the key downtown real estate on the heart of broadway across the street from the ryman & bridgestone arena was named this week: fifth + broadway. has the developer closed on the property yet? no. they have a deadline of year’s end. it could be extended but that remains to be seen. it’s been a year since my last blog about this but you can find it here. in the meantime, here are some awesome renderings of what could culminate on the block.
when your neighbors are the bridgestone arena and mother church of country music, the ryman, it seems like it shouldn’t be too hard of a sale to repurpose the space but for the old convention center space on broadway, it’s been an uphill battle.
this week, however, pat emery unveiled a new partner, olivermcmillan, and a new $400 million plan for the 6.7 acres downtown to include a 22-story tower, 250-300 apartments, 300,000 square feet of office space, 180,000 retail & restaurant space, a 35,000 square foot venue space, and 40,000 square feet for the national museum of african american music.
in 2012, the city put to rest the dreams of having one of the country’s first ever medical super marts. then, last fall, the groundwork was laid to start a new gameplan. the biggest revision from that foregoes the office space part by more than 840,000 square feet.
the developers have until january 31 to submit final plans to the convention center authority. if momentum is there and they can get it 40% leased, construction could start as early as summer 2015.
mayor dean unveiled the final artist renderings of phase one of the west riverfront park this week. the 35,000 square foot amphitheater will be built to silver LEED certification, including sustainable features like geothermal heating and cooling, green roofs, solar power & rainwater collection. it will seat 6,500 people and the angle will give the audience members a view of the stage with a backdrop of downtown nashville. the park will also include gardens, a fitness circuit, downtown’s first dog park, a playground and a mile of greenway trails.
the 11-acre lot has been vacant since 2004 when the nashville thermal transfer corporation plant was torn down. metro council has given the green light on the $35 million riverfront redevelopment which has been underway already this year. it will be completed by summer 2015.
lots of talk this month about the changing landscape of downtown. the federal aviation administration has granted additional air space to developer tony giarratana’s new 605-foot mixed-use tower at 505 church street. it now can reach as high as 770 feet, which will make it the tallest building in nashville. the batman building (at&t) reaches only 617 feet tall. that, however, doesn’t compare to giarrantana’s original dream for that address: the much taller 70-story, 1,030-foot signature tower a few years ago. it would have been the tallest building in the country outside of chicago and new york city.
also in the works is a possible 450-room hyatt regency for the southside of lower broadway between second and third avenue.
it will include over 25,000 square feet of meeting space, on-site parking for over 350 and several retail and restaurant ventures on the front end. the developers hope to break ground by the end of the year and is projected to cost around $135 million. that’s not to be confused with the almost-completed 13-story hyatt place which sits at 301 3rd avenue and will open later this year.
the mayor also unveiled his plan this week for two new park spaces downtown, one on the west bank and one on the east bank next to the titans stadium.
the west bank’s 12-acre park will include a 6,500-seat amphitheater, dog park, trails and a garden. the site has been used a few times already for various events including the city’s july 4 celebration this year. there will also be a new greenway extension that will tie the park to rolling mill hill greenway, creating a two-mile loop.
additionally, dean laid out plans for a 4.5-acre park which would sit in between lp field & the river. it will include easy access to the water for folks wanting to canoe, kayak or row the cumberland river.
if you’re downtown or even in the midtown/gulch area and need to get around to an event or meet some friends, always remember the music city circuit is free and comes around every 15 minutes. for a complete map of the route which includes the schermerhorn symphony center, the riverfront, the bridgestone area or even the gulch, click here. for more information including hours of operation, click here. for a list of where you can catch a bus, click here. all buses are ADA accessible.
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