Motto by Hilton Hotel (311 3rd Ave. South Hotel, 13 stories/145', 260 rooms, 3,000 sq. ft. restaurant/retail space)

[markhollin]

The site of a SoBro building last home to pizza and comedy space Geno’s East and once accommodating Italian restaurant Sole Mio is being eyed for a 13-story hotel.

With an address of 311 Third Ave. S., the one-story building is sandwiched by the structures offering Drury Plaza and Hyatt Place hotels.

The Post was unable to determine the prospective developer, and a multi-page document submitted to the Metro Development and Housing Agency offers minimal information regarding the proposed plan. Nashville architectural firm ESa is listed on the document.

The document notes a distinctive one-way vehicular drive-thru (entering via Third and exiting on Almond Street with a valet drop-off half-way between the two streets and within the building) will be located between the future building and the Hyatt Place structure. In addition, the document notes the exterior will offer primarily glass and fiber cement panels.

A May 16, MDHA Design Review Committee hearing is slated, at which design modifications needed to undertake the project will be discussed.

The owner of the property is an LLC affiliated with late restaurateur Giancarlo Agnoletti, who died at age 67 in 2019. Agnoletti, who oversaw Sole Mio, acquired the 0.23-acre property in August 2013 for $220,000. As the Post reported in April 2022, the property was offered for sale for $15 million.

The property is seemingly under contract.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/hotel-planned-for-sobro-site/article_661892d6-eb83-11ed-8039-7b3805685146.html

This screen shot from Smeagolsfree's excellent development map shows the site highlighted in teal at the center of the frame:

[MLBrumby]

Didn't the owners refuse to sell to the developers of the Hyatt House?   It'd be nice to see more infill, although I think that little building looks organic like you see in larger, old city centers. 

I doubt this will ever happen... just for sheer logistics of building in that tight of a space. Maybe something shorter, but I'd like to see the numbers on how many rooms would be needed to make this work. Methinks Genos/Sole Mio should have sold when the "gettin" was good. I actually like that little building. It's been years since I ate at Sole Mio, and IIRC it was in another building up on RMH.  Anyway, this looks like Geno could be biting off more than he can chew. BTW: Someone may know if this building was once Have A Nice Day bar... do I remember that from the mid-1990s? 

[nightranger36]

I believe Have a nice day cafe was across the street where Hyatt Centric hotel is now. 217 2ND Ave South and  Molloy street.

 

[Bos2Nash]

I will be quite curious in the layout of the rooms and hallway on the upper floors.

Thinking about the fiber cement board more and while I was initially disheartened by it, it can be done well. There are manufacturers out there such as Equitone who have been doing it a long time and have great products that look great. We have grown so used to the disappointment of the James Hardie's of the world on the apartment buildings that the term as development a connotation with those outside of the AEC industry. 

Hopefully the design develops nicely and is executed well.

[CandyAisles]

5 minutes ago, Bos2Nash said:

I will be quite curious in the layout of the rooms and hallway on the upper floors.

Thinking about the fiber cement board more and while I was initially disheartened by it, it can be done well. There are manufacturers out there such as Equitone who have been doing it a long time and have great products that look great. We have grown so used to the disappointment of the James Hardie's of the world on the apartment buildings that the term as development a connotation with those outside of the AEC industry. 

Hopefully the design develops nicely and is executed well.

Equitone, Swisspearl, Taktl.  There are good ones out there.   Doubt very much this will be a Hardi panel.

[Bos2Nash]

Just now, CandyAisles said:

Equitone, Swisspearl, Taktl.  There are good ones out there.   Doubt very much this will be a Hardi panel.

Absolutely! I just referenced Hardie based some reactions that I experienced prior to this thread. Hardie isn't a great rainscreen product either to me, or is sub par to the ones you referenced and I think this group has just been underwhelmed by Hardie enough that it is automatically associated to "Fiber Cement" described matierals.

[Luvemtall]

2 hours ago, Bos2Nash said:

I will be quite curious in the layout of the rooms and hallway on the upper floors.

Yeah, that’s a head scratcher. Looking at the location of elevators and stairways, and the amount of front facing windows has me wondering the same question.

Plus the building is narrow, and there’s no chance of any windows on the sides. This is incredibly interesting.

[Nash_12South]

Both adjacent hotels look to be "L" shaped, so there is some ability to have side window as you go back and up. They may do light wells, with windows looking essentially looking into a shaft with a skylight above. I stayed in a hotel like that one time. It was disappointing but the room was super high end and also we spent little time in it. 

[Luvemtall]

Does a building such as a hotel or other that houses sleeping rooms require windows at all occupied spaces? I know that private residences require such, just wondering if that holds true in these situations.

[smeagolsfree]

My guess as far as the number of hotel rooms will be about 120. The owner that had the restaurant before Gino's still owns the property or at least it is still in the family and was leasing the space. 

[Bos2Nash]

Hotels (R1 Occupancies) do not trigger the same emergency escape requirements that Apartments (R2 Occupancies) do, but there are other stipulations. That being said, the Moxy on 3rd has multiple rooms that don't have windows and will soon have even more as the Bottled Blonde project appears set to cover up more. There are also code requirements for windows (an other openings in exterior walls) with regards to their proximity to the property line. I have complete faith in the design (presumably being led by ESa) will find a creative way to lay these rooms out.

[Bark At The Sun]

Hopefully this gets built.   Although Genos was short lived, i enjoyed the cheap lunch specials and the outdoor bar, patio area.

 

[nashville born]

I agree that there's more opportunity as you look at the site from the west and above...

[CandyAisles]

1 hour ago, nashville born said:

I agree that there's more opportunity as you look at the site from the west and above...

[markhollin]

MDHA approves the concept plan.  Still no word on who the buyer for the site or developer is.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:
 

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/metro-oks-plan-for-hotel-eyed-for-sobro/article_dbe31e46-f420-11ed-be53-971917a37ab5.html

[markhollin]

Some modifications have been made to the design per requests from MDHA Design Review Committee:

The modifications related to building stepback, sidewalks, glazing and floor heights in relation to the adjacent Hyatt Place hotel building. It will now stand 145' instead of 130'.   

Still no word on how. many rooms, the brand, or who the developer is. 

The Metro Development and Housing Agency Design Review Committee will vote on Aug. 15 on a modified plan. 

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/real-estate-notes-mdha-to-vote-on-sobro-hotel-plan/article_438be4ee-3303-11ee-8e5e-43b3ef9561a5.html

Updated renderings.

From 3rd AVe. South:

From back facing Almond St:

[nashville born]

Updates are nice.  Overall look and feel and fit with neighbors look better to me.  Two thumbs up.

[markhollin]

MDHA has approved the modified updates on the design.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/metro-oks-design-plan-for-proposed-sobro-hotel/article_b2914e8c-3c69-11ee-b8ee-970fcfb0638f.html

[markhollin]

This will be a Motto by Hilton brand, and will have 256 rooms. Mortenson Company is the developer. It is projected to open by fall of 2025.  No start date has been announced. 

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2023/08/17/minnesota-firm-proposes-13-story-sobro-hotel.html

[MidTenn1]

12 minutes ago, markhollin said:

This will be a Motto by Hilton brand, and will have 256 rooms. Mortenson Company is the developer. It is projected to open by fall of 2025.  No start date has been announced. 

More at NBJ here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2023/08/17/minnesota-firm-proposes-13-story-sobro-hotel.html

[Bos2Nash]

22 minutes ago, MidTenn1 said:

Love the meme.

Motto is a pretty cool brand. Micro style rooms similar to Yotel, Citizen M and Moxy, but great common areas and linkable rooms. Gonna be a cool brand to have in the city.

[markhollin]

Mortenson Company has filed for a permit related to foundation work.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/real-estate-notes-planned-edgehill-project-takes-step-forward/article_2fc65e00-42ab-11ee-950c-5b1335b30453.html

[markhollin]

Plans for a 13-story hotel building to offer micro rooms are moving forward.

Minnesota-based real estate firm Mortenson Co. has filed an application with the Metro Planning Department related to the city’s downtown code and final site plan approval.

The application notes the planned Motto by Hilton will offer 260 rooms (it previously was 256) and 3,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

The filing follows the Metro Development and Housing Agency Design Review Committee in August approved a modified plan related to the hotel building.

The Motto by Hilton is expected to open in late 2025.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/real-estate-notes-approval-sought-for-mixed-used-tower-project/article_cc4f66e2-7a67-11ee-b91d-474e60719832.html

[markhollin]

Minnesota-based real estate firm Mortenson Co. has filed for a permit to allow construction of the future building’s structural frame. The permit notes a separate permit will be needed to raze the site’s building, which most recently accommodated pizzeria and comedy venue Gino’s East.  

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/real-estate-notes-micro-room-sobro-hotel-plan-progresses/article_04571896-9ebc-11ee-968a-3fe5317e5a4e.html

[nashville born]

How is this project moving so fast?  I thought permits and such were in backlog.