Amazon: The Thread | 5,000 Jobs | 1M SQFT in Nashville Yards

[smeagolsfree]

A shot of the streetscape of upper 10th.

[markhollin]

Amazon commits $75 million over the next 5 years to help developers build 800 affordable homes near Nashville corridors served by WeGo public transit.

The $75 million earmarked for Nashville will focus on properties within half a mile of WeGo bus stops — the transit agency carries about 30,000 riders daily — and prioritize investing in minority-led organizations and racially and economically diverse communities.

The commitments announced Wednesday are part of Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund initiative, which is funneling more than $2 billion toward the preservation and creation of more than 20,000 affordable homes in its largest markets. The company’s rapid growth has in various cities been pointed to as a cause of rising housing costs that have displaced residents.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/amazon-commits-75m-to-affordable-housing/article_2f131152-cea3-11eb-a791-5b1534c473f5.html


And at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2021/06/16/amazon-wego-housing.html


And at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2021/06/16/amazon-commits-75-million-develop-affordable-housing-nashville/5294404001/

[smeagolsfree]

We have to have a viable mass transit system in order to have decent TOD's. A crappy bus system does not work well! We have BRT lite that does not work well either. Thank you State of TN and Nashville voters for your lack of intellect and understanding of Nashville's  transit needs. A mass transit plan should have started under the Bredesen administration.

[evansnathan]

[jmtunafish]

2 hours ago, evansnathan said:

 

It drives me crazy to see these pictures and know that there's not a single passenger train or commuter train using these tracks.  I know CSX has good reasons to not want additional trains using their rails, but it still seems like such a waste.  Behold CSX tracks in the region, in blue.  Non CSX tracks are in green.

[titanhog]

48 minutes ago, jmtunafish said:

It drives me crazy to see these pictures and know that there's not a single passenger train or commuter train using these tracks.  I know CSX has good reasons to not want additional trains using their rails, but it still seems like such a waste.  Behold CSX tracks in the region, in blue.  Non CSX tracks are in green.

Yep.  CSX tracks would give us an instant regional transit option.

[MLBrumby]

And Nashville Yards would instantly be the transit hub.

I mentioned a few months ago that the UT School of Architecture has been asked by CSX to study A MOVE OF RADNOR YARDS to outside Davidson County. It will be next spring and will look at utilizing the tracks through the city for other use. Fingers crossed they recommend transit and CSX sees a lot of reasons to move RY. With the price of real estate in the city, they’d more than pay for their new facilities. And it’s likely to be closer to the manufacturers who need convenient freight transport from a multimodal hub. Could be really huge.

Edited June 20, 2021 by MLBrumby

[bnacincy]

19 minutes ago, MLBrumby said:

And Nashville Yards would instantly be the transit hub.

Union Station would be the transit hub and Nashville  Yards  would be the main beneficiary....along with the rest of downtown.

I think everything depends on CSX and if they build a new switching yard to replace  Radnor Yard. There was talk of that on this forum sometime back about a proposal that would put a new yard somewhere SW of Nashville....don't know what will become of it.

[MLBrumby]

Yes I edited the previous comment in reference to that possibility. I know the UT faculty member who will be heading up that study. He’s a veteran of the school and is from Nashville. You’re speculating on union station poses an interesting question as to the actual station. it is now privately owned and has been adapted for hotel use and is not likely to be seen as an effective or practical design for a modern transit hub. I just done expect metro to be interested in buying it for that use. However metro may be interested in the site of the old shed and or the clement landoirt but I think that may have been sold to private developers too. 

[titanhog]

1 hour ago, MLBrumby said:

Yes I edited the previous comment in reference to that possibility. I know the UT faculty member who will be heading up that study. He’s a veteran of the school and is from Nashville. You’re speculating on union station poses an interesting question as to the actual station. it is now privately owned and has been adapted for hotel use and is not likely to be seen as an effective or practical design for a modern transit hub. I just done expect metro to be interested in buying it for that use. However metro may be interested in the site of the old shed and or the clement landoirt but I think that may have been sold to private developers too. 

Yeah…the parking lot that’s where the old shed was would be a good place for the transit hub.

[MagicPotato]

On 6/19/2021 at 4:48 PM, jmtunafish said:

It drives me crazy to see these pictures and know that there's not a single passenger train or commuter train using these tracks.  I know CSX has good reasons to not want additional trains using their rails, but it still seems like such a waste.  Behold CSX tracks in the region, in blue.  Non CSX tracks are in green.

Wow, I didn't know the Music City Star connected that far out.... Transit is definitely possible.,,, Especially with the routes highlighted in green, we could have a good use for the current existing railroad tracks. I don't why there's such an anti thesis against mass transit.  Nashville doesn't even have to build new tracks, we could just use the existing ones and save some money, and maybe in the future we could expand... That'll help out a whole lot....

[titanhog]

3 hours ago, MagicPotato said:

Wow, I didn't know the Music City Star connected that far out.... Transit is definitely possible.,,, Especially with the routes highlighted in green, we could have a good use for the current existing railroad tracks. I don't why there's such an anti thesis against mass transit.  Nashville doesn't even have to build new tracks, we could just use the existing ones and save some money, and maybe in the future we could expand... That'll help out a whole lot....

We just have to somehow steal the tracks from CSX.  Easy Peasy. 

[BnaBreaker]

17 hours ago, titanhog said:

We just have to somehow steal the tracks from CSX.  Easy Peasy. 

Just put me in a leather catsuit and lower me down from the ceiling in between the lasers and I'll just grab them and put them in the duffel bag... then we make a B-Line to the roof and hop in the waiting helicopter... Easy Peasy!  

[PruneTracy]

You had me at leather catsuit.

[titanhog]

4 hours ago, BnaBreaker said:

Just put me in a leather catsuit and lower me down from the ceiling in between the lasers and I'll just grab them and put them in the duffel bag... then we make a B-Line to the roof and hop in the waiting helicopter... Easy Peasy!  

 

[markhollin]

More details on Amazon's offer to commit $75 million in low-interest loans to private developers to preserve at least 800 apartments near WeGo transit routes in the city at The Tennessean here:

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2021/06/22/amazon-investment-nashville-growth-cash-low-income-housing/7730930002/

[markhollin]

Amazon will pay its downtown employees $175 per month to cover bicycle-related expenses to get to work each day via their bikes. This is further support of their desire is to see at least 30% of these employees walk or bike to work each day. Initially, the Nashville Yards Amazon One Tower will have 190 bike racks for parking.

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2021/07/01/amazon-bike-subsidy-nashville-office.html

[nashvylle]

3 hours ago, markhollin said:

Amazon will pay its downtown employees $175 per month to cover bicycle-related expenses to get to work each day via their bikes. This is further support of their desire is to see at least 30% of these employees walk or bike to work each day. Initially, the Nashville Yards Amazon One Tower will have 190 bike racks for parking.

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2021/07/01/amazon-bike-subsidy-nashville-office.html

I always thought part of the solution to Nashville's traffic woes would be to Bus Pool for the largest employers. Each of Amazon, Oracle, Bridgestone, etc. could determine which employees would use the company dedicated bus, and which part of town they are going to. Nashville could supply the buses. If all of Amazon's employees live in Franklin and Bellevue, the buses would go directly to an agreed upon location there (no stops along the way). 

[AUNash]

I cycle to work regularly right down Elliston and Church. Although there is a bike lane on church down to 40, there’s a choke point at 40 that is hard to navigate. The notion of incentivizing employees to cycle regularly would be enhanced if there was a dedicated bike lane all the way down Elliston to Centennial. This would connect Amazon via a safe bike route to The Nations, Sylvan Park (via 440 greenway), Richland West End, and all the neighborhoods that are connected by the Richland Creek Greenway around McAbe Park. In the other direction, the Commerce bike lane is a good start. But it needs maintenance. And it needs connections to the pedestrian bridge (you can already get from the pedestrian bridge all the way to Shelby Bottoms in a pretty protected bike lane). I haven’t explored how to get from Amazon to Germantown via bike but that would seem another opportunity to connect.

[Binbin98]

9 hours ago, nashvylle said:

I always thought part of the solution to Nashville's traffic woes would be to Bus Pool for the largest employers. Each of Amazon, Oracle, Bridgestone, etc. could determine which employees would use the company dedicated bus, and which part of town they are going to. Nashville could supply the buses. If all of Amazon's employees live in Franklin and Bellevue, the buses would go directly to an agreed upon location there (no stops along the way). 

Maybe if/when more large tech companies come to Nashville there could be bus lines connecting all the tech hubs to different neighborhoods (ex: the Amazon line or oracle line). I know that’s silly but it would be cool if it happened, this is assuming Nashville city government gives a crap about public transportation haha

[Nashvillain]

1 hour ago, Binbin98 said:

Maybe if/when more large tech companies come to Nashville there could be bus lines connecting all the tech hubs to different neighborhoods (ex: the Amazon line or oracle line). I know that’s silly but it would be cool if it happened, this is assuming Nashville city government gives a crap about public transportation haha

I think, by and large, "Nashville City government" does give a crap about public transportation, but you have to keep in mind that Nashville City government is council strong and executive weak. And the metro council is 40 members with constituencies in far-flung areas of the county ill served by public transit. Hard to get citizens and their representatives on board with infrastructure they don't stand to benefit from (i.e., they don't think they stand to benefit from). Not to mention, Nashville is a somewhat progressive city in a conservative state, the government of which goes out of its way to hamstring transit initiatives and funding for its big cities. 

Edited July 3, 2021 by Nashvillain

[BnaBreaker]

4 hours ago, AUNash said:

I cycle to work regularly right down Elliston and Church. Although there is a bike lane on church down to 40, there’s a choke point at 40 that is hard to navigate. The notion of incentivizing employees to cycle regularly would be enhanced if there was a dedicated bike lane all the way down Elliston to Centennial. This would connect Amazon via a safe bike route to The Nations, Sylvan Park (via 440 greenway), Richland West End, and all the neighborhoods that are connected by the Richland Creek Greenway around McAbe Park. In the other direction, the Commerce bike lane is a good start. But it needs maintenance. And it needs connections to the pedestrian bridge (you can already get from the pedestrian bridge all the way to Shelby Bottoms in a pretty protected bike lane). I haven’t explored how to get from Amazon to Germantown via bike but that would seem another opportunity to connect.

Well said, and I agree.  The bike lanes in Nashville are largely a joke.  A shoulder doesn't magically become a bike lane just because you paint a little bicycle on it, city government.  

[Nashvillain]

1 minute ago, BnaBreaker said:

Well said, and I agree.  The bike lanes in Nashville are largely a joke.  A shoulder doesn't magically become a bike lane just because you paint a little bicycle on it, city government.  

It doesn't hurt. Narrowing traffic lanes can help with traffic calming. But I'm not sure how you get more people to actually start utilizing the bike lanes. Maybe companies incentivizing not coming to work in a car, cash back for not using a parking space, etc.

[titanhog]

10 hours ago, AUNash said:

I cycle to work regularly right down Elliston and Church. Although there is a bike lane on church down to 40, there’s a choke point at 40 that is hard to navigate. The notion of incentivizing employees to cycle regularly would be enhanced if there was a dedicated bike lane all the way down Elliston to Centennial. This would connect Amazon via a safe bike route to The Nations, Sylvan Park (via 440 greenway), Richland West End, and all the neighborhoods that are connected by the Richland Creek Greenway around McAbe Park. In the other direction, the Commerce bike lane is a good start. But it needs maintenance. And it needs connections to the pedestrian bridge (you can already get from the pedestrian bridge all the way to Shelby Bottoms in a pretty protected bike lane). I haven’t explored how to get from Amazon to Germantown via bike but that would seem another opportunity to connect.

Would be nice if there was at least one good pedestrian crossing (including bikes) over I-40…or go ahead and cap a portion between Church and Broadway.  Ultimately, it would be great if they capped all the way from Demonbreun to Charlotte and made the cap a long city park with walking / bike trails…but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

[Rockatansky]

On 7/2/2021 at 8:04 PM, Nashvillain said:

 council strong and executive weak

I've often heard the opposite?