[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

21 hours ago, Bos2Nash said:

  I think connecting the terminal to Donelson Station is our best move for connecting the airport to downtown. The issue with a Donelson station connection is we do not have enough frequency on the WeGo Star for it to work correctly. We could technically tie it into the bus system at Donelson Station, but then it is the same discussion as the Murfreesboro BRT line. Light Rail for this small length almost doesn't make sense. Rail is so expensive here in the country, there needs to be a larger project to get to the economies that make light rail make sense. One thing to keep in mind when referencing light rail is it's not just laying some track and procuring some trains. It is those two things, plus a layover/store yard, a maintenance facility it is investment in land for those items, etc. So for light rail to work we really need to get to a certain scale to see the economies in it.

At the encouragement of some of the CMs I forwarded the below post from last July to all the CMs in which the WeGo Star serves. It resulted in a conversation with Jeff Syracuse and Steve Bland where we chatted about the Star as a whole and where things stand with Positive Train Control (this is why WeGo cut the late trains on Friday and Titan game trains), TOD and overall system expansion. The plan below shows a tunnel that goes from Donelson Station to the Airport, but I have been told rail tunnels are running approximately $1 billion per mile (!!!). A solid modification to the idea below could convert the segment from the Airport to Donelson to shuttle busses (natural gas/electric/hydrogen powered) and then the train on 15 to 30 minute headways could pick folks up.

No matter what though, a connection to Donelson would involve a serious investment and upgrade for one of our existing systems or the other.

Why not a train at grade on Donelson Pk if we are dreaming? I feel like Donelson Pk doesn't get the traffic now to warrant as many lanes as it has.

[Inner Loop - CBD, Downtown, East Bank, Germantown, Gulch, Rutledge]

On 3/31/2023 at 4:22 PM, East Side Urbanite said:

On the train track theme ...

... street splits, T-intersections, hills, viaducts, railroad tracks, the serpentine Division Street ... these elements give our urban core a quirky and distinctive form and function. I would much rather have that model than, for example, the flat and monotonously street-gridded Oklahoma City.

 

 

And things like that help to make an urban space feel smaller and more manageable too. When you look down a street, instead of it continuing on and on and on, you see a terminus and your eye has something to reference. On the flip side, if you have a terminus, it wants to be something of significance, or and least of visual significance. Imagine looking down a nice urban street and seeing a nice concrete parking garage. Kind of ruins the space if planners and developers aren't thoughtful and respectful of how a person perceives the urban space.

[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

33 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

More lanes equals more demand. But we know the state only wants to add more lanes. So… soon we will be like that one highway in Texas that’s like 16 lanes wide. 

Just one more lane baby, I promise. Just one more and I'll be better. Trust me.

[Davidson East: East Nashville, Inglewood, Madison, Donelson, Hermitage, Old Hickory]

On 3/18/2023 at 7:58 PM, donNdonelson2 said:

Nicoletto’s Italian Kitchen in Donelson at 2619 Lebanon Pike had their soft opening tonight. I wasn’t able to go, but am anxious to give it a try!

We grabbed some takeout when we happened to see their online ordering was active on Saturday. Very good! And closer than Tutti Da Gio. Now if only Yeast would finally make it across the river...

[City Parks/Greenways]

16 hours ago, donNdonelson2 said:

Panorama shot of part of the property that is being developed into Ravenwood Park. (The bench in the shot remains from when it was placed along one of the old Ravenwood Golf Course cart trails that were temporarily set up as walking trails before actual development of the new city park.) It is a beautiful property and will become one of the grand jewels of Metro’s Park System.

Is there an estimated opening date for the phase 1 playground? 

[Inner Loop - CBD, Downtown, East Bank, Germantown, Gulch, Rutledge]

What's the update...?

[Davidson East: East Nashville, Inglewood, Madison, Donelson, Hermitage, Old Hickory]

They've finally started building out some of the interiors. Scout's is going in and I think a sandwich shop. With the food truck lot starting back up a block north, there will be some good options around here!

[Inside 440 - Berry Hill, Midtown, Vanderbilt, 12S, WeHo, Fairgrounds, etc.]

1 hour ago, markhollin said:

Core Spaces Development out of Chicago has purchased approximately 3 acres 510 Interstate Drive/341 Herron Drive for a. collective $12.85 million.  Several years ago  metro Planning approved the rezoning  from industrial to mixed-use, and a 3 story, 220 unit mixed-use project that would also feature 60,000 sq. ft. of retail/restaurant space was in the works.  Not sure if Core is planning something similar or not.   There are currently a handful of non-historic manufacturing/warehouse structures on the site.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/chicago-developer-buys-in-south-nashville/article_00804c24-aee4-11ed-9178-2b20b15e0963.html

This screen shot from Smeagolsfree's excellent developmrnt map shows the site highlighted in teal at the center of the frame:
 

Was just up there for the first time the other day. Interesting little mixed use development up there. That stretch of Nolensville seems prime for development being so close to the stadium. There could be some cool pedestrian paths down the hill to Nolensville. Just leave Mimm's alone...

[Davidson Southeast: Antioch, Century Farms, East of Brentwood]

Could they not have surrounded the green plaza with the buildings? I'm thinking like Oakbrook Center north of Chicago. 

[Davidson East: East Nashville, Inglewood, Madison, Donelson, Hermitage, Old Hickory]

3 hours ago, markhollin said:

Dube Orthopedic (4 stories, 30,000 sq. ft.) update: nearly complete.

Looking east from Old Hickory Blvd., just south of Old Lebanon Dirt Rd:

Looking south from  from Old Lebanon Dirt Rd., just east of Old Hickory Blvd:




Looking SE from intersection of Old Hickory Blvd. and Old Lebanon Dirt Rd:

Looking west from Old Lebanon Dirt Rd., 1/2 block east of Old Hickory Blvd:

I've been watching this one slowly come to completion as I make my weekly Chick-fil-A runs. Not sure if bad detailing or sloppy construction but a lot of the joints and alignments look to slightly miss the mark. Overall though, it's nice to see something unique go up out that way.

[Surrounding Counties - Cheatham, Dickson, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson, Williamson, Maury, etc.]

On 2/3/2023 at 7:05 PM, tragenvol said:

I miss the butcher, Carnivore Meat Company, at the Factory (although you can still "mail order" Boerewurs (South African sausage); similarly, the Mill at Lebanon is having some revival.  Tenn Lakes Brewery with Prince Street Pizza (from Gallatin), is helping to produce traffic to the Mill.

Oh man the biltong was so good. Hopefully these renovations and upgrades can help to keep tenants in this place.

[Inside 440 - Berry Hill, Midtown, Vanderbilt, 12S, WeHo, Fairgrounds, etc.]

9 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

If memory serves me correctly they were mostly Hackberrys but that is some large tree canopy to lose. 

Oh the wonderful terrible Hackberry. Such beautiful big trees. Such ugly sticky aphid poop.

[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

2 hours ago, PaulChinetti said:

I really like that short black railing on the bottom right. 

Haha I love that this whole thing is so disappointing that the most positive thing we can say is that the short black railing is nice. 

[Davidson West: Bellevue, Bordeaux, Green Hills, MetroCenter, Nations, N Nashville]

1 hour ago, markhollin said:

Urban Dog Park is being planned for the thin triangular 1.04 acre site at 5701 Centennial Blvd. in The Nations by Rebeca and Austin Gauthier. An existing 1 story structure from the previous auto industry-related business on the site will be renovated.  Several other buildings have been recently razed.  Mark Watson and Mark Stiles are the architects.

Urban Dog Bar will included nearly 5,000 square feet of indoor space and a 15,500-square-foot outdoor space for dog exercise/play, shaded picnic tables and large-scale outdoor television screens. A small menu of preprepared food items will be offered. The business is expected to employ about 40 people and be operational seven days per week.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/retail/combination-bar-dog-park-set-for-the-nations/article_5db6298e-96bd-11ed-8be9-b34f88d921a1.html
 

This screen shot from Smeagolsfree's excellent development map shows the site highlighted in tan at the center of the frame:

What a nice solid, 8 foot tall, block long, wooden fence

[Surrounding Counties - Cheatham, Dickson, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson, Williamson, Maury, etc.]

21 hours ago, markhollin said:

Sumner County: Hendersonville's TriStar Medical Center will have an $80 million expansion with 32 new inpatient beds and 77,328 sq. ft. of additional space to the 45 year old facility.

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2023/01/11/tristar-hendersonville-medical-center-80m-project.html
 

In what year was this designed?

[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

A user on reddit had a good analysis last week of the proposed EV fee:

[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

I roughly modeled up the Thompson Lane/Nolensville Pk proposal just for fun. Attached kmz file if anyone wants to look at it in Google Earth.

Thompson and Nolensville.kmz

[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

While I was living in Chicago they tore down an old viaduct (similar to what is being proposed, but not as bad), and the difference it made was astonishing. Imagine that, but in reverse.  https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/7/25/16022824/western-avenue-viaduct-overpass-flyover-chicago

[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

28 minutes ago, PaulChinetti said:

What in the world, I missed that, what the crap would that even look like?! That is some straight backwards thinking. 

Put a raised light rail line down the center lane from Harding all the way to downtown and THAT would make way more sense and be a better use of money.

Here is the drawing. So unnecessary. Rail down Nolensville would be amazing and would be a proper tool to help with the growth that is bound to continue down this corridor from WeHo.

 

[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

Convert Lebanon Pk/Old Hickory Blvd to Center turn overpass? WTF?

Grade separated interchange at Nolensville and Thompson? Who is coming up with these "solutions"?

[The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread]

Doesn't that third bullet seem like a sort of strawman? Maybe my urban mind is to polluted to understand, but hasn't highway building traditionally been disproportionately spent in rural areas to the detriment of urban areas? And I'm talking beyond the destroying of cities with highways that both cut through urban areas and completely bypass them.

[Albion, 21 stories/270 ft, 415 residential units, 5,650 sq. ft. of retail, 364 car garage, 645 Division St.]

I guess I'm in the minority that very much dislikes this rope light accent lighting. Just seems kinda the lazy way out. Too tacky. 

[Peabody Union (27 story residential, 354 units, 251,000 sq. ft. office, 50,000 sq. ft. retail), Peabody Plaza (9-story, 280,000 sq. ft. office), & 4 smaller buildings, MDHA Trolley Barn sites]

9 hours ago, citywatcher said:

This one seems to be taking its precious time....

Big site. Going down quite a ways for underground parking. And all rock. Lots of rock. Takes a long time.

[Mid City (1501 Broadway, 8 acres on Broadway, 7 towers of 20-35 stories, 1.3 million sq. ft. office, 1,000 residential units, 150,000 sq. ft. commercial/retail)]

As a designer, parking underground gives much more freedom. With parking in the tower, you always end up with a podium, even if you line it. An efficient garage is at least 120' wide, while a double loaded residential bar is about 70 or so. Thus you get a bar on podium with amenity deck by default. Probably not the reason planning wants parking underground, just another perspective.

[New Titans Stadium (60,000 capacity dome, ground level retail, directly east of Nissan Stadium)]

On 10/28/2022 at 6:16 PM, Bos2Nash said:

So I have gone back 11 damn pages to get up to speed with you people and have some thoughts haha!

1. I applaud Mendes' stance on needing to see these figure on how everything will come together. 
2. Someone mentioned the bridge across the Cumberland and while I don't think it will be supported, this city needs more ways to cross the damn river!! Currently you either need to be on an interstate or pass directly into downtown to get across the river, why?? This only promotes a bad ideology that the interstate should be used for short travel berths and only generates more gridlock within downtown. Having an outlet that lets East connect to south without having to go through downtown or get on the highway is a great thing. 
3. I quite like the overall concept of the stadium. It activates with its exterior on just about all sides. It doesn't look like an absolute spaceship. It will blend in with the eventual neighborhood a bit more. While it is an absolute LANDHOG, I think it works well. I have heard rumblings that Hastings will ultimately be the Architect of Record, but they won't really be lead designers on it. They were also the AoR on the MLS stadium, but Populous was the design lead. 
4. Parking will obviously be a big thing with the stadium, always will be. I have always questioned the approach to parking here ever since I saw a report that stated "the multi-modal road will allow people to park at Oracle to come events". First of all, Oracle wont be public parking. Secondly, the city/sports authority created a boondoogle with the MLS/Racetrack parking situation. The stadium is big enough that I believe the design should incorporate parking into it. Every other development - for the most part - has to include parking on site, why should the stadium be any different?
   1. That being said though, there will be plenty of space to park. I had a conversation with people involved and I believe I understood that the park that will stretch between the stadium and river will serve as the primary tailgate area, while also doubling as the primary stormwater for the East Bank. There are plenty of ways to design resilient plantings and areas to serve double uses like this.
5. The stadium will basically need the support of the village around it in order to pay for it. This will include Metro owned land and privately owned land. The image below is from a post I put on the board on APRIL 1ST asking about financing making sense. It is going to take quite a long time to build out around the stadium In the meantime, where does all the funding come from that the sales tax of this developed land will eventually pick up? The full potential of the village and the special district around it is alot further off than just 2027. 

This thing still has a long road ahead. If we break ground next year I will be shocked. The Council should take their sweet ass time working through the fine details of this proposal. 

One small correction: Hastings and Populous were both design leads on Geodis. Hastings was also AOR. Gotta give credit to the local designers when it's due