The historic Rock Harbor Marina in West Nashville is set to undergo a transformative redevelopment into a vibrant, mixed-use destination for locals and visitors alike. Developed by Dallas-based Prescott Group, the marina is situated near The Nations and Charlotte Park – it is also less than seven miles west of Downtown Nashville. The Marina is located at 525 Basswood Avenue (Mile Marker 175 on the Cumberland River).
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Nashville staple, Blue Moon Waterfront Grille will remain an anchor for Rock Harbor. Originally opened in the 1980s and then lost to the 2010 Nashville Flood, Blue Moon was rebuilt in 2012 on a floating platform docked at the marina. Blue Moon, which has opened for the 2023 season, attracts visitors from across the Southeast for its casual fare and location on the Cumberland River.
“Blue Moon looks forward to collaborating with Prescott Group and being part of the great vision to bring Rock Harbor to its full potential,” “Blue Moon has been popular for decades because it is so unique – a truly Nashville original where food and fun meet at the water’s edge in a fun and relaxing environment. With new parking, aesthetic improvements and significant upgrades at Rock Harbor, the future is bright for Blue Moon to continue to be a hidden gem for Nashvillians.”
Joel Sullivan, partner at Blue Moon
“We are thrilled to redevelop Rock Harbor Marina, an important and unique fixture of West Nashville while also preserving its history in the community,”“The new Rock Harbor Marina will be an exciting destination for locals and visitors alike to connect with the Cumberland River in a comfortable and carefree environment.”
Wes O’Quinn, Regional Manager at Prescott Group
The Prescott Group acquired the property in late 2021 for $8.1 Million and is looking for community and stakeholder input on what the future marina will look like. In an interview with the developer, the team explained that they want to maintain the charm of the marina and create more opportunities to engage it with the Cumberland River.
With nearly 29 acres of boating facilities, Rock Harbor is Nashville’s only full-service marine facility located directly on the Cumberland River. Rock Harbor currently operates 150 boat slips ranging in size from twenty five feet to ninety feet, as well as boasting one of the premier marine service facilities in the Southeastern United States.
Rock Harbor is currently planning to construct new boat slips ranging in size from thirty to fifty-five feet to encourage greater boating and dockside activity. All of this will enable more Nashvillians to enjoy the Cumberland River and gain a better understanding of its unique ecosystem. Here’s the quick rundown:
Rock Harbor Marina
525 Basswood Avenue
| What’s Now | Marina |
| What’s Next | Mixed-Use Marina Distict |
| Developer | Prescott Company |
| Financing | Truxton Trust |
| Architect | Centric Architecture |
| Civil | Fulmer Lucas |
| Contractor | RC Mathews |
The developer is looking to expand existing services and amenities as well as to introduce some innovative uses to engage the Cumberland River even further. In the interview with the developer, they emphasized getting ideas from the community on the types of enhancements, services, and uses they will like to see. Some of the ideas discussed during the call included introducing floating structures such as a few rental houseboats, floating offices, and other innovative trends to engage the river.
In addition to expansion of its existing marine service offerings, significant upgrades and aesthetic improvements to the waterfront destination are slated within the next year. Those expansions include extra parking, boater amenities and dockage infrastructure, as well as plans to introduce a mix of new commercial spaces. These would range from restaurants and stores to unique waterfront services, including boat, kayak and jet ski rentals.
The site is split into 3 zones and is bordered by Robertson Ave, Basswood Street, and the Cumberland River. The developer noted that the conceptual plan included in the vision below is just a guide based on the site conditions.
Zone 1
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Zone 1 is located at the corner Robertson & Basswood Avenues. The zone will have the larges visual impact from the public right-of way. The vision is for this zone to include a mix of recreational/Entertainment and commercial uses. The developer noted that if it made sense in the future, they would consider adding housing to this site. That process would involve rezoning to make possible. This site also expands the docking capacity for the marina with a mix of covered and uncovered boat slips.
Zones 2&3
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Zone 2 Is located along Basswood Avenue. Similar to Zone 1 the vision includes recreational/ entertainment spaces, with the potential for planned multifamily housing. Other improvements included upgrades to the parking lot, more commercial spaces and boater amenity spaces. Zone 3 is located along the Cumberland River and will include a new food truck area near mouth of the marina with a sunset watchpoint. Those changes are currently taking place.
Prescott Group has already made significant progress in developing Rock Harbor Marina, having formed new partnerships with Nautical Boat Club and Boat Rental Nashville, expanded the marina’s service department, and opened a dockside market to offer drinks, snacks and other boating essentials. The company is also working with the Metro Nashville government on matters of safety, security and environmental responsibility as Rock Harbor Marina has been designated as critical infrastructure for Metro Nashville Police, Fire and Emergency Response teams, who utilize the site for staging in the event of river-adjacent operations.
“We are proud to have a strong relationship with the Metro government, especially in matters of safety and emergency response,” said Jennifer Webb, Rock Harbor’s General Manager. “We recognize the critical role that Rock Harbor Marina plays in providing essential services along the Cumberland River and our team will continue to work closely with Metro officials to ensure the safety and security of our community.”
Prescott Group has launched a new Rock Harbor Marina website as a hub for information about the project, including updates on construction and leasing opportunities. As part of the brand launch, the website enables Nashvillians to provide feedback on what they want to see included in the development. Tap the Rock harbor Image below to get to the new website where you can complete the survey.
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