RUMOR MILL: Abandoned Church's Chicken could house new bakery

There is a rumor floating around that the former Mrs. Winners/Church's Chicken establishment that sits on Charlotte Avenue directly across from Richland Park could become a bakery. No details yet on who is looking to open up shop, but there has been a little buzz about it. Stay tuned for updates.

Stakeholders along Charlotte organizing their efforts towards revitalization

Over the past month or two, residents of Sylvan Park, Sylvan Heights and Historic West Town (the neighborhood formally known as The Nations) have been meeting in an effort to build some momentum for Charlotte Avenue's revitalization. This grassroots effort is still in it's early stages, but has already seen a huge interest among people in the surrounding communities that want to see positive change happen along the Charlotte corridor. The ultimate goal of the committee is to find ways to attract positive/sustainable development up and down the Charlotte corridor. The group is primarily focused on the section between I-440 and White Bridge Road.

A meeting was held earlier this week with several people who own property along Charlotte Avenue in an attempt to discuss the group's vision and also receive feedback. Among the topics discussed were:

• Formulating a vision for the group
• Possible re-branding of the Charlotte corridor (give it a cohesive name, i.e. 12South, 5 Points)
• Seeking grants for visible improvements like streetscape enhancements, crosswalks, etc.
• Consult with Metro Planning on the possibility of doing proposed site plans for specific parcels along Charlotte. (like the corner of 46th & Charlotte)

Another separate meeting was also held this week in an effort to bring together the businesses along Charlotte Avenue and form a Charlotte corridor business association. It was well attended by new business owners as well as old ones. Ellen Gilbert, director of the Global Education Center, along with the Neighborhood Resource Center and the MNPD West Precinct have been united in this effort to strengthen the community of businesses along Charlotte and should be lauded for their efforts thus far.

The business group will soon begin setting priorities for small beautification projects along Charlotte Avenue and will seek to engage community members to volunteer for these efforts. The group also plans to develop a new image by a joint marketing effort.

All in all, this is very good news for Charlotte Avenue. Not only are the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods banding together, but the businesses are as well. Please stay tuned for more updates as more and more progress is made by these two proactive groups in our community.

Charlotte Ave is now on Twitter!

In this day and age of instant information at our fingertips, it seems inevitable that this blog should have it's own Twitter account. Follow me to receive the latest updates on everything Charlotte Ave. as well as links to stories on this blog.

Click the link below to follow!

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5/3 Bank being constructed near White Bridge/Charlotte

Not much to report here. Just a new bank at the busy intersection of White Bridge and Charlotte. At least it's not a TitleMax.

190-unit apartment complex planned near Nashville West

More development on the fringes of Charlotte Avenue. This time, Murfreesboro based developer TDK Construction has plans to build a gated apartment complex on Charlotte Ave, just west of the River Road split, and roughly a mile from the Nashville West shopping center.

The $20M development will be called The Summit and is scheduled to break ground in October of this year. Rent is projected to be in the range of $1/SF.

Melrose Pub now ML Rose, releases few tidbits on new location

Austin Ray, dropped an "E" from Melrose to become ML Rose, since his storied pub will now have a little brother on the west side in an area not named Melrose.

Roughly a month ago demolition began on the old tudor style building which housed Lavender Motors (which was at one time the West Nashville fire hall). The building has been hollowed out, leaving only the exterior walls and not much of a clue as to what the final structure will look like.

However, with the announcement of the name change, a few details came forth on the new watering hole.

• Same menu as original location
• Opening this summer
• Seating capacity of 175
• Plenty of HDTVs and there will be a patio

Stay tuned as more details emerge!

Melrose Pub owner confirms new pub coming to Charlotte Ave

We can now officially say that the former used car lot at 4408 Charlotte Avenue will soon be a restaurant/bar for nearby neighbors of Sylvan Park and Historic West Town. William Williams submits this brief report in the Nashville Post:

Nashville-based restaurateur Austin Ray announced Wednesday his company has purchased the former Lavender Motors site at 4408 Charlotte Ave., on which he plans to operate a neighborhood bar.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ray is best known for his involvement with the long-closed and very edgy nightclub BarTwenty3 in The Gulch and his popular Berry Hill bar The Melrose. For this latest project, construction has begun on the renovation and expansion of the Tudor-style brick building that was originally a 1920s service station and more recently a used car lot.

In March 2011, 4408 Charlotte Pike Partners bought the property for $400,000, with George Spiva as the lone listed general partner. Spiva has fronted a number of hip retail and restaurant projects, including The Melrose.

“I’m excited to bring my newest project to West Nashville and I’m confident the neighborhoods nearby, including Sylvan Park and Historic West Town, will welcome new business to the area and the revitalization of a vacant building,” Ray said in a release, adding he is still finalizing plans for the project.

The stretch of Charlotte Avenue from 44th Avenue on the east to White Bridge Road on the west has garnered media headlines the past few years as it continues to be redeveloped. Mainstays include Bobbie’s Dairy Dip, Rhino Books, Las Palmas, Southern Thrift and the Darkhorse Theater. Among the relative newcomers are Miel Restaurant, the West Nashville Metro Police Precinct, The Great Escape, Stone House BBQ, Harmony Yoga and Boa Clothing.

This is great news for the corridor.