2. This is not your mother’s mixed-use development
Mixed-use has always meant a menagerie of different uses existing in harmony with each other. But that has traditionally meant restaurants, retail and office uses coexisting. Nashville Yards aims to be a gateway of those uses connected by parks, pedestrian pathways, open green spaces and plazas along with an entertainment venue.
Nashville Yards will have buildings with dog parks, functional open spaces and attention paid to newer modes of transportation, such as scooters and ride shares. Retail, dining, entertainment and public spaces are designed in layers.
“When we started on Nashville Yards, we knew the bike network was coming and that’s already starting to come to fruition,” Bucher said. We have 5x LEED bike facilities designed into the project. Secondarily, some rapid transit will probably get instituted at some point. If CSX ever decided to allow public rail, it can be integrated into the project.”
3. Public spaces as important as private ones
Nashville Yards has seven acres of activated open spaces.
“What we are really doing next is our public space program,” he said. “We aren’t trying to think about this as tucking a pocket park in here and there. We have seven acres of parks that link all of our pieces together. It’s the glue that holds the development together.”
4. ‘We love the party’ — BUT…
Bucher addressed comments about Nashville’s existing Broadway and Second Avenue entertainment districts overshadowing any new development.
“We love the party, but we don’t need the party to overtake our life,” he told the crowd. “I think there’s a healthy balance we can strike. Having Broadway and Second Avenue overall is pretty healthy for us. There are a bunch of cities out there that would kill to have this level of activity. We just can’t let that be the only thing we are known for.”
5. ‘Attainable affordability’ in housing mix
While the bulk of the project’s 2,000 or so apartment units spread across seven towers of residential will be priced in line with other new towers in downtown Nashville, Bucher said there is a variety of price points within the master plan.
“We are in the infancy of planning for multi-family and residential living,” he said. “In and around Nashville Yards, there will be some level of attainable affordability. We don’t have all those in place at this point, but it is conscious in our minds.”
6. Amazon update
In 2019, Amazon announced it would build its Southeastern U.S. headquarters in Nashville. Then the pandemic changed how companies use office space. Many tech companies also experienced layoffs and the impact to the two Nashville Amazon buildings was unknown.
Bucher gave the Rotary crowd an update on Amazon.
“The second tower has been delivered and Amazon announced a back-to-work call takes effect on May 1. They are rethinking the interior of their design space and won’t continue until that aligns with their new workplace strategy.”
Nashville Yards by the numbers:
- 4,000-square-foot dog park in the Amazon building
- 6.5 million conditioned square feet in total
- 18 acres
- 3+ million square feet of Class A+ and creative office space
- 2,000 residential units
- 365,000 square feet of retail, food, beverage and entertainment space
- 1,000 hotel rooms
- 7,000 parking spaces
- 80,000 square feet of convention meeting space
- 4,500-capacity music and event venue
- 7 acres of activated open space