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

[AronG]

21 hours ago, PruneTracy said:

C'mon, dudes. This is a four-lane roadway that is projected to get 14,000 to 16,000 vehicles per day. I get that the bridge provides the opportunity for pedestrians to take in some nice views but user safety takes precedence over that. Engineers get charged with protecting the welfare of the public and not getting splattered is higher on the welfare totem pole than being able to see the skyline.

In any case I will grant you guys that it's just as likely this was an oversight as it was an intentional design choice, sort of the Hanlon's razor of the built environment.

Safety's important, and you sound like you know more about it than me, but the whole idea that they would toss out the pedestrian experience just because cars are dangerous seems incredibly short-sighted to me. I'd make the case that for Nashville at this point any project inside the inner loop that is designed 'primarily for vehicular traffic' is basically wasted time and money.  If that's the only goal then all we get for the price tag is to marginally optimize the # of cars we can cram downtown by a fraction of a percent, which just encourages a few more people to live further out and hop in the car for the daily commute.

Projects downtown should be primarily focused on pedestrian and bike traffic, with car traffic as a secondary consideration. When we're successful with that approach, living nearby becomes more attractive, people are closer to where they work and play, and an order of magnitude more people can get around the city in the same space. There's obviously an element of if-you-build-it-they-will-come right now, but we'll never get there if we spend our efforts building pedestrian-hostile connectors that just distribute Williamson county commuters more efficiently.

[markhollin]

Criminal Justice Center (6 stories) update. Underground garage complete, and up to the second floor now.

Looking SW from intersection of 2nd Ave. North and Gay Street:

[markhollin]

Third & Madison is now being called The Atlas (5 stories, 95 units, retail/restaurant).

Looking NW from intersection of 2nd Ave. North and Madison St:

 

Looking NE from intersection of 3rd and Madison St:

 

Looking SE from 3rd Ave. North 1/2 block north of Madison:

[markhollin]

Article on the growing number of new office and residential buildings downtown that have street activation in the form of restaurants and retail:

http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/nashville-post-magazine/article/20978491/revving-up-retail

What the street activation of intersection of 1st Ave. South and Demonbreun will look when that side of the 222 2nd Ave. South office tower is finished:

[Pdt2f]

^Thats one of the  primary things I love about modern urban architecture, that they take into account the street level and neighborhood experience as much as they do the office/residential/hotel experience. 

[CenterHill]

45 minutes ago, Pdt2f said:

^Thats one of the  primary things I love about modern urban architecture, that they take into account the street level and neighborhood experience as much as they do the office/residential/hotel experience. 

Yes and as much as we all agree that street level activation and pedestrian access are fundamentals of good urban design, many developers have to be pushed in that direction.     We are fortunate that Nashville adopted the form-based Downtown Code in 2010 that contained requirements and guidelines for construction in the central core that encourage and require street level activation along primary and secondary streets.     That zoning change has been critical to ensure developers incorporate retail and pedestrian friendly design at the sidewalk level, so we don't end up with "dead" sidewalks like  those surrounding TPAC, like the 6th Ave N side of the Cumberland Apartments and the BOA/Doubletree Plaza on Deaderick St., to name a few of the pre-Downtown Code developments that we're still living with.      

 

[titanhog]

This is where they made a mistake with the MCC.  They should have added at least SOME restaurant / retail space along the thousands of feet of exterior.  Glad to see they're adding that space across from the Embassy Suites.  Hope it's not the last.

[markhollin]

The Holiday Inn Express Nashville-Downtown on Broadway is undergoing interior and exterior upgrades, with an April 2018 completion being targeted.

Los Angeles-based JRK Property Holdings, which owns the building, has begun giving the eight-story building an exterior paint job. The new color scheme — highlighted with a medium gray — is expected to age more effectively than the previous iteration and coordinate better with the colors (green and blue) of the recently installed updated Holiday Inn Express signage, according to Bobby Lee, JRK's president.

metal panels will be installed on the exterior. A modernist sculpture will be added at the southwest corner of the building. Exterior lighting, including within the porte-cochere, will be upgraded, along with some landscaping improvements.

 

http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/article/20978489/downtown-holiday-inn-express-lands-upgrades
 

[fieldmarshaldj]

^They can paint it whatever shade they wish (I remember it when it was painted brown), it's still ugly and ought to be demo'd.

[titanhog]

6 minutes ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

^They can paint it whatever shade they wish (I remember it when it was painted brown), it's still ugly and ought to be demo'd.

Yeah...I wish the company that owns it would tear it down and build an InterContinental.  Same company, right? (IHG)

[Nathan_in_DC]

52 minutes ago, titanhog said:

Yeah...I wish the company that owns it would tear it down and build an InterContinental.  Same company, right? (IHG)

I don't even mind it being a Holiday Inn. They've stepped up their game recently, and I haven't had a bad experience in one. I just hate that craptastic building being at the gateway to downtown.

[urbanplanet17]

On 10/5/2017 at 8:59 AM, MLBrumby said:

Ragland (aka Michael Hayes), the same people who put up 222 (the "zebra building") are mulling a new "tower" for the Listening Room site; Scant on details from the Tennessean ... http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/article/20978138/tower-eyed-for-exlistening-room-site-in-sobro

It was only a matter of time.

[markhollin]

The Monroe (5 & 4 stories, 244 units) update.

Looking NW from intersection of Monroe and 3rd Ave. North:

 

Looking at brick work along 3rd Ave. North:

 

Looking NE from corner of Monroe and 4th Ave. North:

[smeagolsfree]

Not a fan of the building as it looks too suburban for where it is. The color of the brick lacks for sure. Using pastels and light earthy toned colors in an urban setting on the hardy board does not work either. It just does not age well.  Also, the color of the brick on parts of the LC project mainly on the corner of 3rd and Monroe does not look good either. The rest of it seems to be fine.

The Alliance project is another disaster as far as materials used. Way too busy.

[markhollin]

7th & Taylor Condos (3 stories, 6 units) update.

Looking SW from corner of 7th Ave. North and Taylor Street:
 

[markhollin]

7th and Garfield Townhomes (3 stories, 6 units) update.

Looking south from intersection of Garfield and 7th Ave. North:
 

[markhollin]

Hammer Mill (6 and 7 stories, 256 units,) wants to add 4,000 square feet of retail:

http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/article/20978971/germantown-apartment-building-could-include-retail
 

[thenorthchannel]

Per Sichko's twitter page

Division Street connector to open Monday at 1000am.     

[markhollin]

Hammer Mill (6 and 7 stories, 256 units, 4,000 sq. ft. of retail) update.

The old mill building being revamped for restaurant space.  Looking south along Adams Street just south of intersection with Van Buren:

 

Looking east from Centurion Stone site towards the river:

 

Looking south from Centurion Stone:

[markhollin]

Miscellaneous Germantown project updates.

2nd Avenue Townhomes (3 stories, 22 units) excavation complete. Looking SW from corner of Taylor and 2nd Ave. North:

The Livery (2 stories, retail/event space) site cleared and erosion barriers in place. Looking SE from corner of Monroe and 5th Ave. North:

 

4th & Hime Townhomes (3 stories, 15 units) land cleared.  Looking NW from intersection of 4th AVe. North and Hume St:

 

Third Avenue Storage (6 stories, including ground level retail), blasting, core drilling, excavation underway. Looking SE from intersection of Monroe and 3rd Ave. North:

[Pyramid Scheme]

Finally! I was worried the Livery was going to be defeated by "nimby's"

[smeagolsfree]

They really don't have a say in this one as Jim Creason could do the project by rights. From what I understand he was trying to work with the neighbors and they didn't want what he planned, however he did not need their approval. He was being a responsible developer and neighbor.

Someone please correct if this info is incorrect.

[Pyramid Scheme]

Jim Creason puts up some of the best infill in the city. The more work he does the better.

[markhollin]

Getting ready to open today. I wanted to be there for ribbon cutting, but have s sudden out-of-town trip this morning.  Some shots from Sunday morning.

Looking NE from apex:

 

Looking north from eastern downslope:

 

Looking NE from 1/2 block west of 6th Ave. South:

 

Looking east from 1/2 block west of 6th Ave. South:

 

Looking west from intersection with 6th Ave. South:

Interesting that there are three random parking space about 1/3 of the way up the slope along the southern edge on the eastern slope.  Perhaps they ARE encouraging folks to stop and snap a few pics of the skyline.  There are decent views from the northern edge across the four lanes.  However, I still contend the best views were at the peak of the bridge about 250 feet further to the the west--but, alas, the 8' fencing obstructs.

 

There are recessed light fixtures in the sidewalks about every 25 feet on each side. 

 

Looking SW down the pedestrian walkway that leads down to the intersection of Ewing Ave. and Vine Street:

 

Looking NE from the small plaza up the pedestrian walkway from intersection of Vine Str. and Ewing Ave. 

 

Here is rendering of the plaza when it will be finished:

 

Diagram and renderings of where trees/shrubs will be placed:

[thenorthchannel]

Walked from The Icon across the connector and down the walk way to Tennessee Brew Works yesterday to watch the NFL games on Sunday Ticket.     As long as you are moving (walking/driving) the views are still there.    Like others I would have like better picture taking options but this bridge is something I am very excited about as I routinely drive from The Gulch to Wedgewood-Houston.