Aertson Midtown (Buckingham) | 13 Fl Residential | 17 fl Kimpton Hotel | T/O

[FrankNash]

No. Just utility work. 

[captainwjm]

Are you sure the utility work is connected to the Buckingham project?  There has been a leaking water main there for some time,

[smeagolsfree]

All I could see they did was to remove the little island that was at the intersection of Broadway and Division and paved it over.

[CenterHill]

I'd like to see a roundabout there.   It's a funky intersection and there would be room for it.    

[Neigeville2]

I hope they don't "fix" that intersection too much.  I may be in the minority but I want this area to feel congested.  I'm talking about Division from the naked people down to the Y intersection with Broadway, and the blocks around. Not only one of the few areas in town that is starting to have a genuine urban "enclosed street" feel, but this is the kind of area where cars need to slow down, there are a million pedestrians, sometimes impaired by adult beverages, and more pedestrians on the way soon, it's not a place to look at the streets in terms of "how many cars can we rush thru here?"

 

Cities should be a mix of open spaces and dense, enclosed ones, and we are definitely lacking in the latter (except for a few blocks around Church & Union).

[MidTenn1]

The existing intersection is a cluster foulup. It requires the driver to look over his/her right shoulder to make a left turn off of north 21st into a heavily traveled road (Broadway/Division) which is a difficult and dangerous maneuver to pull off. It is dangerous for pedestrians also. 

 

 

 

The proposed layout is a tremendous improvement for traffic and pedestrians, except for the northbound right turn, I would put that under signal control also.

 

And roundabouts, while increasing intersection safety for vehicles (eliminates right-angle crashes), they are a big step backwards for pedestrian safety, which should be the primary concern here. Pedestrians are especially at risk at night where the crossings are not directly in the area of the intersection and people cannot be seen well.

[farm_boy]

Amen

[captainwjm]

THE utility work is at the corner of Broadway, Division @20th. The drawing shown are further southwest at 21st and Broadway. They are part of the traffic study for Buckingham.

[smeagolsfree]

KEns is to close the 31st of May.

[nashvillwill]

Drive by the site today and noticed chain link fencing going up around the site. I'm not sure if this is construction or just security fencing. Anyone have any info on this?

[MLBrumby]

Mike Rankin, the president of Crain Construction (the GC for this project) was quoted in the NBJ back in February that by the end of May they would have utility work underway that is necessary for the Buckingham to get started.  So if you're seeing fencing around the site, that would be in line with what Rankin said.

[captainwjm]

The fencing has been there for several months - at least around the former Nick and Rudy's, and Wendy's.  Still no fencing around the parking lot for South Street/Giovanni's/Bound'ry.  As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, they have been told that they will be given 60 days notice before they loose their parking lot, and thus far, no notice has been given.  FWIW, my contact with the developer hasn't returned recent emails.

[smeagolsfree]

The fencing has been there for several months - at least around the former Nick and Rudy's, and Wendy's.  Still no fencing around the parking lot for South Street/Giovanni's/Bound'ry.  As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, they have been told that they will be given 60 days notice before they loose their parking lot, and thus far, no notice has been given.  FWIW, my contact with the developer hasn't returned recent emails.

I think maybe someone may have forgotten to give them the sixty day notice. I talked to the folks over at Ken's just two months ago and they said they were told three months notice and in less than two months they are closed. There is new utility marking on the side street off of Division. I think it's about to start soon. I may even know something. Big smile.

[BnaBreaker]

I think maybe someone may have forgotten to give them the sixty day notice. I talked to the folks over at Ken's just two months ago and they said they were told three months notice and in less than two months they are closed. There is new utility marking on the side street off of Division. I think it's about to start soon. I may even know something. Big smile.

 

I hate when you do that.  But also, I love it. 

Edited June 2, 2014 by BnaBreaker

[captainwjm]

I think maybe someone may have forgotten to give them the sixty day notice.

Perhaps.  They tell me that they expect that the parking will remain available during the demolition. 

[nashvillwill]

The fencing has been there for several months......

Yeah. Sorry about that false alarm on the fencing. I didn't know it had been up for months. I saw some guys putting a section up (perhaps they were just moving it) and I assumed it was new. You know......since it was June 1st and all.

[smeagolsfree]

There were folks at the site today including at least one person sporting Crane construction wear.

The have also been in a couple of the buildings as well as Ken moving his equipment out. I will say we are getting very close.

Going to be interesting in this area. Buckingham under construction as well as the Virgin hotel, the SESAC building on 16th. That one will be 90,000 s.f. I also understand that the folks at the location of the Lenar project at 19th & Chet Atkins have to be out within the year.

No update on the Phoenix properties project that I can find at the corner of 17th & McGavock. The Crescent Blubird project will start sometime in September. That one is on Division and as far as I know the Music City Flats project is moving forward on 17th & Grand.

And then there is also 1505 and 1515 under construction and I have also heard of two other projects in the area. Got to be mum about those.

[captainwjm]

Have these properties closed? And, have the zoning requests been filed?

[smeagolsfree]

They have not closed yet. They were just not to happy they have to move. I have not seen any zonining change legislation introduced yet. They have done pre-engineering work at the location from what I understand from the tenants.

[captainwjm]

Thanks.  And, you're correct that Midtown and the Row will be quite the hive of activity if all of these projects begin.  When we had a presentation by the Lenar folks, the concern was traffic, traffic, traffic.  I hope that Metro has reviewed the traffic studies in the aggregate, and not as stand alone projects. 

[bwithers1]

Thanks.  And, you're correct that Midtown and the Row will be quite the hive of activity if all of these projects begin.  When we had a presentation by the Lenar folks, the concern was traffic, traffic, traffic.  I hope that Metro has reviewed the traffic studies in the aggregate, and not as stand alone projects. 

Unfortunately, I think that Public Works reviews traffic studies for projects as stand-alone items and not as an aggregate.  That tendency may partially explain the disconnect between neighbors and Public Works with regard to traffic concerns about development applications.  I believe that for residential projects the cut-off for traffic study requirements is 100 units.  But if you get two 60-unit projects on the same street, which is 120 units, no traffic study is required.

[Hey_Hey]

This is an area that would be a target for future mass transit/bus routes. I think it would be possible to run a BRT line outbound on 17th and inbound on 16th as well as along Magnolia with a terminus at 21st in Hillsboro Village.  It could then join up with the AMP dedicated lanes near the Music Row Roundabout before crossing the interstate. That would better connect Music Row, Belmont, and Hillsboro Village with East Nashville.

 

Projects that are either under construction or are seriously proposed will increase the population within a half mile or so of 17th and Chet Atkins by around 3500 people (conservatively) within the next 2-3 years.  That doesn't include the 500 or so hotel rooms that are there nor the restaurants, retail, and grocery store proposed for the Buckingham project. It also does not include the 600 (?) new dorms at Kissam on Vanderbilt's Campus that will draw more students back in and does not include the new dorms on Belmont's Campus.

 

Roads probably do need to be reconfigured, but what really needs to happen is a comprehensive transportation plan for the area that doesn't rely on the automobile. This area will be a true live-work-play area where the pedestrian should be prioritized.  Expanding road capacity to meet the demand alone without addressing mass transit may very well lead to a dangerous pedestrian/bicycle environment.

Edited June 4, 2014 by Hey_Hey

[smeagolsfree]

Some equipment on site as well as concrete barriers. Power lines were coming down too.

[Bezoar]

Some equipment on site as well as concrete barriers. Power lines were coming down too.

 

Walked by here over lunch.  Noticed that Ken's was also finally closed down and moving their stuff out.    

[captainwjm]

Parking lot closed; barriers blocking 1 lane of 20th; looks like it's beginning to start.