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

[markhollin]

Something large might be brewing at Ellington Parkway/Hart Lane interchange:

 

http://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2015/05/29/developer-march-egerton-buys-acres-ellington-parkway/28178191/

[Paramount747]

I find comments like the one expressed in the article offensive, yet not surprising. It's the older generation 70+ that let East Nashville decay the way it did. I worked on South 11th Street back in the 1980's at Nashville Group Home. The street then was known as cocaine alley, and no one in East Nashville cared.

 

 

Then the the young hipsters, the LGBT community (who were not welcome in the new suburbs), or developers like Mark Sanders came in and basically rebuilt the East Side to a thriving retail, and business district. Now the older generation hates it. I think mainly because their laziness and passivity has finally caught up to them and people ask them why they did nothing.

 

While it's true gentrification issues may be present, the older generation cannot blame the younger generation for its constant failures at taking care of their neighborhood. Its the younger generation bailing them out and increasing the property values they let diminish.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Paramount747

[FatherLand]

Here are my thoughts on the ongoing gentrification debate, curious everyone's take. Not meant to argue, just a matter of perspective maybe?

 

I am a younger guy who's only lived in 2 neighborhoods: I bought a fixer upper in Bordeaux when I was 21, and a fixer upper on Fatherland when I was 27. When I lived in Bordeaux, the only gentrification I ever witnessed was when my next door neighbor who sold crack moved out, and a pot dealer moved in. That was gentrification. Property values were stagnant over 10 years, (and probably decades before me) and probably went down. 

 

So then I moved to Fatherland street and I was part of a thriving community where families walked their dogs and children RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. That was unheard of in Bordeaux. Then 7 years later, property values have skyrocketed, and I am SO HAPPY! I made a great investment, if I sold my house I could make $100,000 (or more!) But others are mad that the area is nicer. Others don't want developers knocking down a decrepit, old, run down eyesore of a house and building a beautiful huge newer home that a family will want to buy. Why??? I've never heard of such a thing! 

 

So it was such an odd thing for me when I read about run away property values, because I am so happy, but others are mad. I understand affordability of neighborhoods, but my view is no one is mad when some people can't afford to live on Tyne Boulevard, because, well, it's really expensive there. Not every neighborhood has houses that everyone can afford. Some areas are affordable, some are moderately priced, and some are very expensive. That's just the free market working it's magic I reckon. If East Nashville is transitioning from affordable to moderately priced to very expensive, I mean, that's just the proximity to downtown, the restaurants and bars within walking distance, the brand new beautiful homes, and the renovated homes like ours that we've poured 10's of 1000's of dollars into, that are driving the prices up. It is what it is, I thought that's what we wanted? (That's what I wanted anyway, I invested all this money so my house WOULD be worth more money!)

 

Should we enact legislation for rent control? I have no idea. It's just a natural business cycle. No one wants to draft legislation to cap the prices on the mansions on Tyne Blvd, because that's what they're worth, because that's what a willing buyer is willing to pay for them in an arms length transaction. 

 

Am I way off? Am I a bad person?

[Nashville Cliff]

FatherLand, a few thoughts.  First. As far as I know, you are not a bad person. Second, one of the concerns regarding affordability have to do with things like transportation. A lot of the people who have been or potentially will be displaced are reliant upon public transportation, a reliance that becomes more and more tenuous as rising prices push them further out and away from their jobs. Third, one of the big reasons close-in neighborhoods like ours have become so popular is their proximity to downtown attractions. All of us as a community have invested in making the core vibrant; should only the wealthy have reasonable access to that vibrancy? Fourth, studies have shown that the poor are more likely to rise out of poverty and their children more likely to succeed when they live interspersed in better off neighborhoods. We all will eventually pay more by failing to provide or retain affordable housing options across our city rather than just pushing the poor further and further out. Five, I am also glad my property values have been rising. It's a tricky subject. 

Edited June 3, 2015 by Nashville Cliff

[FatherLand]

Thanks Cliff, those are great thoughts. My wife is a social worker and I am an accountant, so we discuss these things from polar opposite view points. I suppose my views about East Nashville gentrification are based mainly on the opposite neighborhoods I've experienced, I bought a terrible house that no one will buy from me in a neighborhood that no one will move to, vs.  now, I lucked out and bought a house that everyone wants to buy in a neighborhood that everyone wants to move to. But my view is not necessarily the right view, and I understand and appreciate that. 

 

I will see a tiny house that looks terrible, it has a choppy floor plan that no current buyers want, it has no redeeming qualities that I can see, and then I see on Zillow that it has been sold, and I get so excited to see it torn down and a beautiful new house replace it owned by a family that will maintain it, and that makes our neighborhood nicer, and our houses worth more money. Then I read the developer cannot tear it down because it was built during a certain time period, and it is a 'contributing structure'.

 

To me, it just looked like a crappy house that hasn't been maintained in decades. So living in this neighborhood and experiencing this boom, it has been a big learning experience for me. I'm 33, not 53, so I admittedly don't have the 'historic perspective' that others speak of. I love older homes with architectural detail, and it also angers me when those get torn down and replaced with an umbilical duplex. But what I fear is a knee-jerk reaction by "NIMBY's" - a term I learned due to living here! - that prevent older homes from being replaced with nice new ones, simply because of their age. And I'm not sure if NIMBY is a derogatory term? If so, I sure don't mean it negatively.

 

I'm kind of the opposite of a NIMBY, I enjoy seeing development generally speaking, and to me, the guy who used to live in Bordeaux, development was synonymous with progress, because no one invested a red cent in my old neighborhood. And people are lining up requesting to throw money at our neighborhood! But some of them get told no? No, you can't fix this house up. No, you can't tear that old house down that actually does not "look" nice, and build a nicer one. No, you can't make this neighborhood nicer. How is that possible?! I'd think. But hearing this gentrification talk has caused me to think a little more about my position. 

Edited June 3, 2015 by FatherLand

[CenterHill]

"And people are lining up requesting to throw money at our neighborhood! But some of them get told no? No, you can't fix this house up. No, you can't tear that old house down that actually does not "look" nice, and build a nicer one. No, you can't make this neighborhood nicer. How is that possible?! I'd think. "

 

I expect your question is in part rhetorical, but the short answer is almost certainly your zoning.    I'm not sure which part of Fatherland you live on, but I'm guessing the houses you describe in your neighborhood are either within the Edgefield Historic Preservation District (adopted in 1978) or the Lockland Springs-East End Conservation District (adopted in 1985).   So the result that you lament (not being able to tear down old properties and build nicer new ones) is possible because the owners of properties in those neighborhoods at the time collectively decided the "old" properties were worth preserving and protecting against free market forces.     You weren't around in 1978, but the "market forces" on Fatherland and East Nashville generally at that time were quite different than they are today, and are what led to the push for the overlay as a means to retain property values.      

 

Zoning, of course, does not force anyone to maintain their properties, so the flipside is that some old properties can simply continue to sit and get older.   

[FatherLand]

I expect your question is in part rhetorical, but the short answer is almost certainly your zoning.    I'm not sure which part of Fatherland you live on, but I'm guessing the houses you describe in your neighborhood are either within the Edgefield Historic Preservation District (adopted in 1978) or the Lockland Springs-East End Conservation District (adopted in 1985).   So the result that you lament (not being able to tear down old properties and build nicer new ones) is possible because the owners of properties in those neighborhoods at the time collectively decided the "old" properties were worth preserving and protecting against free market forces.     You weren't around in 1978, but the "market forces" on Fatherland and East Nashville generally at that time were quite different than they are today, and are what led to the push for the overlay as a means to retain property values.      

 

Zoning, of course, does not force anyone to maintain their properties, so the flipside is that some old properties can simply continue to sit and get older.   

Yes sir it's the zoning. And my intent was definitely not to be inconsiderate, my lament above was really to highlight my previous naivety prior to joining this group (and potential naivety of other youngish peers) regarding housing affordability, and the cheering on of bigger, newer, more expensive houses at any cost, human or monetary. 

[Nashville Cliff]

I would add to what CenterHill said that being old is not enough to make a house contributing. I recommend looking over the overlay guidelines.  Here's the link for Lockeland Springs/East End: http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/MHZC/docs/Design%20Guidelines/LSEE%202014.pdf

[TnNative]

Looks like Oasis Market is getting ready to open soon.

 

 

Also, the former church being developed as an event space at 1530 Riverside Drive (by the Ruby folks) has a for sale sign back on the property. Anyone know details?

[bwithers1]

Looks like Oasis Market is getting ready to open soon.

 

 

 

Also, the former church being developed as an event space at 1530 Riverside Drive (by the Ruby folks) has a for sale sign back on the property. Anyone know details?

I would have to look at the part of their property in question.  There is a cottage development proposal for the lot on Porter Road just south of the crazy tower at Cahal.  That lot actually goes from Porter all the way to the back of the former Riverside Church of Christ.  Then the current townhome project on Porter is going to be greatly expanded as a larger cottage/townhome development.  The cottage development that will replace the log home formerly the residence of Jimmy Buffet on Porter is getting started as well.  Not crazy about the latter.

[grilled_cheese]

Coming home from Tenn 16 and took a detour down Cahal and then popped back out on Litton.  There were no less than 10 houses under construction....crazy.

 

Studio 615, across from Maplewood.

 

[markhollin]

Nice to see this old fire station on Gallatin Road getting saved and repurposed:

 

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2015/06/14/dilapidated-east-nashville-firehouse-get-new-life/71158108/

[rookzie]

Nice to see this old fire station on Gallatin Road getting saved and repurposed:

 

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2015/06/14/dilapidated-east-nashville-firehouse-get-new-life/71158108/

 

Yes, this is good news for Bezoar's father and for even me. (et.al., of course.).

-==-

[TnNative]

Permits from Friday -

 

1) Permit pulled to rehab the old Worms Way on Main to Smith and Lentz Brewery.

 

2) Master permit to build the first phase of the development at Waters Ave and Riverside Dr.

 

3) Permit pulled for the sign for Family Wash on Main Street.

[37206dude]

I just got the notice for Planning Commission hearing for 10th/Russell (church lawn property directly across the street from the Farrow, the one where the farmer's market used to be)

2015SP-070-001

R8 to SP-MU

June 25 4PM Sonny West CC 700 2nd Ave

 

Can anyone find and post some details of the proposal?

I still cannot figure out planning's website.

I am concerned there may be some of the usual curmudgeony opposition to any density.

If this is a solid plan I would like to at least email my support and I will try to make the meeting....

[bwithers1]

I just got the notice for Planning Commission hearing for 10th/Russell (church lawn property directly across the street from the Farrow, the one where the farmer's market used to be)

2015SP-070-001

R8 to SP-MU

June 25 4PM Sonny West CC 700 2nd Ave

 

Can anyone find and post some details of the proposal?

I still cannot figure out planning's website.

I am concerned there may be some of the usual curmudgeony opposition to any density.

If this is a solid plan I would like to at least email my support and I will try to make the meeting....

Is this for 210 S 10th, at the southwest corner of 10th/Russell?  Here is the preliminary SP site plan MHZC staff analysis http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/MHZC/docs/2015%20Meetings/6%20June/210%20S%2010th%20St,%202015,%20preliminary.pdf.  That MHZC hearing will take place tomorrow (Wednesday, 2:00 PM at Sonny West Conference Center).  Keep in mind this approval is just for bulk height/massing, not uses or design details just yet.  If the MHZC recommends approval of the site plan/massing to Planning, then the Planning Commissioners will take up the uses and other details and make a recomendation to Council.  If Council approves, the plan will come back to MHZC for final design review.

Edited June 16, 2015 by bwithers1

[bwithers1]

Also, here is the MHZC staff analsysis for the project proposed for the north side of Shelby between 14th and 15th http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/MHZC/docs/2015%20Meetings/6%20June/SR%201400%20Block%20Shelby%20Avenue%20(0%20Shelby%20Ave).pdf. 

[37206dude]

Is this for 210 S 10th, at the southwest corner of 10th/Russell?  Here is the preliminary SP site plan MHZC staff analysis http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/MHZC/docs/2015%20Meetings/6%20June/210%20S%2010th%20St,%202015,%20preliminary.pdf.  That MHZC hearing will take place tomorrow (Wednesday, 2:00 PM at Sonny West Conference Center).  Keep in mind this approval is just for bulk height/massing, not uses or design details just yet.  If the MHZC recommends approval of the site plan/massing to Planning, then the Planning Commissioners will take up the uses and other details and make a recomendation to Council.  If Council approves, the plan will come back to MHZC for final design review.

 

Yes, that's it.

 

Thanks Brett.  What do you think of the 10th/Russell project?

Anyone else have any thoughts?

 

I don't know what the reasoning was for the change but District 6 rep Peter W told me the original plan was for mixed use but now is residential only.

I would have preferred some mixed use there.

Edited June 16, 2015 by 37206dude

[Nashville Cliff]

I am concerned there may be some of the usual curmudgeony opposition to any density.

 

That is quite likely.  At least one prominent Edgefield ring leader and political backer is on record as opposing any new SPs until there is a review of infrastructure needs in the neighborhood and as being generally opposed to new development in East Nashville.

[37206dude]

That is quite likely.  At least one prominent Edgefield ring leader and political backer is on record as opposing any new SPs until there is a review of infrastructure needs in the neighborhood and as being generally opposed to new development in East Nashville.

 

MHZC is today...

Do you think it will actually meet opposition there?

 

If so then it's important for everyone here to voice support if you do feel the plan is appropriate.

At this first stage there is no design consideration so just a matter of scale and use (all residential).

 

MHZC:

[email protected]

 

2015SP-070-001 10th/Russell

210 South 10th Street

Project Lead: Robin Zeigler, [email protected]

 

I went ahead and also cc'd planning:

[email protected]

[Nashville Cliff]

MHZC is today...

Do you think it will actually meet opposition there?

 

 

I haven't heard specific opposition to this proposal, but with the general groundswell of anti-development sentiment among some Easties, including the Edgefield old guard, I wouldn't be surprised.

[bwithers1]

Yes, that's it.

 

Thanks Brett.  What do you think of the 10th/Russell project?

Anyone else have any thoughts?

 

I don't know what the reasoning was for the change but District 6 rep Peter W told me the original plan was for mixed use but now is residential only.

I would have preferred some mixed use there.

I believe that the land use policy for that site is residential only.  I could be mistaken.  But if that is the case, the proposal team may have decided not to pursue the additional step of seeking a land use policy change in addition to approval of the SP. 

 

I don't have any specific thoughts about this plan other than to say that 10th is a heavily-traveled border street between two neighborhoods and as such lends itself well to increased density, whether of a residential multifamily or of a mixed-use nature.  That street could benefit from more connectivity.  Naturally, the devil is in the details, and constituent support is important for such a change. 

 

I am not certain whether or not this plan has been presented at an Edgefield meeting.  I could ask the Historic Edgefield president, who is quite open to and supportive of new development proposals, by the way. 

[FatherLand]

10th and Fatherland commercial project has officially began

[Hibah Qubain]

President of Historic Edgefield here.

 

It seems a few of you have made remarks about our neighborhood being in opposition to this, as well as other development. My impression is that this opposition is viewed as a negative thing. Although I'm not speaking for everyone in Edgefield, our neighborhood wants to maintain a livable situation and 37206 is quickly turning away from that due to smart growth being thrown away for dollars. Many of us in my neighborhood are not opposed to development. We are asking that it be done with more thought and care.

 

If the community doesn't force smart growth on these developers (who mainly are in it for the money, which I totally understand), what stops us from turning into an LA or an Atlanta? All of that so a handful of people can make 15% more then they would have if they gave back to the community with more thoughtful development?

 

These developers gravitate to this area, not because previous developers have made it appealing, but because of these historic voices that still live in the neighborhood. These voices have changed East Nashville from a more than questionable neighborhood to a place where people want to settle down.

 

Developers are licking their chops seeing this with almost zero respect to those who have made this place so wonderful.

[grilled_cheese]

Looks like they are starting the foundation at the corner of Gallatin and Riverwood.  There is also a three story structure going in across from the Inglewood BofA.