New Nashville neighborhoods

According to Joe Barker of the development partnership Nashville Urban Venture LLC, the Gulch Neighborhood is the single largest redevelopment project in Nashville’s history. Strategically located between the downtown business and entertainment district and the Music Row commercial district, the 65-acre site is currently a blighted industrial district bounded by Interstate 40 to the west and an active CSX railroad corridor to the east. The area’s potential lies not only in its central location, but also in the existence of several industrial buildings well- suited for adaptive reuse and a street infrastructure with connections to the interstate and surrounding areas. In collaboration with the firm Armistead Barkley, Nashville Urban Venture has completed the renovation of one building and begun work on another. Both buildings will be used for offices, and the finished building is 90 percent occupied, Barker says. A third building has been turned into an upscale restaurant and music venue. The master plan by Looney Ricks Kiss calls for building approximately 1,800 rental and for-sale residential units, concentrated in the southeastern portion of the site. Apartments above retail are planned along the Gulch’s main thoroughfares, Demonbreun Street, 12th Avenue, and Industrial Boulevard. Seven- to ten-story office and residential buildings are planned for the western edge of the site, while four- and five-story office buildings will line the railroad corridor. The development program includes 350,000 square feet of retail space and 700,000 square feet of offices. The city budget currently includes $8 million for street improvements, Barker says, and further public support are expected in the form of tax increment financing and other incentives. Private investment is estimated at $40 million. The Gulch is to be built in six phases and is scheduled for completion in 2010. Lenox Village is the first project in Nashville to use the Urban Design Overlay as a regulatory framework. The overlay includes specific design criteria for the various building types in the development and supersedes the conventional zoning regulations on parking, allowing the use of shared parking. All buildings in the village core must be built to the sidewalk and surface parking placed at the rear. On blocks without alleys, garages must be recessed from the primary facade. Lenox Village is located approximately 25 miles south of downtown Nashville. Looney Ricks Kiss’ design was shaped by the stream that bisects the site and several steep hillsides, which will be preserved. The stream bed is a natural focal point and will become the main public recreation area. The village core planned along Nolensville Pike, a high volume arterial road, and is within reach for residents of adjacent neighborhoods. To slow down traffic on Nolensville Pike, the master plan proposes the addition of a landscaped median, on-street parking, and crosswalks. Lenox Village covers approximately 101 acres, and will include 594 housing units and about 85,000 square feet of commercial space. The developer is David McGowan of Regent Development LLC.