NASHVILLE | Development Showcase

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Baronakim

Hi y'all. Having been born in Nashville in 1947, I have seen a lot of change here. Generally it has been a good place to live. Nashville 50 years ago was nasty, dirty and pretty much of a big hicktown. Now I find it vibrant, sophisticated and definitely NOT boring. I am also a lifelong Democrat who was not for the dearly departed transit plan. Nashville needs mass transit, but putting rail down the middle of existing major streets was an idea right out of the 1890 trolley lines. Mixing frequent bus stops with rail stops and traffic is a bad idea. Improve bus service, yes, but rail need to serve point to point concentrations of residential core with the central downtown. for instance rail should have no more than 3 nodes between (for instance) downtown and Hendersonville - perhaps Inglewood, Old Hickory & Rivergate.
Separate the commuters from the small businesses already on the streetscape. That's what buses and cars are for. Put terminals for rail in central loctions (not park & ride either) where pedestrians and cyclists can conveniently and safely access - not on the already congested automotive arterials. If CSX freight rails cannot support an added load, use emminent domain to chop a path for commuter rail alongside existing tracks. Once clear of downtown, this land looks to be the least developed path. It may take time to figure out the best route, but it would likely be much less disruptive in the long term. As a design professional, I think this approach should be investigated.

Like the poster above, it seems you're suggesting a commuter rail system. If instead what you meant was a completely grade separated metro-style heavy rail system, get ready to raise twice as much money to build out about half as many route miles.

The Transit plan was a good one. The center running light rail is pretty much a global standard and would have worked well for a city Nashville's size and density. It would have steered and guided high-density development to corridors with the transport to serve it. The negative vote to me seems like a victory of transparent disinformation from the fossil fuel everything-is-merry-crowd and ignorance than an actual informed dissent about its particular form and merits.

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by Texcitement

I am probably one of those "hicks from the sticks" to which you refer, as I live in Oak Hill. But my neighborhood was filled with pro-transit signs.

I think you need to know that the most solid opposition came from the inner-city, predominantly black sectors of the city. It's about political power, and lots of religious leaders were flexing their muscle. One of the anti-transit leaders was even a candidate for mayor.

http://tntribune.com/community/local/nas...american-community-vote-for-the-transit/

As expected, the plan found greater support among Democrats than Republicans, but resistance from many African-American voters prevented the pro side from building a complete Democratic coalition behind the referendum.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/po...-davidson-county-mass-transit/564991002/

Their reasons ranged from the fear of higher taxes to not giving enough to the poor. One of the most visible leaders of the opposition group was Jeff Obafemi Carr, who is a black minister. He has made it clear that he opposes funding any project that does not also (or instead of) give large amounts to the poor citizens of the community.

In the final analysis, this came down to old fashioned politics. As Nashville is a county wide jurisdiction, overwhelmingly Democrat. The proponents of this plan did not sell it to all/enough different sectors of the county.

Blacks only make up about 28% of the city, yet the vote failed 2 to 1. Blacks weren't the only ones voting down this plan so don't blame blacks.

[ariesjow]

There were some prominent Black community leaders like Erica Gilmore who came out in opposition of the transit plan close to Election Day. It wasn't well-received by many in the Black community, but there were certainly others like myself who supported the initiave. Gilmore definitely lost any chance for my support in the mayoral race by changing her mind on the plan.

Some of the complaints about the plan that I frequently heard were that it didn't hit enough areas and the taxation structure. It was actually quite an ambitious plan. For many Nashvillians, there just seems to be a glaring lack of understanding about mass transit and the ever-present desire to do everything cheaply. People here seem very leary of big price tag items especially when they are tied to a tax.

Anyway, the transit vote was a bit of a personal litmus test for me as I gauge whether Nashville is somewhere that I can see myself long-term. I will be focusing more on job opportunities in larger and more LGBT-friendly cities with more established transit. Coincidentally, Atlanta is one of my options, but I think Chicago is my top choice at the moment.

[Texcitement]

You guys are correct. It was NOT all blacks against... nor was the proposal defeated solely because of them. I did use the word "solid" opposition, but it was not all the opposition. Sorry I didn't make this clear. Really, the problem was in not getting key constituent groups to buy-in. Hence, my reference to old fashion politics. That's where certain community leaders get something in return for their endorsement. I think Barry and Briley are either too novice, or too 'above it all' to have done that. Also, I was involved in getting word/publications out to various communities. We had delays getting our signs and fliers. And lot of the feedback I got from groups in Antioch and Bellevue especially was that folks in those areas did not see how it benefited them. When you look at the plan, I think you might agree those folks who voted against it were really being logial.

I await the breakdown of voters yes/no. There was heavy turnout in predominantly black precincts however. This suggests a higher motivation to vote (either for or against). Given what we know of the prevailing trends in those precincts, that could have made the difference in passage. Remember, when you have 80,000 voting for something and 45,000 against. You only have to split the difference. In this case, if a higher turnout in a handful of precincts resulted in 17500-18000 voters swinging to the "against" side, then that's the difference in whether this thing passed or not.

[Texcitement]

Originally Posted by PillowTalk4

I'm really disappointed in the transit vote. Now, going forward, those who were for the transit system should hold those who were against it accountable and force their hands in putting forth a plan that will pass. Since so many people said they want something, they just didn't want the plan that voted on. Well, now it's time for them to produce the plan they want. And, let's see how much different it will be if they ever produce one at all.

Certainly, I see this issue as one of the 2-3 that will be tests of Mayor Briley's leadership. One area I don't think has been tapped is by going through the federal government. Congress wants to pass a large infrastructure bill, but unfortunately, our congressman is Jim Cooper. He's really not a good rep.

[Nashville]

You are going to pay for your increasing transportation costs. I prefer to pay the increased cost (up front) at the gas pump with extra tax. As opposed to, sitting in traffic, or my favorite having to get towed because the bad road tore up my vehicle. I would happily pay $0.20 more per gallon of gas tax, if that would free up two hours of commute time a week.

[Texcitement]

Yes, but lower wage people tend to see things like that in the opposite manner. Higher income people waste more time (i.e. money) when they sit in traffic because their hourly pay scale (opportunity cost) is greater than someone who is making less money. Also, a greater portion of their net income goes toward gas. A tax only makes that worse.

I fully expect that when the results are broken down by precinct, they will show that lower income people overwhelmingly voted against this plan. Proponents of the plan may find that ironic, as its intent was to help commuters who don't have or cannot afford a car.

[Nashville]

I disagree about the tax, poor people tend to drive old vehicles. So their fuel and maintenance costs would go down. Sales tax on the other hand would be unfair to the less moneyed.

[Nashville]

I missed your point or failed to make my own, I do think that less time driving would offset the gas tax for the poor.

[MidTenn1]

Meanwhile....The 21 story Joseph Hotel...

The Pizzuti Company from Columbus Ohio has announced a June 21st, 2018 groundbreaking for its 21 story, 297 room Joseph Nashville hotel on Korean Veterans Boulevard across from the Music City (Convention) Center on the SoBro District of Nashville.

The rendering shows the hotel as it is located between the nearly complete Marriott and the topped out Holiday Inn on the same block. These three hotels will total 1,011 rooms.

[Baronakim]

Originally Posted by BnaBreaker

It sounds like you mistook the light rail in this plan for some sort of commuter rail line. The point was never to get people from the suburbs in and out of the city faster. The point is to provide better mobility and more options on getting around in the city.

Actually, no I did not make such a mistake. Transit is not either/or. What I suggest is examination of an in between solution. The failed proposal would cause severe terrific traffic disruption and promotes a more dense linear growth along too narrow arterials. Have you tried to get through Spring Hill lately? When I suggest nodes, I mean points along the arterials best suited for zones of heavy development - residential and commercial, which are more than one block deep. I only suggest alongside the CSX in East Nashville as a path for moving from node to node faster than 25 mph. Move quickly parallel to the arterial and turn in a block or two to a destination within a block of the arterial core. It might not be a rail system at all, merely a dedicated path for some form of transit not shared with automobiles. There is too much potential for blockage due to automotive accidents and traffic overloads running down the center of our main streets. It would be available for commuters for downtown , but oriented to quickly connecting i.e. the bustling Five Points node in East Nashville with Vanderbilt/Centennial or 12th South.

I would like to see not only access to dense development at points along the arterials but connects to low density destinations like Shelby Bottoms for example. Mix low impact traffic (pedestrians and bikes) rather than adding to already clogged high impact traffic (automobiles and trucks). Heavy rail systems are not a good option for Nashville, you are right there. To some extent perhaps even water transportation with surface effects transport might be a possibility. Who knows?

[cecilism]

Originally Posted by Atlanta3000

Just sayin'....

https://atlanta.curbed.com/2017/7/12/15950864/atlanta-tourists-destination-things-to-see

https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/2...m-14-5-million-visitors-2017/1065628001/

I'm not talking about airport connection transfers or layovers, or people coming for something federal related. LOL!

Don't get spiffy with me jiffy. It's your hotels that are complaining about getting skipped for Nashville.

[Kumdogmillionaire]

Nashville's downtown is much more like Chicago/NYC/Seattle/SanFran(Austin is decent)... it has a life to it. It's why, while it's in the South, it's one of the few non-dead cities there. Most Sunbelt cities blow. Nashville does not

[cecilism]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

The Transit plan was a good one. The center running light rail is pretty much a global standard and would have worked well for a city Nashville's size and density. It would have steered and guided high-density development to corridors with the transport to serve it. The negative vote to me seems like a victory of transparent disinformation from the fossil fuel everything-is-merry-crowd and ignorance than an actual informed dissent about its particular form and merits.

No it wasn't and I'm glad that the good citizens of Nashville saw the flim flam for what it was. A money pit.

No boondoggle for Nashville.

A certain idiotology's ultimate goal is to eliminate personal cars for most people and have them dependent on the government for their mobility. The people of Nashville wisely aren't having it.

[The ATX]

I deleted about 30 posts for city vs city trolling and personal attacks. If this stupidity continues I'll start suspending people.

[MontanaGuy]

Baronakim briefly mentioned the idea of possibly even using water transportation. Considering the fact that we have a river large enough for commercial traffic that runs right through the middle of Nashville including downtown I don't think it's such a far fetched idea to consider the idea of some sort of water ferry with long narrow boats as a supplement to highways, rails and anything that's built on land. Cities like Amsterdam, Bangkok, Venice and many other lesser known cities have made the most of their natural waterways. I think it makes sense to take a good look at everything we've got, including the major river that winds through our city.

[MidTenn1]

There is some buzz coming from several directions about a construction start for the long awaited 16 story W Hotel in the growing and trendy Gulch District just west of downtown. Groundbreaking said to be happening in a few months.



If the talk becomes reality, this will be a welcome addition to this neighborhood.

[PillowTalk4]

I was just wondering out loud with some friends the other day about proposed W Hotel for Nashville. I hope it will break ground this year. While I was hoping for more of signature hotel for them and a taller one, I think their proposal fits the Gulch area.

[MidTenn1]

An update of Nashville projects currently under construction, plus a few just completed.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by cecilism

no it wasn't and i'm glad that the good citizens of nashville saw the flim flam for what it was. A money pit.

No boondoggle for nashville.

A certain idiotology's ultimate goal is to eliminate personal cars for most people and have them dependent on the government for their mobility. The people of nashville wisely aren't having it.

lol