can live, work, play downtown without the need of luxury, expensive automobiles, and excess. If Tony converted his business plan from one based on wants, desires, luxury, excess, lifestyle, and social status to one based on needs, function, purpose, green building, productivity, conservation, and civic responsibility, his tower may indeed get built.

As with Signature Tower, May Town center is an ego development for Tony Giaratanna. It is a development based on luxury, wants, desires, lifestyle, and excess rather than a project based on needs, function, productivity, problem solving, green development, viability and purpose.

Time for a playoff in Division 1-A FBS like every other level of Football and other sports like Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Soccer etc...

Too bad they cannot rebuild the Corinthian Lodge that was torn down for nothing!

They ought to put a downtown shopping mall there. Use the hole for underground parking.

Maybe he will go back to the original design and have Novare' partner with him.