Predsboy18

My apologies. If it does need to go elsewhere, by all means move it there, but I'm looking at this purely from the standpoint of what might happen to the land along Broadway that I'm sure developers are salivating to get their hands on. I may have interjected a little prejudice into it, seeing as I'm not a fan of his, but this was mostly in reference to what could happen to his dealerships.

I agree, but I also believe, again, as you say, political affiliation notwithstanding, that with the kind of money he has, brings power, and more dangerously, a sense of infallibility that that person can do no wrong, and that they have an almost "bubble" around them. Too often this is true, but as we find out, when someone is able to pop that bubble, and the details are laid bare, it's usually something like this; perhaps not as bad as this, but it's often bad.

Not sure if this was posted elsewhere on the board, and if so, move it there, but the details of Lee Beaman's divorce came out earlier today, and if you haven't read them, it's pretty disgusting. His wife is entitled to about $4.3 million per the prenup, but the details that came out could end Lee Beaman's career here in Nashville. I'm sure not many of us would be shedding tears over that, as he's spearheaded numerous campaigns against progress in Nashville, and in addition to that eyesore of a car lot on primo property. Looking at the Parcel Viewer on Metro's website, a conservative estimate would put the property value at around $20 million, but with some of the details that have come out in the divorce case, he had better sell fast if he wants to make any money on the property, because before long, I could very well see him getting only $12-$15 million out of the property, if the allegations are in fact true. Just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on this.

Fair Park is coming along nicely, but I can't help but look at the horrid state of the exhibit buildings that really draw your eye away from the park space.

I should have given my report on this last night, but it slipped my mind. I was at the council meeting on Tuesday night, and there was definitely tension in the gallery. I spoke to Fabian Bedne both prior to the meeting, as well as after the last stadium related vote, and his confidence never wavered through it all. I was on the front row of the gallery, and apparently I got plenty of screen time during the live stream. The mood of the members was pretty relaxed for what they were about to undertake. I won't lie, I had knots in my stomach over this, having NO idea how the vote would turn out, as support dropped a bit between the first and second readings. I along with the friends I was sitting with were all nervous as hell, but I feel that cautiously optimistic would be the right way to describe it. All of the other votes and everything took place, and finally it was time for the 4 bills pertaining to the stadium to come up. John Cooper had proposed an amendment to the $50 million in public funds that it be the voters decision to approve that or not. The problem is, that money is directly tied into the improvements at the fairgrounds site, thus the phrase "cutting off your nose to spite your face" could be used here had it gone to a public referendum. After much debate on that, it ultimately failed, and by a large margin, and it was at that time that the cautiously optimistic turned into optimism. I don't have to tell you what happened voting-wise, but to say that when the first bill passed overwhelmingly, the "redshirts" as we called them, stormed out, with a couple voicing their opposition to the vote. There was a hiccup in the process as Councilwoman Henderson wanted to defer the $50 million vote until the 18th, because in her view, they apparently had to know exactly what the money would be spent on before they knew what was going to happen at the site. It was during this portion that I leaned back to Ian Ayre, the CEO of Nashville SC and asked if he wanted to go back to England, to which is reply made my chuckle (as could be seen in the video) that he still hasn't unpacked yet. Eventually the money was approved, which meant it was all a go. Obviously the old exhibit buildings cannot be destroyed until the new buildings have been constructed, a completely understandable request. Afterward, some of us gathered out on the steps of the courthouse, and John Ingram came out to speak to the crowd, and praised the efforts of those that had called, emailed, or otherwise contacted the council members, as several made mention of the fact that they had numerous people contact them in favor of the stadium, and that it swayed them to vote for the project. If I could, to end this, make a request of those that were in support of the project, and send an email to Mike Freeman of the 16th District, and thank him for voting yes. He posted a lengthy explanation on Facebook as to why, despite knowing what it could cost him, he voted yes. I think it would be wonderful if we, particularly those that live within Davidson County, and perhaps even those that live outside, send him a note thanking him, and helping him realize that he did the right thing, and to let him, as well as the rest of the council members know that this isn't just going to be Nashville's team, but that it will be a team for all of Middle Tennessee. Mr. Freeman's email address is [email protected]. Thanks for reading.

If I may go on a mini-rant on here. You guys always DO say I need to post more, so here goes. I'm a Nashville native, one of the few remaining, but we are out there. Being born in the early 80s, I'm not quite as privy to the particulars of the history of our great city, even though I did take a class on Nashville history in high school. I grew up in a time where downtown was only "open" from 8-5, and going down there after dark was dicey at times. No honky tonks on Lower Broad, 2nd had numerous restaurants, but many struggled to get by. I can recall going to the Old Spaghetti Factory on 2nd, and the family would park at the Bank St. lot, walk down, eat, then get out. There was virtually no tourist industry except for Music Row, and a few spots here and there. You had Fain Fair at the Fairgrounds, and Nashville was just sort of, there. I for one am glad we've rid ourselves of the seedy side of Lower Broad, though some nights, some of the drunken tourists might make one long for the "old days", but they can be avoided, and there's so much more to do now that doesn't involve that area. I see a number of people that have lived here for a certain amount of time whine about "Nashville is full" or that we're getting "as bad as Atlanta" and other hyperbole of that nature. I loved the photo submitted by @PHofKS, but to many on my Facebook feed use that as a weapon to say how bad all the growth is. I disagree. Yes, development has gone above and beyond anything that most of us could have imagined, but that's what happens when you're a mid-sized city that is so centrally located that people and businesses come beating down your door to be here. We're getting businesses from all over the world that 25 years ago would have never given Nashville even a glance, but now are wanting to locate here. The only issue is we can't build fast enough. I will agree to their point in one respect, that with the growth has come an undesirable element, and that is the scourge of the "tall skinny". Driving around The Nations, they're like a disease spreading, and sadly, they're hitting Old Hickory, in the village which is supposed to have a historic overlay that new homes have to look like the existing homes in the area, but that's being ignored for this horrid 3 per lot garbage. That I will agree needs to be put to an end somehow. Sadly, as long as people buy them, they will keep building them. It's a shame that it's happening to one of the best neighborhoods in Nashville. (I might be a bit biased because I have family there) I love the growth overall, I love that our skyline is starting to look like a real city, and I love that we're slowly knocking off that "redneck" image, even if the CVB keeps promoting us as that, but that's tourism money, and I don't go past 5th Ave on Broad unless I absolutely have to, so I don't deal with it. I love that Nashville has exploded the way it has, and we in this group embrace that growth and embrace that change, because we are able to see where this is leading us. We all want that 1,000 footer, that one building that will put Nashville on the map of a major city, but we also know that it's an evolution. Girratana was ambitious with the Signature Tower, perhaps a little too ambitious, but his is the kind of thinking Nashville needs to push us over the top. The recession didn't help, but perhaps he was also dreaming a bit big. It did make Atlanta hate us for a while, so that was kind of a bonus. I guess what I'm saying here is, I for one love the growth, I love that some of the older buildings are being preserved, I think L&C is a landmark building, and just to stir up the hornets nest, I think it's a beautiful building. A bit jarring with the concrete, but it was our first, and if you get it in the right angle, it's actually a really nice building. I actually like a number of the old buildings that survived the "tear it all down" rampage of the 70s-90s, as they all have a certain charm about them, and are a great way to see where we were, and where we're going. My chief concern with the continued growth is that there's a sense of "nativeism" creeping in among the older residents that for some reason want to go back, rather than forward. I will agree with an earlier post that the mid 90s-mid 2000s were my favorite years in Nashville, as we hadn't experienced the boom yet, but we were growing, and we were a respectable mid-size city, but then we all long for our younger years from time to time, but time marches forward, and so does our wonderful city.

I got this funny bit of propaganda in the mail yesterday! Only confirms my support for the project!

From @PaulJonesb on Twitter (From HCA Capitol View)

Is there any change in the plans now that Lifeway is coming down on Saturday morning? (9:30)

I know, strange seeing me post, but I do come with pictures! Here is the addition on the Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. (I can’t bring myself use the full name) These are atop the JW Marriott, a nice little addition to the top. Could this be the crown we’ve been waiting for??

Parking is very tight due to a cheerleading contest at Municipal Auditorium! I’d advise parking at the courthouse, Music City Central, or a side street with no meters.

The matches are held at BMO Field, which is out at the Canadian National Exhibition. A quick 10 minutes ride by train. One thing I would advise people NOT to do in Toronto, is drive in the city. It's tough to get around, and with the emphasis on pedestrians and cyclists, it makes it difficult to execute a turn at most intersections. They have a WONDERFUL transit system that will get you most places you want/need to go, plus it's too beautiful NOT to walk around the city.

As I mentioned to Ron on Saturday, I am linking to the photos from my trip a couple weeks ago. These are from Facebook, but they are public, so everyone SHOULD be able to see them. If not, by all means, let me know, and I'll figure out some other way to get these to the board. Photos from my road trip Enjoy!

Ascend Opens For Predators Viewing Party http://www.newschannel5.com/sports/nhl/nashville-predators/monday-declared-preds-pride-day A name change for 5th Ave!

Newest Nashville attraction! It's the newest attraction that I'm sure this group will be lining up for!!

Long time lurker, first time poster here. On the advice of @markhollin here are a few pics I've taken over the past couple weeks