Buckingham Gulch Tower 38 Floors, 450+ ft., 345 residential units, 4,900 sq. ft. retail

[rookzie]

I'm willing to do anything to help this tower get built at 38 story even it even if they can do that I'll study from my unit in the icon to prove that the building is not going to be a problem I would like to let the company use my unit just come help study the shadow problem

Call me over, when you do that.  I haven't been on local TV, since in St. Louis back in Sept '83 (although that was about nothing contentious).  It could be like a lobe black-and-gold "bobbing" in a sea of burnt-orange-and-navy blue (or even worse with the traditional orange and blue some 300 miles farther, if you know what I mean).

But might be a surprising high proportion of residents who feel just about the same as you, if you can make the case for the lesser of the 2 "evils", as it were, given that one way or the other is probably inevitable,  Just use the half-empty-vs-half-full argument.  If the developer hasn't done so already, they could utilize available real-time simulation software for illustration of dynamic shadow-casting, and the effects of the shading-cast based on varying zenith projections and duration throughout the calendar.
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[titanhog]

Yeah...the building is probably going to be built one way or another.  Do you want the big blob that will knock out all of the sun on your building...or the taller version that allows some sun?  Pick one...cause one is gonna happen no matter how much you cry, you little NIMBYs. 

[Hey_Hey]

For those interested here is the link to the BZA meeting concerning this project. The discussion for this project begins at the 01:33:00 mark and lasts almost two hours, ending at the 03:18:00 mark.  There is, in general, some interesting things that can be learned about what they consider when it comes to new buildings, specifically the effects new buildings have on the available light, air, and sound to the surrounding area. Views are not considered. The SOM architect does mention that other cities have much more rigorous reviews of light studies, meaning that Nashville is not any more averse to height from a regulatory standpoint than many other cities. 

 

Here are some 3D models that I screen grabbed from Youtube. Please forgive the subtitles that Metro puts in automatically. 

The building that they can build by right without any zoning variance or change. They can currently build up to 28 floors if they use certain building incentives for additional height.  What surprised me about this was how much taller this building is when compared to Icon or Terrazzo even without a height variance. 

The building they are proposing with 38 floors and a skinnier, more sleak profile.

 

[titanhog]

^^With those models, it's easy to see that the taller version is a) better for sunlight and b) a much better design all-around.

[TNinVB]

Thanks for posting the video, it was good to watch. I do agree a shadow study should be done for August and September since it's still "pool weather".  The lady from 1212 irritated the crap out of me. Don't move into a downtown area and not expect your views to affected in the future. Hopefully this passes at the next meeting and the 38 story version will go up. But with that being said, from what I understood there will not be another building as tall in the Gulch in the future. I can't believe the city would restrict the height like that. It's freaking downtown as far as I'm concerned!! They make it sound like the Gulch is so far removed. 

[chris holman]

Seriously does anybody have any information that I can obtain to contact the developer so he can use my unit to conduct light study this is all ridiculous to me but I want this tower to be built do you have a website to the development or contact information

For my unit you can see the entire Sun shadows on the entire area and on the property

[MLBrumby]

I think William Williams interviewed the man leading Buckingham in Nashville for the Post. Check with him. 

[Pyramid Scheme]

 

Even if it wasn't part of downtown I don't understand why there's any height limits except if the ground had some sort of issue. Nashville has all sorts of outside money being poured into it boosting the economy, creating jobs, etc. All the MDHA or BZA are are just bureaucracies that don't actually contribute to anything. Who are they to stand in the way of people who are actually making things happen?

 

 

From the perspective of a motorist passing by on the inner loop, it will appear to be about 500' tall.

 

Edited September 20, 2015 by Philip
A sentence I didn't write made it into my post.

[ruraljuror]

Thanks for posting the video, it was good to watch. I do agree a shadow study should be done for August and September since it's still "pool weather".  The lady from 1212 irritated the crap out of me. Don't move into a downtown area and not expect your views to affected in the future. Hopefully this passes at the next meeting and the 38 story version will go up. But with that being said, from what I understood there will not be another building as tall in the Gulch in the future. I can't believe the city would restrict the height like that. It's freaking downtown as far as I'm concerned!! They make it sound like the Gulch is so far removed. 

What do you mean by "from what I understood there will not be another building as tall in the Gulch in the future"?  

 

 

 

[Leif]

 

What do you mean by "from what I understood there will not be another building as tall in the Gulch in the future"?  

 

 

 

Downtown code says 28 stories max in south gulch at major intersections if developer hits all the bonus height program points. If you want to go higher that appeal goes to planning commission which is presumably a higher bar than bza. From what I can tell the planning commission bit is new (and doesn't apply to this project as they are grandfathered)

[ruraljuror]

Downtown code says 28 stories max in south gulch at major intersections if developer hits all the bonus height program points. If you want to go higher that appeal goes to planning commission which is presumably a higher bar than bza. From what I can tell the planning commission bit is new (and doesn't apply to this project as they are grandfathered)

Thanks for the info.  So I take it that possibility of future + 28 story projects isn't entirely precluded, just that there's another substantial hurdle to cross in going through the planning commission?

[Leif]

Thanks for the info.  So I take it that possibility of future + 28 story projects isn't entirely precluded, just that there's another substantial hurdle to cross in going through the planning commission?

Yes, from what I gather this is an attempt to get landmark architecture downtown and not 70 story 1212 which at face value seems reasonable. 

[titanhog]

Well...if they're going to restrict the Gulch...they should take all restrictions off of SoBro.

[chris holman]

I'm going to start being more active , in helping this city by going to these meetings , and by speaking up for pro development in the core , because it's all getting old to me every single tower it seems has hell to go through in order to get built , 

[Leif]

Well...if they're going to restrict the Gulch...they should take all restrictions off of SoBro.

SoBro and core have the least height restrictions. 

[chris holman]

I found the  Buckingham corporate headquarters phone number I'm going to call them this morning, offer any help I can with the shadow issue

I spent most of the day yesterday and looking outside my unit and realizing the building propose shadow won't even touch the terrazzo building until about 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon and also the swimming pool in the icon loses the sunlight at 3 p.m. anyway

[chris holman]

I'm basing what I am saying by the shadow of the terrazzo building it's built  on the same street 

 

In the morning the shadow of the Buckingham Tower will be cast over the interstate for majority of the day then by afternoon should shift over the top of sambuca and possibly the Thompson hotel

 

[Leif]

Given this major intersection zoning that allows for 28 stories by right at 12th and Division has anyone considered that the remaining corner can as a right also have a sun impact from the west? For all the griping about shadow and additional units someone else can build the same mass there as well. And then again at the corner of 12th and Demonbruen which will dramatically alter sight lines from pricier 1212 units. 

[chris holman]

I called the office is this morning and talk to the Secretary and gave her a little bit o a rundown of the things that I noticed in the area, a little bit of the things that I've posted on urban planet. She was telling me she appreciated my call and all information is helpful in this process so she pulled me over to Scott Travis answering service which I believe is the CEO of the company I left him a message telling him the things that I noticed in the area of the shadows the early morning shadows afternoon shadows where the Sun is located and if they could use my unit to do more observations

 

he's not in the office right now the secretary said she was going to get back with touch with me sometime after she talk to Travis

[Paramount747]

I think in any case, we are getting a building here. They build on the lots they can get. It appears with a triangular base, this will be very thin. Maybe 30 feet across? 40 at the most? I don't know, but this will be a razor blade of a tower if it goes 38.

[UTgrad09]

I think in any case, we are getting a building here. They build on the lots they can get. It appears with a triangular base, this will be very thin. Maybe 30 feet across? 40 at the most? I don't know, but this will be a razor blade of a tower if it goes 38.

It's actually a bit bigger than it looks.

Using the google measuring tool and the model photos posted above, it looks like the base of the building will be ~180 ft along Division and ~160 ft along 12th. The tower portion looks to be just a little skinnier than the Terrazo wing that fronts Division (maybe 70-75 ft compared to Terrazo's 85 or so). I'd guestimate the tall tower to be something like 75' x 125'. Obviously I don't have any real numbers, but that's just plugging in what I see from the model into what I see on the map.

Still, that kind of profile is going to look like a skinny tower compared to most of the current developments in Nashville. For reference, L&C is somewhere around 100' x 100' along Church & 4th. The Mandarin Oriental in Atlanta is somewhere around 100' x 150', and at 42 floors/580 ft, would seem to be a bigger version of this sort of footprint.

[titanhog]

I'm really hoping for the 38 story version.  That 28 story version will definitely look like a big block from many perspectives.  The two designs are night and day as far as eye-appeal. 

[BnaBreaker]

I'm feeling pretty confident that we'll get the 38 story version.  But I tell ya what, if this city starts getting into the pattern of opposing skyscrapers because it might result in a small handful of people in a neighboring building losing an hour of sunbathing time, then we're in for some problems.

Edited September 22, 2015 by BnaBreaker

[rookzie]

I called the office is this morning and talk to the Secretary and gave her a little bit o a rundown of the things that I noticed in the area, a little bit of the things that I've posted on urban planet. She was telling me she appreciated my call and all information is helpful in this process so she pulled me over to Scott Travis answering service which I believe is the CEO of the company I left him a message telling him the things that I noticed in the area of the shadows the early morning shadows afternoon shadows where the Sun is located and if they could use my unit to do more observations

he's not in the office right now the secretary said she was going to get back with touch with me sometime after she talk to Travis

 

Chris, invite him over for coffee and danish (or even Sonic Li'l Doggies ─ I bet that'll get him over there (ha-ha).  Seriously though, you might also actually submit a hand-typed (rather, a word-processor-composed and printed) short letter, enveloped and addressed directly to the CEO and copy it to someone directly associated with her or him.  You yourself could draft and compose it, or you could request assistance with content from any one or ones or us in this forum.
 

IMO, Hey_Hey himself, might be game, if he can afford the time in the immediate future, and I am "conscripting" him as a first "house-aid", because of his demonstrated proactive collaborative stand.
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[chris holman]

It's definitely a option , im going to start getting more involved in helping the developers anyway I can  that want to invest in our city get support and information to help get their projects build. 

 

I'm getting Very frustrated how hard it is to get things built here!!!