PillowTalk4

I was in Nashville from April 25th through May 4th staying at my mom's home which is on the market which I placed on the market in early April. There was an offer on the home and I was completing some minor repairs that needed to be done before the closing date. We were supposed to close early afternoon hours on Friday May 5th. So, I was looking at staying in a hotel for one night and leaving the morning of May 6th because the buyer was literally moving in after closing. Unfortunately that didn't happen as planned so I left on May 5th instead. The reason I left was because I refused to pay the exuberantly high hotel rates for a one night stay. Even the hotels like the Super 8 Hotel off of Donelson Pike near the airport was at $299.00. Absolutely no way would I pay that much for a Super 8. Actually I wouldn't pay $50 for a Super 8. But that's just me... LOL!!! The other hotels I've stayed in near the airport like the Embassy Suites, Sheraton Music City and lesser properties like Candlewood Suites, Hyatt Place, Four Points were all over $400.00. I've stayed in those same hotels for as low as $89.00 pre and post Covid. I don't recall seeing a single hotel within a 30-40 mile radius of Nashville under $279.00. That $279 hotel was some place called Somatel Nashville Airport Hotel which is actually a motel on Metroplex Dr. off of Harding Place. Obviously there were thousands of people willing to pay those rates but, I just couldn't justify it for one night, especially since I was going to be hitting the road to travel home around 6:00AM. My mom now lives in Atlanta with my brother. So, I'll have fewer trips to Nashville now. When I do travel there it will be a bit sad not having her there. I'll certainly miss the option of being able to stay with her.

Well, I think we have to keep in mind that this is not going to be a luxury brand hotel and it probably follows suit with a standard company design replicated across the country. While I always want to see something out of the box and unique, I think this design is fine for the location and the size of the lot. It will stand out along that stretch until other buildings are built in that area. My only beef with the design is I wish they would have done a better east elevation design to address I-24/65. That side will be pretty bland. It's not that big of a hotel so I wonder why they are building it as a dual brand?

Maybe the property owner should contract with one of those traveling carnival companies to set-up a park. At least it won't be dark at night and Nashville will get a temporary amusement park... The city could fund a sky lift from Bridgestone Arena to the carnival site...

I think Ikea would be ideal for Nashville. While the growing younger population would benefit from it, don't be fooled, there are a lot of older people buying from Ikea as well. Certainly the young single and young family demographic makes up a huge portion of their target market, but older folks and downsizing seniors love it just as much. One thing that I noticed the last time when I was in Nashville were a bunch of cheap discount furniture stores. If they are like any of the similar stores here in Maryland, I can assure you, Ikea is better. Especially better than those furniture stores that have been going out of business since the day they opened... LOL!!! I have a few items from Ikea that I purchased well over 10 years ago. All of those items are holding up very well. I honestly didn't buy any of them thinking I'd have them this long. As for the assembly issue some people like to bring up, let me say this... 1) I didn't have any issues assembling any of the pieces I have from Ikea. 2) I have ordered from Wayfair and have had to return several items because they were missing pieces or damaged. I didn't have that issue with Ikea. 3) I ordered a sleeper sofa from Wayfair that required extensive assembly, so I don't see ordering furniture from Ikea as being any different. The other positive aspect of Ikea is that they have pretty good home furnishings outside of furniture. You can pretty much outfit an entire apartment or home simply shopping at Ikea if you so desire. Keep in mind they have dishes, cookware, utensils, lamps, artwork, rugs, linen, blinds, curtains, fake and real plants. Not to mention seasonal items like Christmas trees and décor, outdoor furniture and décor. Ikea in essence is a stop and shop home décor and design center.

For awhile there I was thinking the State GOP banned Tony from building above 40 stories because it would cause kids to strain their necks when looking up ...

I'm not sure when exactly I-65 was completed in Nashville, but I spent my pre-teen years ('64-'74) in east Nashville. Which definitely would have been before and during the time I-265 was built. I remember always having to go across the Jefferson Street Bridge to go visit relatives and family friends that lived in north and northwest Nashville. I also remember taking the Victory Memorial Bridge to visit family and friends that lived in the Wedgewood/Belmont area, so maybe I-65 wasn't fully complete or maybe my dad just always chose to go through the downtown. We had relatives in Smyrna as well and if I recall we also cut through town to hit US41-S (Murfreesboro Road) and drove that route all the way to Washington Street, which at the time was the hub of Smyrna. Ya'll need to stop posting all these old pictures. It's a reminder of my age that I still haven't accepted fully... LOL!!! You'll know what I mean when you get there... LOL!!!

Private development doesn't preclude the city from planning . And, private developers don't always have good plans. There have been numerous private development plans negatively criticized on this very site. I'm pretty certain that if private developers like those for Nashville Yards, put forth a plan to develop the East Bank and did something that some of the people on this board disliked you would then find a way to blame the city or want the city to step in and stop it. In the case of the East Bank it is the city that is putting forth a plan to develop the area and it will include private developers. So, does it really matter who is doing the planning? Poor planning will create poor results. It's taken Nashville 20 plus years to realize that the plan or vision it had when the existing stadium was built was not well thought out or just not executed. As a result of that poor planning and implementation, there's still nothing new there but the stadium and a juvenile detention center. Yeah, that's a sign of good planning to help spur development, lets put the juvenile detention center in the area where we want developers to come in and build office buildings, residential buildings, restaurants and more. My concern now, is Nashville just going to present another vision for the East Bank, or will it actually implement a well thought out plan to make that vision happen? And, if they do move forward with a plan, is the city committed to the long term investment to make it happen? In other words are they going to do more than put a plan out there? Are they going to consistently promote the plan to developers and work with developers to make it happen. Are they ready to deal with stumbling blocks? Are they prepared to modify the plan as necessary along the way? Or, is this going to be another poor attempt to develop the area once the new stadium is built. Time will tell.

I was wondering the same. I suspect a portion of one lane of YMCA Way will be closed. Wasn't one lane of 9th near the Alcove site closed? Or maybe they'll do like some of the big cities and just have a caravan of trucks delivering materials throughout the day. It's additional costs to do that but it might be the only alternative. I'm anxious to see how deep they are going to excavate and if they hit the corner of the TSU building ... LOL!!!

Just do a garage with car elevators...

The reason there was no development is because the city simply expected developers to want to come in a build around the stadium. They did nothing to spur development beyond the development. It was a build and they will come mentality. Now the city wants to more development in the area and are putting forth plans to do just that. The stadium will probably be the first of that development. The key to it going beyond that will be to drive development into that area. Not simply wait on developers to come. Also, Nissan was built the old way with massive parking lots surrounding it. And, most of what has been presented to support the "dead zone" mentality is of stadiums sites built out the same way. The plan for a new stadium in Nashville is to minimize surface parking so that land is made available for additional development.

You ignored that I said "poor planning and development" creates dead zones. I also pointed out what is currently there in my initial post so I'm very much aware it is a dead zone. When the current stadium was built there was no plan to develop that area beyond what it is today. That was POOR PLANNING. If there was a plan to develop it beyond it being a showcase for a gargantuan sculptural sports palace, the city never worked to fulfill that plan. That's not the fault of the stadium. That's the fault of city planners. Stating that the Nats Stadium zone is the way it is because it is DC, doesn't make any sense. DC certainly has its issues when it comes to developing areas as well. The location of the old RFK Stadium is a prime example in DC of poor planning and development. The current convention center is also a sign of poor planning. Thankfully, when DC committed to build a stadium to bring baseball to the area, they also looked beyond building just a stadium and hoping that other stuff would follow. They created a plan to attract additional development. It has been a plan in the works for several years now. It is a plan that also was used to develop the area across from Nats Stadium to build Audi Stadium and additional residential and commercial development. Who said anything about a new stadium design needing to dominate the east bank? Those of us who think the current design is bland want to see something more interesting than what was presented. We said nothing about increasing its footprint. Somehow you've turned this into us wanting some bigger than life structure. And for those who want a new stadium, it is disingenuous to think that a stadium can be built in a way that won't impose upon the area. You simply CANNOT build a building that is going to house a 100 yard football field and 60K seats and it not impact the area. If you placed the MCC on the east bank it would be quite imposing. What row of sports temples are planned for the East Bank? There's been no mention of building a baseball stadium on the East Bank in any of the plans presented.

I believe you can have both design and functionality in a design that isn't basically a big box with stacked levels of outdoor space. That same functionality can be achieved in a unique concept that includes curves and non-traditional materials that don't make it look so stale and bland. To think that you can design a football stadium and it just blend into the neighborhood is being a bit disingenuous to me. You simply can't build a structure that houses a 100 yard football field and 60K seats and think it will simply blend in and not impose upon the neighborhood. Does Bridgestone and the MCC simply blend into the areas they are in? The absolutely do not. Yet, most people on this site want to see more high rise buildings in that area to include more hotels, apartments and condos. The east bank is a vision not an existing neighborhood with a residential or corporate office presence. If you go by the vision that has been presented, a stadium that goes beyond the boxy style that has been presented wouldn't look out of place. The vision is to extend downtown over to the east bank and it includes mostly midrise and high rise buildings. Not row homes and garden style apartment complexes. I hope it includes a new performing arts center that also has a unique and iconic design. Sports structures do not create dead zones. Poor planning and development builds dead zones. I doubt that anyone living in DC would say that Nationals Stadium (baseball) or Audi Field (soccer) have created dead zones. Nats Stadium was actually the catalyst that turned a dead zone into a very active and lively residential, retail and dinning neighborhood. I have a friend that used to live across the street from the main gate of Nats Stadium. He loved it when he lived there, not because of the stadium, but because of all the bars and restaurants in the area that weren't previously there. Twenty years ago the area where Nats stadium sits was much like the east bank in Nashville. In the 20+ years that I've lived in the DMV, I've seen that area truly transform from the blighted area it once was to a very vibrant area. That's because there was a vision and plan to develop the area of that time span. If anything it may be getting to a point of being over built. As for Audi Field, it too is helping to transform the area where it sits. There are new residential developments in the area and there are plans for retail and dinning. The two stadiums are less than a quarter mile apart. But are on opposite sides of a major street that goes through the area. So they are considered different neighborhoods for that reason. However, now you see consistent foot traffic between the two.

This is the current neighborhood. There's nothing in the neighborhood but non descript metal warehouse buildings, a metal scrap yard, parking lots and other structures of absolutely no significance. So, why not create a new design aesthetic for the area that pushes creativity? Also, there is nothing wrong with an eclectic mix of architecture in an area. New York City is a prime example of that. You have modern glass towers next to art deco buildings, next to gothic revival buildings, next to renaissance revival buildings. Yet somehow it works.

The Tennessee legislature has brought undeserved shame and disgrace on Nashville. My heart goes out to the families that lost loved ones in the Covenant school shooting, the representatives that were crucified by their colleagues and the city of Nashville for being the stage for this spectacle.

I'm very happy that some developers chose not to follow the overall plan. Hope more will follow suit with adding more height. While I don't think everything needs to be 30+ stories (preferably taller), I don't want to see a boat load of new buildings that are 3-5 stories either. Put those outside of the CBD. Let the CBD fillers be 10+ stories.

I think it's because urban sprawl has impacted some cities is the reason they have those distances. Outside of New York, Chicago, LA, Dallas , Houston and Miami I can't think of too many metro areas with an significant amount of high rises outside of a 10 mile radius of the CBD. I guess Atlanta can be included in that number when you consider the northern perimeter in particular. I pointed out the DC area primarily because the area is so vast, that I don't think many people here consider DC an actual CBD. In Nashville, Charlotte, Atlanta and so many other places, you are more likely to hear someone say "I'm going into downtown." In the DC area you primarily hear people say, I'm going into DC or I'm going over to Alexandria, or Arlington, or Tysons, etc. A lot of people in the region rarely venture into DC. And, they don't have to because of all the surrounding cities and town centers. I understand using DC as the hub of the region, but it is not a CBD.

See, if Brentwood and Murfreesboro would just go ahead a build upwards, the Nashville area would have a high rises in that 10-30 mile radius of the CBD... I mean is it really asking too much for those areas to build a 150 to 327 foot tall building? Is it? I live in the Washington, DC region, and trust me most of the buildings in that 165 count are not in DC but in Northern VA. I suspect a great majority are in Tysons Corner, Arlington and Alexandria. Maryland probably has a few in Bethesda, Silver Springs and Oxen Hill.

I agree, the renderings are making me want those buildings far more than VeLa...

That photo would be at least 1988 because the City Center building was finished in that year. I remember that because I was always disappointed that they never built the second tower that was supposed to be taller.

Hell, it seemed like 1.5M cars were parked in and around the airport when I was there for a few weeks... LOL!!! Not only are all the airport parking lots full, but satellite lots off Murfreesboro Pike are pretty full. And the Parking Spot private airport parking lot is also pretty full.

I don't think you have to worry about this one. I was in Nashville for a few weeks and I was in that general area a couple of times. It doesn't seem to be slowing down. I suspect there will be a bit of a lag post demolition, but it seems like it's moving along at a nice clip. I wonder more about the project behind Hustler Hollywood and/or Deja Vu.

This is an article in the Construction Journal from November of 2022. Storyville Gardens - Phase 1 from ConstructionJournal.com I also noticed that the Storyville Gardens website has been redone. Granted I had not visited it in a while, so I don't know when it was redone. Storyville Gardens

BNA Hilton Progress 3/8/23

Not to be outdone, stakeholders in the area highlighted below have renamed the area Interstate Canyon West. East Nashville stakeholders are contemplating Interstate Canyon East along I-24.

Skyline views from Summit Ave in Bordeaux (apologies for the graininess, taken with older Samsung cell phone).