IKEA is coming to Tennessee! Wait....Memphis?!?!

It's been confirmed. IKEA will be opening a store in Memphis. You read that right, MEMPHIS. While our "It City" has been on a seemingly unstoppable roll - this news no doubt has a lot of Nashvillians scratching their heads and wondering "Why not us?".

Rumors started to heat up yesterday amid a mysterious press conference to be held the following morning by Memphis mayor AC Wharton. The news broke late last night that it was indeed IKEA reps that would be standing on the podium next to Wharton to make the announcement that Memphis will be the first Tennessee city to land the Swedish furniture giant.

The press conference began at 11am this morning, and the few tidbits that I've gathered are that the store will be located in the Cordova area just south of I-40 behind a Costco. They plan to open in Fall of 2016.

While this news may seem to further diminish Nashville's chances of landing an IKEA store, Ryan Poe, a writer for the Memphis Business Journal, had this to tweet leading up to the presser:

And then this tweet came during the press conference:

So while this isn't anything concrete (more particleboard-ish...like most of IKEA's furniture) - it does give Nashvillians a bit of hope. And hey, even if we don't hear about an IKEA in Nashville before the Fall of 2016 - at least Memphis is 45 mins quicker than Atlanta...and we've still got better BBQ.

UPDATE:
Nashville Business Journal senior reporter Adam Sichko had a brief discussion with IKEA spokesperson Joseph Roth who was in Memphis today and was able to dive a little deeper into the how and why of IKEA's decision to open in Memphis. Great read here.

Business is Booming

What a year 2014 has been for Charlotte Avenue. So many positive things have happened this year–yet on the horizon–2015 is shaping up to outdo its predecessor.

A lot has happened since I last logged in (on Charlotte and in my personal life!), so here's a glimpse into what you may have missed, and what's coming "down the pike"...

• OAK Nashville opened on Black Friday - check em out!

• The Beer Pale has been open for business now for a little over a month and they've already made Thrillist's top 8 new bars in Nashville! thebeerpale.com

• Victory Tattoo has been open for almost two months now, they are located across from Richland Park.

• Primrose School Midtown is now open and taking applications

• Nashville Fit Lab, a nutrition, strength and conditioning fitness facility just recently opened in the space near Calypso.

• Blooma Family Yoga Studio had their grand opening last month. They are next door to The Beer Pale.

• Delinquent Debutantes, at 3723 Charlotte Avenue has been a open for a few months. I had to look this one up...it is a burlesque dance studio...didn't know that kinda thing existed, but if you're into it, you now have a place to go on Charlotte!

As for what's upcoming, here's a list of things that we should see in 2015:

• Flip Burger is getting closer to opening their doors. Latest forecast looks like late January.

• At Home - a home furnishings store is currently gutting the Strike N Spare with plans to open in the spring(?). Sad to see S&S go, but there are rumors that they want to relocate on the west side somewhere.

• A Panda Express is said to be moving in at the corner of Charlotte/Hillwood (I believe there used to be a Shell station here)

• Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant will be relocating a few blocks west - they pulled a permit to renovate the abandoned Hieu Giang Pho Vietnamese restaurant (not Kien Giang, which is up the hill in the K&S World Market shopping center) that is just past the White Bridge intersection on the south side of Charlotte. They look to open the new cantina in early 2015. No word on what's happening to the old building.

• Nashville West developers are looking to add two or possibly three new restaurants to the western portion of it's shopping center with a 70,000 SF hotel. One of the restaurants will be Outback Steakhouse, the other two were not named, but it was said that these establishments already exist in the Nashville market. A Pollo Tropical is also said to be opening a location here.

• Construction fences are up for the following:
  Hill Center Sylvan Heights (Charlotte & 40th)
  West 46 Apartments (Charlotte & 46th)
  OneC1ty Blox - not sure on when this is supposed to open, but there are two confirmed tenants: Avo, which is a raw, plant based restaurant and Nashville Sports Leagues will be moving their offices here as well.

That's all for now! Happy Holidays everyone.

OAK Nashville coming to Charlotte Avenue

A new, unique home furnishings store will be opening on Charlotte Avenue this year, and we took a moment to chat with owner, Ginny Pope as she prepares to open her doors...


Tell us a little about yourself, where you're from and why you decided to open Oak Nashville.

A little bit about myself.... hmmmmm, where to start?  I'm super funny (so I tell myself), my favorite color is black (not sure that's a real color) and in another life I'm pretty sure I would have been a great drummer in a rock band. 

My husband and I are both from the Middle Tennessee area.  We moved away for about seven years and have been back now for four years and loving it. We decided to open OAK Nashville to help people find one of a kind (OAK) items that inspire them to reimagine their space and redefine how they live in it. We also wanted to offer these one of a kind pieces at an affordable price. 

Is this your first endeavor into owning your own business?

This is definitely not our first rodeo, however this is the best one by far. In the past, money was the main driver in opening past companies and this one has been built on a passion for creating and learning to create new things.  With the failure of past businesses or deciding to walk away for various reasons, we were no longer interested in building an empire, we were more interested in building a life.  I used to define myself by what I did and now I choose to define myself by who I am.  Probably way more info than you were seeking, but I'm an open book. 

Give us glimpse into what sort of things your store will offer and when you plan to open your doors.

Most of the items in our store have been found and given new life or created by local artisans and craftsman.  We also have gifts, furniture, accessories, lighting, pillows, artwork and much more.  If we don't have what you're looking for, we'll find it or build it.  We will also offer classes each month.  Classes will range from painting a piece of furniture to Intro to Tools to building a piece of furniture.  We want to empower people to create things. Although it is our third "open" date, we hope to officially open our doors on September 29th! I can't believe it!

What made you decide to open your business on Charlotte Avenue?

Well, we live in Sylvan Park, so selfishly we wanted to be as close to our neighborhood as possible, plus we LOVE our neighborhood.  We also felt like the "west" side needed more small, locally owned businesses to bring some Nashville flavor to the area.  It's definitely getting there and we are super excited to be part of what Charlotte Avenue is becoming.  Headquarters, ML Rose, Hattie B's, Porter Road Butcher Shop, FABU, Yoga Harmony and many more have paved the road for the rest of us deciding to call Charlotte Avenue home. 

How did you come up with the name OAK Nashville?

OAK actually stands for one of a kind.  The idea for OAK started years ago when I was working for a designer in Atlanta.  Although her pieces were absolutely beautiful, I was never able to afford anything she had.  Being a young professional at the time, it was super frustrating.  It seemed like I would have to wait until I retired to actually buy a quality/unique piece of furniture.  Fast forward several years later when we moved back to Nashville.  We had the opportunity to build our dream home in Sylvan Park.  All our money was spent on building our home, so by the end of it, we didn't have any money left to invest in pieces that really spoke to our style, so I just started building and refinishing furniture.  From there, people started asking me to build or refinish pieces for them.  A quarter life crisis and some wine finally pushed me to officially launch OAK Nashville.  

Are there any particular businesses or restaurants you would like to see open on Charlotte Avenue? 

Word on the street is FLIP burger is coming to town (actually across the street from us), so that makes me super happy.  Other than a good cheese burger (thank you ML Rose), I can't really think of another business I'd like to see over here.  Scratch that, I would LOVE Barista Parlor to open a location on our side of town.  I would literally eat a sausage biscuit and drink a vanilla bourbon latte every day.  I could literally fund their location on Charlotte by my obsession with their coffee and biscuits. Then I would need to get a membership at Yoga Harmony....

What I'd really like to see are more small, local businesses on Charlotte.  I feel East Nashville has mastered what that looks like.  Maybe a small business incubator to help companies get off the ground (similar to the Shoppes on Fatherland).  That would be awesome.  We need to support the small businesses in Nashville.  They are defining what this city looks like and they will help define what Charlotte looks like as well.

What is your favorite thing about Nashville?
The community.  I never really knew the Nashville community until I started OAK.  Meeting people in the community, partnering with people in the community and just getting to know the community of craftsman and artisans has been such a rewarding process.  There is no place like Nashville when it comes to opening a new business.  The support and help we've received has been incredible.  It has literally taken a village to launch OAK and help open the doors to our store.  It wouldn't have been the same journey without the support and help from the community.

Taps at the Beer Pale will be flowing soon

I recently was in touch with Myers Lambert and John Craver – owners of The Beer Pale – who will soon open a beer filling station at the adaptive-reuse development at Charlotte/42nd. They were gracious enough to spend a little time telling us about who they are and what The Beer Pale is all about.

CAISU: Tell us a little about yourselves, where you're from and why you decided to open The Beer Pale.
(Myers) Originally, I am from Lewisburg, TN.  Ended up going to Battle Ground Academy from 7th-12th grade.  John and I met there and have been friends ever since. We always wanted to start a business, but we just didn’t know what that was! I called John a little over two years ago with the idea of opening a growler bar and to see if he was interested. We both were pretty tired of working for other people, so we gave it a shot.
(John) I was born in Nashville and moved to Arrington (outside Franklin) so my mom could start her own horse farm/riding academy. Myers' father owns Lambert Lumber in Lewisburg. So we both came from parents who run their own businesses. Seeing that side of things, where there is no day off and you eat, sleep and breathe for the business it gave us a perspective a lot of new business owners don’t have. The hard part was finding something to put everything we had into. Luckily we both love beer and figured if we can’t sell beer, there is probably not much we can sell. 

CAISU: Give us the low down on The Beer Pale experience (beer only? serving food? how many beers do you hope to have on tap? is this a bar too or just a filling station?)

24 taps. Beer is the only alcoholic drink. We will be serving Coke products as well. We will be serving food. We will be opening everyday @11, so please come for lunch! This is a bar as well, so you can sit down and enjoy a pint! Charlotte is where we’ve always wanted to be. We looked at a couple of different locations located in Nashville and Franklin. Charlotte is where it’s at especially in the coming years. 

CAISU: Is this your first endeavor into the restaurant/bar biz?

(Myers) Definitely our first endeavor, but we have both restaurant/bar experience.  We both work for Lipman Brothers, a Tennessee distributor for beer, wine, and liquor.  I have worked in the business for about 12 years now.  I use to work at Frugal MacDougals doing various things from cashier, stocker, and warehouse manager.  

(John) I worked in several different restaurants in Nashville, Knoxville and Franklin, doing everything from bussing tables to management. The ownership side is definitely new though. It’s been fun to actually start a place from the ground up, making every little decision along the way. From the floor plan, to light fixtures, to wall colors. Hopefully people like what we have done, if not I’ll just say that was Myers choice. (only kidding)

CAISU: When do you hope to open?

Any day now. Everything depends on construction and beer permit. We are going to open with a pretty simple menu. Just sandwiches, salads, and a few appetizers. We want to make sure we can do a few things well before we try to expand our food menu. We will also have some domestic cans and bottles of the bud/miller/coors variety. Of course we prefer craft beer and want to help grow the craft beer scene in Nashville as much as possible, but we don’t want to be beer snobs and we have some friends and family that don’t drink craft beer…Yet!

CAISU: What made you decide to open your business on Charlotte Avenue?

West Nashville is way underserved in many areas, particularly bars and restaurants. It feels like the perfect time and the perfect place for us to start  our business and become part of the fabric of the community. 

CAISU: How did the name "Beer Pale" come about?

(John) I think coming up with names can sometimes be the hardest part. Whether it’s your children’s names, a band name or a business. Good or bad, you’re gonna be stuck with it. When we were researching growlers and finding out they used to be metal pails, that led to Beer Pail. We both love Pale Ales, so the play on words of "The Beer Pale” just kind of felt right. If people don’t like it, I get the blame on this one.

CAISU: What are some of your favorite beers right now?

(Myers) Good People IPA, Sweetwater IPA, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Yazoo 10 year, Yazoo Pale, AND the go-to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

(John) Founders All Day IPA, Yazoo 10 year,  Little Harpeth Stax, TN Brew Works Cutaway IPA

40 Unit development planned across from Nashville West

Not too many details on this one yet, but Dale & Associates is currently seeking rezoning (RS-40 to SP) at 6809 Charlotte Avenue (across Charlotte from Nashville West shopping area) for a 40 unit town home development. Below is a site plan.

Pollo Tropical coming to Nashville West in 2015

Mr. Ward reports for The Tennessean that Pollo Tropical is expanding their footprint with the opening of two new restaurants in the Metro area, one of which will land in the rapidly expanding Nashville West shopping area. The restaurant is scheduled to open mid-2015.

No other details are known at this time, but here is a short description of what you can expect from the menu:

From the article:

"Pollo Tropical is known for its fresh, flame-grilled chicken marinated in a blend of tropical fruit juices and spices and for made-from-scratch side dishes, soups, salads and wraps."

Victory Tattoo setting up shop across from Richland Park

New tattoo parlor opening up along Charlotte where Restore day spa was. This from their Yelp! description:

"We are pleased to announce that Victory Tattoo is a brand new shop opening in September 2014 in West Nashville, TN. Victory Tattoo will be a clean, sterile comfortable environment for you to get a custom tattoo as well as come in as a walk-in. The West Nashville neighborhood is rapidly growing, boasting many vintage and thrift stores, coffee, bars and restaurants including Calypso Cafe, M L Rose, the new Hattie B's Hot Chicken, and many more attractions."

Second Annual Nashville Outlines Block Party set for Aug 23

From nowplayingnashville.com:

Second annual Nashville Outlines Festival, presented by the Stone Fox, will be returning to West Nashville next Saturday. Voted Best Show of 2013 by the Nashville Scene, it will feature live music, food and drink, and activities for every age group. Included are:

• An extensive crafts market
• Third Man Rolling Record Store
• Kids Corner, with water play, hula hooping, face painting, and sidewalk chalk
• Food trucks and an outside bar, as well as food served indoors;
• Pop-up skate park
• Live art mural painting
• Live music on a garden stage

The most notable addition this year is the Nations Neighborhood Association's street scape installation along 51st Avenue, with bike lanes, temporary landscaping, and outdoor seating as a vision of how to make the neighborhood bike and pedestrian friendly. Later that night the after party inside by Future-Everything Artists Collective will feature a live showcase and dance music. Don't miss it!

OneC1TY unveils plans for C1TYblox

While OneC1TY has already broken ground for it's first building (TOA headquarters), last week it announced an additional one acre parcel will begin construction with hopes to be complete by year's end. C1TYblox is a unique development, in that the buildings will be pre-fabricated shipping containers.

The small retail district is being touted as a "food, fitness and event village" and it's unique design will be the first of it's kind in Nashville. Read more about this exciting development from William Williams' article below:

Cambridge Holdings Inc. announced today its OneC1TY health care and technology-focused mixed-use project under construction on Nashville’s west side will feature retail spaces made of repurposed shipping containers — the first of its kind in the city.

To be called C1TYblox, the collection of 21 repurposed shipping containers will be assembled and arranged to create a mini retail district spotlighting food, fitness and event spaces, according to Ryan Doyle, general manager for One City (stylized as oneC1TY). To date, Nashville’s retail space offered via retrofitted shipping containers has been more limited in scope: for example, the restaurant space in The 404 Hotel and Kitchen in The Gulch.

Doyle said he is hopeful the Metro Codes Administration Department will issue a permit early next week to allow for the construction of the one-acre food, fitness and event village on oneC1TY Nashville’s 19-acre campus, to be located at Charlotte Avenue and the 28th/31st Avenue Connector. The Carter Group will serve as general contractor, with an end-of-year completion date targeted. C1TYblox is expected to be operational up until the final phase of the multi-building oneC1TY master plan is completed within the next few years, Doyle said.

“C1TYblox will serve an important role as an accelerator and business incubator while we continue to develop the permanent oneC1TY community around it,” Doyle said. “It will allow us to bring in companies and services that share our mindful living philosophy, and it will play a key role in providing amenities to oneC1TY tenants, residents, visitors and the surrounding neighborhoods.”

Avo, a natural foods-oriented eatery that will offer a plant-based menu, is the first announced tenant for C1TYblox (read more here).

C1TYblox will face the soon-to-be constructed C1TY Boulevard and will feature parking immediately off Charlotte Avenue. Construction of oneC1TY’s infrastructure, green spaces, outdoor amenities and first office building began in late 2013.

C1TYblox will include a mix of programmable outdoor space, restaurants and fitness-oriented service businesses (with an emphasis on local ownership). Doyle said the use of shipping containers will allow Cambridge to provide services at oneC1TY far sooner than it could with conventional construction. It also will complement Cambridge’s and oneC1TY’s commitment to environmentally sensitive development, he added.

New York-based SG Blocks will manufacture the pre-fabricated containers, with delivery to the site set for this fall.

“Our business model revolves around speed and sustainability, and we know that oneC1TY and the community will greatly benefit from and enjoy these spaces,” said Paul Galvin, SG Blocks chairman and CEO. “We are disrupting the traditional real estate model by helping developers make use of their properties more quickly and efficiently. C1TYblox will serve as a great accelerator for the larger development of oneC1TY.”

Doyle said he has observed the useful application of reused shipping containers during his travels. For example, he said devastated natural disaster areas in New Zealand have become retail destinations, density and traffic have been generated in redeveloping neighborhoods in London, and pop-up music venues have been created in public spaces throughout Melbourne.

“Now we are bringing our version of this strategy to Nashville as the building blocks for incubating business, fitness and food concepts within the oneC1TY community,” Doyle said.

Gary Gaston, design director at the Nashville Civic Design Center, called the move “innovative.”

“It’s just an ingenious way to activate the site while all the work is happening,” Gaston said. “It will add a lot of energy to the site.”

The completion of C1TYblox by year’s end will come approximately 10 months before the first permanent building, which will rise four stories and span approximately 125,000 square feet, is completed on the oneC1TY campus.

When oneC1TY is fully developed, the mixed-use urban node will be home to companies representing the health care, life sciences and technology sectors of the global economy, comprising more than 1 million square feet of Class A research/office, retail, residential and green spaces.

Charlotte Avenue not losing momentum

These tidbit updates have been a lazy way to update this blog, but full time job and three little ones in the house have taken precedence. So without further ado, I deliver to you the latest positive news concerning Charlotte Avenue...

Rendering for HCA North Gulch building released

GS&P has released an early rendering for one (are there two planned?) of the buildings to house HCA subsidiary Parallon. More details from Getahn Ward here.


Primrose School moving in near 19th & Charlotte Avenue
Some more news from Mr. Ward - a new Primrose Academy will be opening at 1915 Charlotte Avenue. An open date was not released. Read more here.

Monty's Barbershop opening in Sylvan Park

Monty's Barbershop, a popular barber in the Arcade is on the cusp of opening a second location in Sylvan Park at the corner of Charlotte and 46th Avenues. Open date should be in the next week or two.

Avo, a raw restaurant opening near OneCity
As progress is being made at the OneCity site, one of the first retail establishments is already set to open early this fall. Avo is a plant-based restaurant that will serve inventive food and fresh cocktails. This unique concept will operate with a very unconventional kitchen—no fryers, gas or ovens—and of course all ingredients will be locally sourced and gluten-free. Check out the article in The Tennessean.

Hattie B's opening date?
West siders will soon be able to quench their thirst for some hot chicken as Hattie B's is set to open tomorrow (Thursday, July 24). Let's hope they have more success than Nuvo did.

Madison Mill moving in 2015
The giant industrial site that sits on the northeast corner of Sylvan Park will be moving their operations to Ashland City sometime in 2015. According to sources there are already plans in the works to develop the site. There are talks of possible apartments with some mixed use. This potential development would sit just south of the Hostess adaptive re-use and across the RR tracks from the upcoming Hill Center Sylvan Heights.

Craft brewery at former Moose lodge
TailGate Beer a craft brewer founded in San Diego has relocated to Nashville and plans to occupy the space at the former Moose Lodge at 7300 Charlotte Pike. They have plans to use the property as a beer hall and outdoor event space. They are temporarily located in MetroCenter. No opening date has been announced yet.

Investor buys two buildings fronting Richland Park
Two small buildings along Charlotte that front Richland Park were recently purchased by an investor. Hollywood Salon and ReStore. At this time it seems that he will continue to lease the space. No news on whether there will be new tenants or not.

Charlotte Avenue tidbits

Charlotte - the "last frontier"
Great interview with Jimmy Granbery on the "last frontier" that is Charlotte Ave. appeared in the NBJ last week. Highlights include:

• Hill Center Sylvan Heights looks to break ground this fall
• 4 separate office buildings (10K SF apiece) slated for former police precinct location fronting Nashville West shopping center

Read the entire article here.

Calypso Cafe now open
The new Calypso Cafe on Charlotte opened up a few weeks ago. Patrons have commented on the improved parking and increased space.

Climb Nashville hopes to open mid-June
Climb Nashville is hoping to waltz through inspections so that they can open their doors in the next week or so.

Hot chicken for west siders
The sign is up at Hattie B's - according to their Facebook page, they are hoping to open their doors later this month.

Two steps forward, one step back...
With the oncoming groundbreaking for Hill Center Sylvan Heights, the car wash and Cashville storefronts that are near Charlotte/40th will soon have to be razed. Well, for those of you that thought we could celebrate having one less check into cash store on Charlotte...think again. Cashville will be packing up and reopening in the new building that is being completed just a few doors down from ML Rose.

Lofts and Burgers and BRT, OH MY!

Let me first apologize for being off the blog for so long now. Life has been really busy lately, and I really haven't had a chance to dedicate a lot of time to writing. 

But the good news is, we have a lot to catch up on. Most of this might be old news to most of you, but each tidbit is definitely worth mentioning...so without further ado...

Major announcement made today for North Gulch site:

Gethan Ward over at The Tennessean broke the news from Boyle that some apartments and a 49,000 SF urban grocery are part of the development plans on the giant canvas that Northwestern Mutual has cobbled together near 11th & Charlotte. Very exciting news.

BRT Lite for Charlotte in the works?

Mayor Dean in his recent budget proceedings announced that he wants to include funds for BRT Lite (non-dedicated lanes) for Charlotte Avenue in the 2015 budget year. Read more here. 

Flip Burger announced as tenant at Hostess development

Top Chef alum Richard Blais is brining his "boutique burger" concept to Nashville and he chose the adaptive re-use project that is now in demo mode at 42nd/Charlotte. They hope to be open at the end of the summer. Read the details here. 

L&L Restaurant Supply owner has plans to revitalize

Tamay Ozari who owns the iconic L&L Restaurant Supply building on Charlotte near 39th Ave has plans to give the space a major facelift. Plans include 240 apartments, an organic grocery and restaurant. While this is fabulous news, Ozari mentioned that groundbreaking on this project is still a good two years out. Read the details here. 

Ozari is also bringing 2424 Lofts to Charlotte which will consist of 32 one-bedroom apartments sited just across Charlotte from Centennial Hospital. You can read about that project here.

The Sheds project names it's first tenant

A healthcare tech start up named InVivoLink announced Monday it would occupy 7,500 square feet, aiming to make the move in late summer. Read the details here.

New Year, New Charlotte Avenue

2014 looks to be a very productive year for progress along Charlotte Avenue. The momentum has not let up – it seems we get more good news every month. There are some really great projects that have already begun along Charlotte and some that will break ground at some point this year.

While details are scarce, the one major announcement that we have yet to hear anything on is what the major development in the North Gulch will look like. We do know that HCA will occupy at least a third of the site, but Northwestern Mutual and Boyle have been silent, despite a recent announcement that details were tentatively going to be released in January. 

To give you an idea of the many great things happening along Charlotte Avenue, I’ve put together a development map above highlighting the various projects that are taking place throughout the corridor. While there isn’t much activity west of White Bridge Road, there is some expansion taking place at Nashville West. 

Here’s to a great year. 

Details emerging on mixed use development at Charlotte/46th

A representative for the planned development at Charlotte and 46th presented at the most recent Sylvan Park Neighborhood Association meeting and shared some details of what will be taking shape on the most prominent corner on the corridor.

I am still trying to get in touch with the speaker to see if I can obtain any renderings, but for now here is what I know:

The parking lot in the northeast quadrant of the site is currently owned by ML Rose and is used for overflow parking. The abandoned service station (the green field) which was for a short time also a cell phone accessory shop, was recently demolished. I can only assume that the remaining parcel (in red) will be acquired at some point, just not sure when. It houses some sort of nondescript business (I want to say it has something to do with fire extinguishers?) which is still in operation as far as I can tell.

Again, I hope to get in touch with the developer soon to share more information on this exciting project.

Mixed-use development slated at former Charlotte Ave Church of Christ property

Ever since the property at 46th/Charlotte sold, surrounding neighbors and businesses have been anxiously awaiting the slightest tidbit of news on what is to come for the high profile lot. In the last few weeks there have been signs of activity on the site. One neighbor saw a core sample drilling truck as well as some survey flags being placed. This activity, while minor, created a buzz that maybe soon we would learn what is to come.

A story ran in The Tennessean this morning, shedding a little light on the planned development. Details are sparse, but the prevailing theory amongst those quoted is that a mixed-use development will go in.

As of right now, the developer (who couldn't be reached for comment) is in the midst of working with Metro Water Services to determine whether or not there is still a public sewer main located on the site. If not, the project can move to the next step which involves abandoning a city easement on the property.

There is also some activity a few hundred yards east. An abandoned upholstery shop that once sat next door to LeQuire Gallery has finally been leveled. According to a permit report, Liberty Construction Co. plans to erect a two story building with retail on first floor and a law office on the second. Hopefully I can obtain a site plan on this soon.

This is great news for the corridor, and I hope to have more information to share with you soon.