[Travel observations and new developments of other cities and countries]

Took a trip down the Atlantic Coast of FLA to Miami last week. Pics in order: West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Coral Gables (2), South Beach (2), Brickell and Downtown Miami(4). 

A few brief notes on the trip:

1) Downtown West Palm was nicer than I expected, and I really enjoyed the dinner/night scene on Clematis. 

2) The Riverwalk area in downtown Fort Lauderdale was definitely worth the visit. Very active with boats going up and down the river. I appreciate those who have highlighted that area in previous posts.

3) We stayed in Coral Gables while in Miami, and I really enjoyed the walkability and architecture there.

4) It was great to finally see the Miami skyline, which is exploding, in person. One of the only cities I've been to that has more construction going on than Nashville. 

5) My wife and I both agreed that the overall level of service we received at restaurants, our hotel, Ubers, etc. in Miami was outstanding, and unlike anything we've experienced in the last few years anywhere else. 

[OneC1TYNashville Mixed-Use Project | UC]

2 hours ago, chc3 said:

No idea. When I attended the initial presentation, plans were to start in May of last year. With over 1,000 more units coming on line, not including the Metro Center projects, it would seem that a grocery store there would be thrive, especially since the Kroger is such a dump.

Absolutely. I live off 3rd and Madison and  would happily walk three blocks there versus getting in my car to go the Rosa Parks Kroger. I'm certain many of my neighbors would do the same. 

2 hours ago, downtownresident said:

If I’m remembering correctly, doesn’t Hill Center Germantown have a pretty sizable office component? 

Here's Now Next's coverage from December '21. Looks like it was estimated to be 110,000 sq. ft. of office. 

https://nashvillenownext.com/2021/12/09/now-next-hill-center-a-grocery-anchored-200000-sf-mixed-use-development-in-germantown/

[Tapestry at The Printing House (Hilton brand), 11 stories, 181 rooms, 3rd South & Peabody]

13 hours ago, jjbradleyBrooklyn said:

That adds some good density there. 

Would've liked to have seen it rise to 15/16 stories, but as-is, it looks taller than I thought it might've in that location.

I agree, the density is still nice. As someone mentioned on a different thread the other day, that area south of Peabody could really use some love, and this certainly helps. Hopefully one day in the near future, this one will look like a midget compared to surrounding developments like 2nd and Peabody, 4th and Lea, etc.

[OneC1TYNashville Mixed-Use Project | UC]

11 hours ago, chc3 said:

This site may be a little to close to their store on White Bridge. I’m hoping for one in the proposed Hill Center in Germantown, which appears to be in limbo.

I've been curious about the status of Hill Center.  Any intel on why it might be in limbo?

[Nashville Bits and Pieces]

34 minutes ago, colemangaines said:

I think everyone's over-politicizing elected officials' intentions here.

The state legislature pushed for Nashville to host the RNC because they wanted to bring recognition and notoriety to the state of Tennessee. They're proud of Nashville and recognize its ability to draw in and host people successfully and wanted to capitalize on that. 

City council rightfully had concerns. Most people feel more politically polarized than in the past, and no one wants to see Nashville as the site of riots like at the 1968 DNC in Chicago. Also, huge swaths of downtown would have been completely shut down for several days. What would the revenue loss be from these closures? How much money would the convention bring in? Does this net out to more or less than comparable conventions that we could host that weekend? These are all entirely valid concerns. 

My point is, city and state officials serve different constituencies and therefore have different goals. People are accusing both sides of playing political games, but that comes from a fundamental inability to see the differences in the others' representations.

 

In short, everybody chill out lol

To touch on your question regarding revenue loss, I heard Senator Jack Johnson on the radio today and he said the city would be losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars by not hosting the RNC. He said that he's attended conventions which required him to stay 60 miles from the city because hotels were all booked, and went on to say many of the attendees would have gone to Graceland, Memphis, Gatlinburg, etc. in addition to their trip to Nashville. Take that for what it's worth. It felt like he was reaching to me. 

[City Parks/Greenways]

5 hours ago, markhollin said:

Riverfront Park is up against 19 other cities to make the Top Ten Best Riverwalks" list in USA Today.  Voting takes place up thru Monday, Feb. 6 at 11 AM here:

https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-riverwalk-2023/

As someone who walks and jogs in this area fairly often, it shouldn't even be in the top 20. During the day, there's hardly ever a soul outside of the homeless down there. The small dog park is cool as is the amphitheater, but everything else about the area leaves a lot to be desired. I hope it will become more of a priority in the future. I'm assuming that will be the case as the East River Bank becomes more active. 

[Nashville Yards, 15 acres/4 million sq. ft./ $1 billion, Phase I: Grand Hyatt Hotel (25 stories), Phase II: Amazon (26 & 22 stories), Phase III: AEG District (4 K theater, 34 & 35 story apts); Phase IV: Pinnacle Tower (35 stories), Amazon 3 (43)]

On 1/4/2023 at 8:51 AM, nashville born said:

I often open Google Maps - Nashville as I look through the strings.  And as prompted, I'll jump to Google to allow myself to imagine what a project's impact will be.  Can't effectively express  how much I'm in love with the impact NY and it's surrounding projects will have on downtown..  it will, in effect, stretch our new downtown from its old CBD beginnings almost to the I-40 inner loop.  Forgetting literal computations for a second (and all action south of Broadway), it will pretty much double both the number of buildings and the total area of the historical  CBD/downtown.  Remarkable.  Play the game with me.  Look at this image.  Draw an imaginary line down Broadway and only consider the area north of it.   Now, envision these projects filling in:  Tempo Hotel, the Marriott, 901 MLK, Amazon 2, Alcove, Prime, AEG residential one, AEG residential two, AEG mixed use, AEG Entertainment Venue, 1010 Church, and Pinnacle.  Then imagine if a few of the unknowns also materialize:  1001 Church, the NY residential next to Pinnacle, the NY residential across Commerce, the two additional NY towers along 9th, Street Lights residential, and Gulch Central.  Visually, and possibly be other measures, effectively doubling downtown!  Literally shaking my head at the thought.  

Incredible! And the Gibson Residences and 125 11 Ave. North can be added to that list as well! (Both which will transition beautifully into the new proposals across the highway)

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

8 hours ago, andywildman said:

Woah I really like this. Assuming they step up the sound insulation on the apartments, this would be a legitimately cool place to live.

Agreed. This might jump to my favorite sub-10 story development in Nashville. Love the historical preservation mixed with the modern flair!

[The Stockyards at 900 & 1000 2nd Ave. North (Phase I: 6 stories, 339 units; Phase II: 12 stories, 200+ units, office and retail space; internal garages for both)]

9 hours ago, chc3 said:

That section of the greenway from downtown to Metro Center is going to be one lively and attractive pedestrian zone in a few years. Since we’ll never get light rail up that stretch, perhaps a water-taxi “vaporetto” program?

The greenway has so much potential, and I dream about it becoming the lively, attractive pedestrian zone you mention. I live a block away and it's severely underutilized right now. Although, given its overgrown sections, poor drainage, etc., it's not all that appealing in its current state. I'm not sure how much each of these individual projects has committed to its restoration, but it should be a top priority! 

[The Stockyards at 900 & 1000 2nd Ave. North (Phase I: 6 stories, 339 units; Phase II: 12 stories, 200+ units, office and retail space; internal garages for both)]

There's eight or so NES and utility strucks on the northern lot (1000 2nd Ave North) this morning. Could this be the first sign of movement, or is it just related to other utility work going on in the area?

[The Sinclair, 27 stories, 315', 334 residential units; 31,500 sq. ft. retail; 13,040 sq. ft. restaurant; underground garage]

While I would have loved for this one to stay at its original height, 315' will still provide a nice transition in height as you move from West End to downtown. Excited to see this one start going up!

[Paseo South Gulch (Phases 2 & 3: 30 & 16 stories w/ 390 residential units, 183 room hotel, 18,000 sq. ft. office, 14,000 sq. ft. retail; Phases 4 & 5: Another 30 story tower w/ 396 units, a 22 story office tower, 1,500 capacity internal garage)]

11 hours ago, jjbradleyBrooklyn said:

That is a phenomenal shot, that really captures the level of development that Nashville has seen in those areas of downtown and in the Gulch. 

Looking at this shot too though, you see how much development potential there still really is, and the level of density that can still easily occur. So many parking lots still remain in this picture, that are craving to be developed with infill.

Can't wait to continue to see the buildings rise with Paseo.

I'm surprised so many of those parcels across 8th Ave. S are still parking lots and one-story structures. I see one proposed hotel on the development map, but besides that, little else. I'd have to think something is in the works for at least one of those sites in the near future..

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

4 hours ago, downtownresident said:

The Katy Trail in Dallas is another good example of what an urban greenway in Nashville could be. 

Agreed! I've recommended it on several occasions to people visiting Dallas.

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

7 hours ago, UrbanWes03 said:

Maybe the 133 KVB site? 

This is what needs to happen all along the greenways in Nashville! Really great engagement. Definitely giving off BeltLine vibes with this.

I was just talking about the BeltLine with a few ATL residents and how Nashville has completely dropped the ball in making their greenways more of a focal point. I'm hopeful that this development, along with Neuhoff, and others will get things jump started for the better!

[14th & Hynes (40 stories, 480', residential; 36 stories, 435', hotel/condos; shared ground level retail and underground/structured parking)]

3 minutes ago, markhollin said:

Welcome to the forum, KirbsMagurbs!  : )

Thank you! I appreciate the work you and others do on this forum! 

[14th & Hynes (40 stories, 480', residential; 36 stories, 435', hotel/condos; shared ground level retail and underground/structured parking)]

4 hours ago, Luvemtall said:

Awesome!! The Interstate is going to become the canyon! If all these proposals happen as planned, that’s going to be a impressive ride. 

I was thinking the same thing. Pretty soon, tourists won't know which side of the highway is downtown. Incredible.