jjbradleyBrooklyn

Exactly! I was just going to comment something similar to this. IKEA probably wishes they had opened the store in the Nashville metro area--or even the Knoxville or Chattanooga regions--as compared to Memphis. Not a knock at all to Memphis, but it is in a much less "buying power" region in Memphis, and the Arkansas/northern Mississippi/west Tennessee region is pretty rural, outside of Memphis itself, and does not lend itself to a lot of foot traffic wanting to visit that store, I would imagine. The Nashville metro area has one of the wealthiest counties in the US, plus Nashville has almost a million more people than metro Memphis. So, yeah, I would imagine the sales may be down at this location. And I would guess IKEA may unfortunately shutter this store in the next couple of years, after one opens in Nashville, with their "urban market model stores."

Since it's been a little more than a year when an 18-month extension was announced, does anyone have an inside scoop on if this will actually break ground in roughly June of 2024? Personally, I think in this tough commercial and residential lending market, that unless the developers have a strong track record, deep pockets and the ability to finance this project, a ground breaking seems unlikely in 2024. Hoping they can actually get this development started. It seems like a no-brainer location, a money making project, and a fantastic dense infill development. Let's hope this gets going!

I'd venture to say a 2nd crane may not be put in until Jan/Feb 2024. I'd love to see it come in by Dec, but based on the pictures and timeline I've seen here posted, the development seems to be a bit behind schedule? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to be moving a bit slower along now. I'm super optimistic the tower will be built as planned, but cautiously so. Hoping Tony & Co. got their financing finished before summer, since rates are now through the roof and many commercial and residential developments are pausing in this current climate. Excited to see this one rise up!! And hopefully we'll be about halfway up with steel by fall 2024.

Medical Mart? Wow, the "excitement!" lol So glad this didn't move forward. Too incredible of a spot for a few healthcare offices.

That's a beautifully designed development. I could see the developer locating it there, based on the potential future Memphis Walk and other developments coming in. That area can only get better and better! Eager to see this happen.

I did a bit of a search, trying to figure out why they do this with the holes. Below may provide some insight-- This is to make sure they know what the foundation is made of. For all they knew there may have been an old tunnel underneath that would have collapsed when the new building is put on top. London is built on top of an old marsh, this type of soil is very prone to sinking and uneven settling, digging down and reinforcing the foundation alleviates that. It also ensures the foundation is uniform under the building to avoid a new tower of Pisa. Given the age of the city it may have been to scour the land for potential archaeological finds (fervently hoping they would come up empty). There are a few reasons why the footprint of large buildings are excavated and replaced. All of the old building must be removed - Typically, older buildings will have been built with weaker materials or less stringent building standards than are currently used. Depending on the age of the existing structure, complete plans may not even exist. This means that enough material needs to be removed to ensure that the soil can be assured to have the required strength for the new structure. Also this ensures that new piles will not be driven into old concrete, steel, or masonry. Pollutant or Hazardous Waste removal - Especially if the old building was a factory (recently or at one time), there might be hazardous materials in the soil. Environmental regulations have not always been as strict as they are now. A lot of bad things were just buried and forgotten. Historical artifacts - If the area is thought to have had any sort of history, digging below existing buildings may uncover some of this history. Historical societies love this, but owners and contractors hate the delay and added cost. Groundwater removal - If groundwater is close to the surface or close to the basement of the new building, additional excavation may be required so that a sealing layer of concrete or clay can be placed. This can seal the site so that it isn't a muddy mess while the rest of the construction finishes. Dewatering wells may also be installed. If one side of foundation has soil packed more loosely than the other side, the foundation may cause the ground to sink, and building may crumble. Even if it has a steel-reinforced concrete foundation, the building may tip sideways, causing uneven floors, or wood to shift and split, even if concrete remains in same shape. In my area we have a lot of caves, some hidden, that collapse under weight and cause sinkholes. Large buildings (Like a Tesco) have cracks in the walls EVEN AFTER the soil was repacked, and is still re-settling and causing NEW cracks 17 years later. One of the oldest houses in town has the foundation 17 feet deep, so that it hits bedrock. (5.1816 meters) Repacking the soil with power-hammers, or using a DIFFERENT filler material that is less prone to settle over time, is also a common practice. As is digging deeper just to pour a thicker foundation (or a wider one with a smaller footprint on the surface, like a submerged pyramid). In addition to the other answers, some soils (e.g. clay) expand and contract as their moisture content changes, and wet soil expands as it freezes. This movement is rarely even across site, and differential movement causes a building to crack. Foundations are dug down to below an expansive soil and below the frost line to avoid movement. They are then built up with crushed rock or concrete, which doesn't expand with moisture or freezing temperatures.

That's good news, all-in-all. Those restaurants are "destinations" for folks who love their high customer service level, and of course the waffle fries, chicken sandwiches and sauces. Will be good development momentum for the St Jude area. Chik-Fil-A just opened their first restaurant this week in the Bronx, up here in NYC. This is their 19th in New York City, and they plan on adding more.

Yeah, talk about a red hot prime piece of real estate. Does the current owner plan on developing it? I'd love to see a 600-700 footer anchor 2 or 3 other 300-500 footers, ideally.

That is a good shot and indication of how the skyline is rapidly expanding through the Gulch and into Pie Town, from Downtown. You can see top of the Albion, Paseo in the Gulch, 805 Lea, The Westin, the JW Marriott and then on into downtown.

Wow, this is very exciting to see. The core drilling is pretty exciting also--could it mean digging could start in the next couple of months? As someone else mentioned, this is a slam dunk location for a large hotel like this. It's in the heart of everything downtown. Will add some terrific height to that part of downtown, also. Love to see it get closer to the 500 foot mark. AND the best part is that a nearly 500 foot skyscraper is now gonna be rising from a lowly parking lot. LOVE to see that!

Such a gorgeous tower. I really like how it turned out. It adds a nice level of mid-rise to this area, and good building density to the area, as well.

Both of these towers are beautiful aesthetically. They are designed so wonderfully and are a terrific and powerful addition to Nashville's skyline. I cannot wait to see more Giarratana developments completed.

Unfortunate news. I think we'll be seeing more of this occur, since getting loans to build within the next 1-2 years is going to be challenging in general, in order to make the numbers work for future developments. There may be a lot more stalled projects sitting for a couple of years, until the market heats back up. I bet the only select few that do move forward are by deep-pocketed, deeply-experienced developers.

This is too bad. But I don't think many are surprised who have been eagerly watching and awaiting news about the Ritz Carlton project. The Ritz Carlton in Nashville makes perfect sense--and I would think the brand still has strong interest in Nashville, and this may open the door to partner with a reputable developer with deep pockets and deep experience to get the job actually done. Do we think the Ritz winds up being built in another location? Perhaps Beaman, Reed, the East Bank or even the Nashville Yards site? The options seem wide open.

Me too! I'm wondering the same. Has a lot of height to go to hit that 500 foot mark. We'll see. Waiting for it to "pop" on the skyline a bit.

This is very true, exactly. If Johnson City can vastly improve their downtown infrastructure, and create more of a live/work/entertain destination, it could be unstoppable. The downtown is under-served right now and as-is reflects a town of maybe 30-40k people. Hopefully the city starts to invest in dowtown development with a few new buildings, too.

Hey, I get it, lol. It was just a "thinking out loud" idea and I realize that property is too narrow for a stadium. I think a supertall, with several 300-600 foot adjoining towers, would be the best usage for this property. The stadium could be put across the river on the metal scrapyard, in my opinion, but not sure where that owner stands on selling.

Johnson City is becoming a fast-growth city. The city is seeing 1,500 - 2,000 new residents added each year. With a 2022 population sitting at roughly 72,514, the city grew modestly fast since 2010, adding roughly 7,900 people. But by 2030, Johnson City could be at an eye-popping 82,000 people--on the low end forecast. On the high end forecast, the city could see almost 90,000 in population by 2030. https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/local-news/growing-pains-johnson-city-copes-with-the-challenges-of-a-surging-population/article_fe3b35ba-7368-11ee-930f-e376eba5144a.html If this growth continues throughout the decade of the 2030s, Johnson City could easily hit the 100,000 people mark by middle of the decade.

That hotel fits in this area so nicely. A great density infill building.

Interesting. I've seen this happen too, up here in New York. Is this construction methodology and best practice, in order to prevent water infill and random objects going into the hole, until here is a timeline and ability to build out what is intended for that specific hole? Just thinking out loud.

Yeah, I suppose this is absolutely true. Pretty narrow lot overall. For it to work, like you mentioned, the Cummins Station would either have to be torn down partially, or all of it, or a stadium could be cantilevered over the building. Sounds nuts and may look hideous, but if done correctly, it could be an idea.

This area could be a prime spot for a development somewhat similar to Nashville Yards across the street. There are so many possibilities. As others have mentioned, I'd like to see a developer take a huge risk in the next few years, and propose a supertall on a portion of that development, in the range of 950-1150 feet. This is a random thought I just had--is there space that could be created here somehow, to allow an MLB stadium to be built? Would be a FANTASTIC location!

Yeah, good point. I wouldn't expect either of the Beaman or Reed developments to actually break ground until the mid 2020s--2025/2026 at the earliest. This current interest rate is really high. And for developers to break ground on projects, the high rates are an incentive for them to wait for a while until the rate goes down significantly.

Good point. Does anyone know what Pinnacle is going to do with their old building? Just lease it out?

Looks better than before. Still though, appears pretty dang meh.