Hankster

It was great to be with all the guys again after such a long absence. I'm looking forward to getting active again on UP. Thanks, Ron so much for showing me around town on Saturday. I lost count on how many projects we looked at. It's truly exciting to see all the great developments going on, and I must say that most are truly great additions to the city.

On a more optimistic note, maybe the site is being revised for the new design. But sadly, your question is a real possibility.

I'd have to say the writer of the Tennessean article is clearly against the May Town Center project. You can quibble about the way the poll data is interpreted, but by every measure the poll shows a majority of Nashville residents in favor of the development.

I could not agree with you more. Nashville needs MatyTown Center if if is ever to break the trend of suburban sprawl. Those against this project are extremely short-sighted in their view point. We don't want Nashville to become another Atlanta. I could not agree with you more. Nashville needs May Town Center if if is ever to break the trend of suburban sprawl. Those against this project are extremely short-sighted in their view point. We don't want Nashville to become another Atlanta.

In case you didn't get to see the entire Nashville Business Journal article, some of the highlights are: Tower looks very similar to old design, just 20 fewer stories. Spire basically looks the same, but may be a bit shorter to look balanced with the shorter tower 807 Ft - 50 Stories Hotel portion expanded from 198 units to 304 units Office portion - 172,000 Sq Ft Condo portion - only 50 units all in the upper portion of the tower. The top five floors will be full floor penthouses. Total cost $250 Million down from $350 Million for the earlier design. Construction costs have dropped by an estimated 20%. Financing is hoped to be obtained in 8 to 12 months. Overseas investors are being sought. I would estimate this tower is about 24 floors hotel, 10 floors office, and about 16 floors of condos. If Tony has secured an office tenant and can retain enough of the 105 or so people that signed contracts for the old design, I think there is a real chance he can make a go of this. We'll all have to see what happens. I have always said, that you can't just write Tony Giarratana off. He is very persistant and motivated.

I will be at the May meeting (10:00 AM, Saturday May 2nd at Provence downtown). Who else is coming?

This is very true. The cost of construction has fallen dramatically over the past year and continues to fall. Rebar costs are less that half mid-2008 prices, and many other types of steel all down nearly half as well. Construction companies are bidding jobs extremely low, knowing that there just aren't that many jobs to bid on. They figure that if they they don't get the contract, it just might mean they could go out of business. Costs for MCC could be considerably lower than what was forecast a year ago.

I won't be able to make this one either, but I will try extra hard to make the May meeting. Hope to see you then.

I really hope you're able to play a role in the future growth in downtown Nashville. How great that would be! I was pretty darn sure that was Seoul. Believe it or not, I actually lived there from June, 1985 to December, 1987 while working on a plant startup project with TRW. The plant was a joint venture between TRW (based in the US) and Kia Motors to produce power steering gears and suspension components for Kia's first automobiles. Up until then, the Korean government had only allowed Kia to manufacture and sell trucks.

Great pics of Nashville downtown and thanks for posting! Just like you, I think the retail offerings are meager as well, but there is great potential. Actually, there has been growth in retail in the past 15 years or so. What was sad was to see the great decline in retail in downtown are that took place from the 50's on to the 80's as people moved to the suburbs and away from the downtown areas. That trend is beginning to reverse and the potential is there for far greater downtown retail. The key is to continue to grow the number of people living there. I'm guessing that last picture you posted is Seoul, Korea. Am I correct?

This project is truly enormous. Overall, I like the concepts shown in the diagrams and models shown at the Music center Website (link below). The model shows two hotels at each end of the complex that I would guess would be 25 to 30 stories each. The Center is absolutely enormous....I would guess well over 100 feet high. I really think the Convention Center as envisioned will be a great success. MCC Design

Either event, the NHL All Star Game or the Women's Final Four would be wonderful if ever held in Nashville. Hopefully, we will see that happen one day, and the New Conventional Center could help that become a reality.

That's such an impressive development for Kingston Springs. It's amazing to me that this project became a reality.

I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the preliminary designs. Welcome to the forum, Amanda!

Great shots! Thanks for posting!

I was referring to the downtown core. Signature Tower would be in the core, while the North Capital side is not. Land values there are no where near as high. If people with moderate incomes want to live in the downtown area and want new housing, they will most certainly have to look into areas like the North Capital side (as long as land values stay moderately low). New housing in the downtown core area will have to pricey. I, as you, also hope for much more downtown housing in all price ranges. Thank goodness there are still a few areas near the downtown core where more moderately priced residences can be obtained. I hope these areas are developed to their fullest.

Anyone wishing for new downtown core highrise living options for people earning $30,000 per year will have to be willing to live in 300 to 400 Sq Ft units. Unfortunately, land costs and construction costs are just too high to provide housing for less than about $300 per Sq. Ft.

It's hard to believe the meetings have been going on that long. See you William, Ron, etc. soon.

I'm excited to say that I will be attending at long last. I'm really looking forward to meeting you all again.

The Natchez Trace Bridge in Franklin is simply one the the most beautiful bridges I've seen. It's definitely my favorite in the Nashville area.

I believe that six months from now, there won't be much problem getting financing set up. The amount of money being pumped into the world's financial system is staggering. I'm confidently looking forward to this major project.

Dang, I can't come this month either. I have family visiting me here in Chattanooga. I'll make every effort to make the September meeting.