william

NBound, Tony mentioned he wants a boutique hotel (though that is not critical to make the project happen) and some retail. He did not go into much detail regarding the retail. The hole for Sig T at 1,047 would be about 100 feet deep. However, there is already a large hole under the surface parking lot. That hole is a remnant from the old Caster Knott building. So there wouldn't be as much digging as there would be otherwise. Time would still be required to get the big beast out of the ground. And, yes, those posting earlier about the media are correct. Tony didn't want this as a media event. I didn't see any other media there. BUT, the story is coming this week. WW

Friends, Three things: 1. Claws has refrerred to me as a "Nashville celebrity." Very humbling. I met Claws and appreciate his introducing himself. Good to have a young "built environment geek" contributing to the forum. Stay with us, Claws. And I apologize to Skyscrapergeek for not saying hello. Skyscrapergeek was consumed with the model of Sig T and I was rushed. 2. The Doorman made a good post regarding how MDHA will have to seriously consider the magnitude of this project and, as such, should be very wary of rejecting its height. On that note, I really believe Tony will make Sig T happen regardless of height. But 1,047 would shed lots of national attention on Nashville. MDHA knows this. They are not studpid. National attention means power players moving to our city. This, in turn, means people living here who can make things happen. It's huge. 3. We'll know soon how this pans out. Tony is on a timetable and must move forward. On that note, Encore is VERY close to groundbreaking. WW

Friends, I attended the Sig T event at The Cumberland tonight. Missed IJDave but I just got your voice mail message, Dave. The new-look ST is quiet sleek, imposing and contemporary. LOVE the cap with the fins. HOWEVER, one key thing to remember: MDHA must approve all design and function elements of the building before Tony can move forward. There will be eight people on the MDHA Design Review Committee. So Tony needs five votes. One of the concerns already expressed is that the tower could be so tall in relation to the other downtown high-rises that the visual effect could be odd. Just telling you what I've heard. For the eight-person committee, at least three members are MDHA officials. There will also be an architect and a neighborhood association leader, among others. Bottom line: This deal is not done yet. Hold on to your hats. WW

RK, I was in Knoxville about one month ago. Stayed downtown one night. Drove all over the central core of the city. Here is a quick run-down: Gay Street is being overhauled, mainly with residential. There is a 16-theater multiplex planned for Gay (it will look and function in an urban manner). I read a piece in the Metro Pulse regarding the proposed improvement of Jackson (to tie Gay and Central together where Old City is). Mechanicsville (an historic African-American neighborhood on the near north side) has lots of new historic replica homes. Good effort. Fourth and Gill (the hippest of Old North Knoxville neighborhoods) continues to make progress. South Knoxville is rough. And Fort Sanders (on the west side and bordering the UT campus) has been brutalized by random crap development. The Fort, however, does have a new pocket park that seems nice. East Knoxville has a great old street, Magnolia, with some historic neighborhoods on either side. But it could be years before that area is improved. Overall, Knoxville is making strides on reinventing its urban core. But it remains significantly far behind Chattanooga, Memphis and Nashville. William