Property on dissolved H2O development going up for auction

The Nashville Post is reporting that the land associated with the unique waterfront development H2O, is going on the auction block. The sustainable project was slated to break ground in the spring of 2009, but with the onset of the economic downturn and the flood of 2010, the project quickly lost traction. The acreage sits northwest of Charlotte Avenue, adjacent to the Lowes/Walmart shopping center.

The site used to be home to a golf driving range, and crews had started with site preparation before the project ultimately went belly up. With the property being so close to the Cumberland, it will be interesting to see what happens at this site.

West Nashville Farmers Market opens this weekend

The West Nashville Farmers Market is set to begin it's second full season at Richland Park. Everything from fresh veggies and meats to homemade pies can be found under the tents that crop up every Saturday between the Richland Park Library and the playground.

This Saturday, April 2nd is the first weekend of the market. Be sure to stop by and support local businesses!

Revised site design for West Precinct gives Richland Creek a lot of breathing room

When Metro Nashville decided to purchase the Bob Frensley Ford dealership on Charlotte Ave. for its brand new West Precinct police station, there were many who voiced opposition to the decision. What caused most of the angst was the proposed site plan, that many felt did not include an adequate buffer for Richland Creek. But when the great flood of May 1 transformed Richland Creek into a raging river which washed right through the abandoned property, it made the planners think twice about how to site this new police station.

One voice that shouted louder than most, was that of RCWA (Richland Creek Watershed Alliance). And while the flood probably did enough to persuade the planners to build responsibly, RCWA was there every step of the way to be sure they followed through. In RCWA's latest newsletter, the Creekvoice, details of the revised site plan show that the proposed stream buffer is now set at an average of 94 feet wide with a total length of 575 feet. This buffer is more than what RCWA had hoped for when they initially suggested to return the buffer to a minimum width of 75 feet.

While it is unfortunate that it took a catastrophic flood to persuade the planners to build sustainably, it is great to see that a portion of Richland Creek's natural stream buffer will be restored.

You can read the whole story here.

Charlotte Avenue will be a major link in Music City Bikeway

The long awaited Music City Bikeway – a bicycle route that will connect Percy Warner Park to Percy Priest Dam – lacks construction on just a small portion of its 30 mile stretch before it reaches completion.

From the Public Works website:
The planned bicycle route will utilize a combination of greenway trails, bike lanes, park roads, and signed-shared roads to create bicycle connections between major parks, densely populated neighborhood areas, and downtown Nashville. When complete this bike route will cover a total distance of approximately 30 miles. Currently, bicycle facilities exist on about 2/3 miles of the route. The next major phase to be constructed between White Bridge Road and Percy Warner Park will begin in 2011. Upon completion, the route will be designated by special Music City Bikeway signs to direct users.

According to the site, Charlotte Avenue is included on a significant stretch of the bikeway under the currently proposed route. As the bikeway approaches downtown Nashville before crossing the Cumberland, the planned route will hook up with Charlotte Avenue at 46th Avenue North. The plan calls for bike lanes along the entire stretch of Charlotte (which currently do not exist), and then becoming a signed shared roadway at 15th Avenue. From there, the route turns right on 11th Avenue and takes riders towards Demonbreun to eventually cross the Shelby Street bridge over the Cumberland River.


The Public Works website states that construction bids are to be solicited this spring for the section between Percy Warner Park and White Bridge Road, which includes mainly bike lanes and signed shared routes. No word on when and if plans are in place to add a dedicated bike lane to Charlotte Avenue in the wake of the bikeway's completion.

To learn more about this project, click here.

The future of Charlotte Avenue's medical district

While it isn't officially referred to as the "medical district", the stretch of Charlotte Avenue from I-440 to 18th Avenue, is housed predominately by health care entities. Nashville's major hospitals are in close proximity as is health care giant HCA. As reported earlier, some new developments are in the works that will further solidify this stretch of Charlotte Avenue as the destination for health care in Nashville.

While no detailed plans have been released, they are currently in the works, and below is just a glimpse into the areas that will be affected by these new projects.


As a result of the recent land swap between HCA and Nashville, a new public health center to replace the aging Lentz Health Center will be built on the tract of land between 25th and 26th Avenues on the north side of Charlotte. According to reports, the new health center will be LEED certified. As of yet, there is no news on when this project is supposed to break ground.

On a larger scale, Healthcare REIT completed a 16 acre tract of land with the purchase of the vacant office building that sits at 3000 Charlotte Avenue. Plans are in the works for a mixed use development that will sit very near the proposed 28th Avenue Connector. Nashville based Civil Site Design Group is working on plans for the mixed use development. Also no news on when this project is supposed to break ground.

H.G. Hill poised to make impact on Charlotte

H.G. Hill Realty, who has been one of Nashville's most visible developers of late, could one day make an impact on Charlotte Avenue. H.G. Hill has developed Hill Centers in Green Hills, Belle Meade and West Nashville and is soon to break ground on a mixed use development on Broadway and Division.

H.G. Hill owns two prominent parcels of land along Charlotte:

Charlotte Avenue & 40th Avenue North



H.G. Hill owns all of the vacant land as well as the abandoned warehouse in the background and last year purchased the car wash and cash advance location to complete the parcel. Total area is approximately 8 acres. In a published online Q&A with CEO Jimmy Granbery, he states this about the property at 40th Avenue:

"We've assembled a piece of property on Charlotte on the west side of Nashville near the old car wash (40th and Charlotte), maybe 8 acres. It would probably be commercial with maybe some residential behind it, maybe single-family, maybe some condos or apartments."


Charlotte Avenue & White Bridge Road



With the near completion of the TDOT project at White Bridge and Interstate 40, this major intersection is prime for some redevelopment. H.G. Hill owns the real estate on the northeast corner of the intersection, which currently houses another cash advance location and a tire shop. In a recent article in the Nashville Business Journal, Mr. Granbery suggested that it may be time to move forward with something else on the property once the lease expires on the current tenants in 2012. The article can be read here in its entirety.

While none of this news is of anything concrete or current, it is good news that a prominent developer such as H.G. Hill is present and sees the potential for Charlotte Avenue.

Crosland to be a player in North Gulch?

Yesterday's business news brought yet another sign that developers are showing interest in Charlotte Avenue.

From bizjournals.com

"According to Davidson County property records, North Charlotte Avenue Holdings has purchased a 0.4-acre commercial site at 1100 Charlotte Ave. for $1.3 million. North Charlotte Avenue Holdings is a land fund created by Crosland and equity partner Northwestern Mutual."

Crosland has been slowly scooping up property over the past few years in what has been called the "North Gulch". As of now, there are no details coming from Crosland on what they plan to do with the more than 30 acres of land they now own in the area. However, Senior Vice President of Crosland Tennessee, Burgin Dossett stated that they do not plan to sell the land, but rather develop it in the next five years or so.

Below is a screen shot of the property, which includes the temporary Greyhound Bus Station.

To read the rest of the article, click below:

After long break, Crosland buys another site near the Gulch | Nashville Business Journal