Canuck87

I stumbled upon a Nashville Business Journal article published in 1998 discussing the city's growth. The article leads with this bombshell: "By the year 2020, the Nashville metropolitan area could be the 15th-fastest growing metro area in the United States." According to research at the time, the area's population was expected to "swell" from 1.09 million people in 1995 to 1.5 million people in 2020. It's hard to believe how much Nashville has outperformed expectations. Full article: http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/1998/07/27/story4.html

"TACTICAL URBANISM REIMAGINING NASHVILLE'S BROADWAY AVE" A post discussing "temporary urban interventions" and how they are being utilized in downtown Nashville. http://www.moderncities.com/article/2016-nov-tactical-urbanism-reimagining-nashvilles-broadway-ave/page/

Nashville ranks #3 on the Forbes list of "U.S. Cities With The Fastest-Growing Economies" (after San Jose #1 and Austin #2). http://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2016/12/01/u-s-cities-with-the-fastest-growing-economies/#2740089b60ab

I would definitely encourage anyone and everyone to visit Western Canada if given the opportunity. One of the best trips to make is Calgary to Vancouver or vice versa. Fly into one of the cities and explore it for a couple days. Then rent a car and take the Trans-Canada Highway through the Canadian Rockies. The drive from Calgary to Vancouver is about ten hours, but you can break it up. There is no shortage of great places to stop along the way. Spend a couple nights in Banff, Lake Louise, Invermere, ect. Then finish up your trip with a couple days in your destination city. You really will get the best of both wolds--amazing cities and the great outdoors! If any of you find yourself travelling to that neck of the woods, feel free to shoot me a message. I'd be happy to give you a native's perspective on the best things to do. The picture below is of Moraine Lake in Banff National Park. It's about an hour away from where I lived in Calgary (in case you needed anymore reason to visit). I will quit promoting Canadian tourism now and return to the original topic of discussion--Nashville

Cities in Canada very much reflect the cultural values of Canadians. By and large, Canadians have embraced urban living to a far greater extent than people in the southern states. They value things like walkable cites, public transit, etc. Using Calgary as an example, the city has a metro population of roughly 1.2 million. Despite that, it has an extensive light rail system (the CTrain) that has a daily ridership of over 300,000, and about half the people who work downtown take the train to work. Likewise, Calgary has the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America, complete with over- and underpasses. You can basically walk or bike anywhere in the city without having to use a street. The good thing is that Nashville is starting to catch on and more and more people here are beginning see the value in things like this. I'm hoping the trend will continue.

One thing about water is that it does a great job of promoting density.

I was born in Vancouver, and a lot of my extended family still live there and on Vancouver Island. I also lived in Calgary for 8 years (which by the way is a criminally underrated city if you're asking me). My parents currently live in Toronto. All that to say, I have ties all across the Great White North. And I agree that Vancouver is remarkable (though I'm probably biased). Vancouver is also proof positive that a skyline doesn't need super-tall buildings to be impressive; I think the city only has one building over 500 ft. Not only is the city great, the surrounding landscape is phenomenal. I thought I'd throw in a picture of Calgary since it doesn't seem to get much love.

Nashville Post article about a new Hillsboro Village mixed-use development across from the Belcourt Theatre http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/article/20845230/first-look-at-hillsboro-village-project (subscribers only)

"First look: The bar Germantown is missing, and you can bike right up to it" Bar will be located right next to the TriBridge development, around the corner from the former Hammer Mill factory. http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2016/11/29/first-look-the-bar-germantown-is-missing-and-you.html?ana=twt

^ Not to mention the fact that the cheapest parking I saw in downtown Boston was close to $40 for the day... walking or paying $2 for a Charlie Card were the only affordable options.

Truer words were never spoken. I was in Boston this summer and its downtown is the antithesis of a grid. It's fairly obvious that large segments of the city were built before "urban planning" was a thing. It makes the downtown an absolute nightmare to navigate but an adventure to explore.

For those in the Mt. Juliet area who are interested in transit-related issues, there's a community planning meeting this evening at the Mt. Juliet City Hall.

Brief article about the hotel. I'm not sure if it provides any new or relevant information, but thought I'd share anyway. http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4079632.html

True, we don't have a company large enough to require a 50+ story office building on its own. But I'm assuming the overwhelming majority of 50+ story buildings aren't occupied by a single tenant (I don't have any statistical evidence backing up this claim; it's just a hunch). Between Nissan, HCA, Bridgestone, Dollar General, and the other large companies based in the area, a 50 story building wouldn't be completely unreasonable.

Nothing makes my Canadian heart happier than the increased popularity of hockey in Middle Tennessee. When I first arrived in Nashville in 1998, there was one ice surface open to the public in Nashville (at the Centennial Sportsplex). Since then, there has been another rink added at Centennial, two rinks opened Franklin at A-Game (though the status of that facility is now up in the air...), two rinks at the Ford Ice Center, and now this latest news. Three new rinks would mean almost a tenfold increase since the Predators arrived. Not too bad.

"A pioneering, risky development looms in Tennessee's fastest-growing city" Article about the Fountains at Gateway development in Murfreesboro (subscriber access only). http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2016/11/28/exclusive-a-pioneering-risky-development-looms-in.html?ana=twt

"Fresh Hospitality pays a premium for its latest Charlotte Avenue site" http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2016/11/28/fresh-hospitality-pays-a-premium-for-its-latest.html?ana=RSS%26s%3Darticle_search&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Nashville has certainly come a long way in recent years, but if I were to pick one "key element" that's currently missing, it's the Transportation-system-not-excluding-cross-Atlantic-flights element. Although Nashville scores relatively well in the other metrics listed by the author, the transportation/air-travel situation in Nashville puts it behind most regional cities, let alone "global cities." Hopefully, the expansion of BNA and the nMotion plan will change this.

Well that didn't take long... the Mad Platter property is under contract “'The prospective buyer is very aware of what’s happening in Germantown and will be a heavy contributor to the neighborhood,' said Grout, who declined to disclose either the would-be buyer or a closing date for the transaction." "A LoopNet listing shows the building, built in 1889, spans 3,858 square feet. The asking price is $1.75 million, the equivalent of $453.60 per foot." Article: http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/article/20844692/mad-platter-property-under-contract

Word of Nashville's push for pro soccer has spread overseas. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/11/28/music-city-sets-sights-mls-rise-rise-soccer-nashville/

Good question. I'm assuming it's not due to its structural complexity and innovative design.

Having never met the man, I am loath to guess at what he might be thinking. That being said, I believe he tipped his hand regarding his ultimate goal with the Signature Tower. Without a doubt, the Signature Tower would have been the dominant structure in the skyline and would have supplanted the AT&T building as the building that comes to mind when people think “Nashville.” Even though 505 CST is a solid project, it certainly isn’t a game-changer in terms of design or impact on the skyline in the way the Signature Tower would have been. In fact, I don’t think any of Tony G’s projects to date will be especially noteworthy decades from now (This is not intended to downplay his work, as I fully appreciate everything he's done for the downtown). I’m not saying he will revive the Signature Tower, just that he apparently has grand ambitions. I think we can expect one career-defining project before he’s done; the project to serve as his pièce de résistance and leave his lasting mark on the city. As far as the type of project is concerned, I agree that an office tower makes the most sense at the moment. I have personally always wanted to see something tall constructed in the area to the West of the Library/Renaissance Hotel and to the East of the Lifeway Campus. I think a skyscraper in that vicinity would really benefit the skyline and would go a long way in extending the CBD towards the interstate. Plus, it might spur some much needed development in that area. Just my thoughts.

Apparently, someone isn't a hockey fan...

Agreed. The average MLS attendance is only around 20,000. A stadium that seats 40k would almost always appear half empty, which isn't a good look. Plus, if a larger venue was ever needed for a particular match, there's always Nissan Stadium. Montreal took this approach in their eastern conference finals match against Toronto FC recently. Since Montreal's stadium only seats 20k, they played at the Olympic Stadium to accommodate a crowd of 60k+.

A list of the mid-state's largest commercial real estate transactions during the month of October. http://www.tnledger.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=93198