Two of the most popular, up and coming neighborhoods in Nashville, the Gulch and SoBro, are separated by a rail yard, making it difficult for pedestrians to easily get from one neighborhood to the other.
The Gulch is the tip of the spear when it comes to Nashville’s urban rebirth and contains about 1,800 residential units, 50 bars, restaurants, retailers, and entertainment venues, two new 1,500-plus employee office buildings, and a luxury hotel due to open in November. Meanwhile, SoBro is the heart of the Tennessee city’s red-hot real estate market and the location of the Music City Center convention hall. It doesn’t take an urban planner to understand why a more direct link between these two neighborhoods would be beneficial.
And while the city of Nashville has seen the benefits of linking these two neighborhoods, proposing plans for an $18 million pedestrian bridge two years ago, actually getting the plans put into motion has proven difficult.
Former Mayor Karl Dean originally proposed the pedestrian bridge back in September of 2014 with the idea to use property taxes generated by seven Gulch buildings to pay for it, Nashville Business Journal reports. However, the Metro Planning Department still had to buy land or access to build the bridge. Had construction begun in Summer 2015 like city officials thought, the bridge would be opening this fall.
That didn’t happen, but all is not lost, as a newly filed notice with the Metro Planning Department says Metro intends to acquire 1011 Demonbreun St. from the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority, a space currently used for parking. The notice, according to Nashville Business Journal, says the acquisition is "relating to construction of a pedestrian bridge spanning the railroad gulch in downtown Nashville."
The original plans proposed back in fall 2014 show the bridge’s Gulch end located behind a 296-unit apartment building. On the SoBro side, the bridge was planned for the intersection of 10th Avenue South and Lea Avenue.
The Metro Planning Commission will consider the newly filed notice on Oct. 27. The completed bridge would be 700 feet long and take on an elongated ‘S’ shape.
Related Stories
Urban Planning | Nov 11, 2021
Reimagining the concrete and steel jungle, SOM sees buildings that absorb more carbon than they emit
The firm presented its case for a cleaner built environment during the Climate Change conference in Scotland.
Urban Planning | Aug 16, 2021
Building with bikes in mind: How cities can capitalize on the pandemic’s ‘bike boom’ to make streets safer for everyone
Since early 2020, Americans have been forced to sequester themselves in their homes with outdoor activities, in most cases, being the sole respite for social distancing. And many of people are going back to the basics with a quintessential outdoor activity: biking. Bike sales absolutely skyrocketed during the pandemic, growing by 69% in 2020.
Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021
Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]
New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.
Urban Planning | May 3, 2021
SWA/Balsley unveils Nelson Mandela Park Master Plan for Rotterdam
The conceptual plan provides much-needed central neighborhood and civic open space in the city’s South Maashaven district.
University Buildings | Apr 29, 2021
The Weekly Show, April 29, 2021: COVID-19's impact on campus planning, and bird management strategies
This week on The Weekly show, BD+C Senior Editor John Caulfield interviews a duo of industry experts on 1) how campus planning has changed during the pandemic and 2) managing bird infestations on construction sites and completed buildings.
Urban Planning | Dec 6, 2020
Ford lays out plans for mobility innovation district in Detroit
Its centerpiece is an abandoned train depot whose architecture and decay reflect two sides of this city’s past.
Resiliency | Nov 5, 2020
CRE investors are concerned that cities aren’t resilient enough for climate change
A new ULI-Heitman report states that the biggest challenge to valuation is measuring urban risk mitigation.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 22, 2020
The Weekly show: Universal design in multifamily housing, reimagining urban spaces, back to campus trends
BD+C editors speak with experts from KTGY Architecture + Planning, LS3P, and Omgivning on the October 22 episode of "The Weekly." The episode is available for viewing on demand.
Urban Planning | Jan 23, 2020
Unicorn Island’s first building nears completion
The building is the first on the 67-hectare island.
AEC Tech | Jan 16, 2020
EC firms with a clear ‘digital roadmap’ should excel in 2020
Deloitte, in new report, lays out a risk mitigation strategy that relies on tech.