Local Developer CA South recently received Metro Council approval for its planned mixed-use district. The 15+ acres development is located on Davidson Street and situated between the upcoming Titans Stadium and Shelby Park. The developer has selected local architect Gresham Smith to execute its vision which includes a mix of apartments, retail, office, parks, and waterfront dining and activities. The site address is 1400 Davidson Street.
“We are thrilled to be reshaping a vital part of Nashville that ultimately connects Shelby Park to Downtown Nashville.” –
Meg Epstein, founder and CEO of CA South.
CA South is known for its modern aesthetic and vision for to creating places that people want to live. Its portfolio includes a mix of condo, multifamily, and industrial projects across Nashville. The developer’s previous riverfront project EVE, sold out in record time and anchors its site with a clean modern design. Additional recent projects include Luna (apartments on 8th avenue south), Reeve (apartments in Sylvan heights), Hyve (short term rental condos in Pie Town), and Allston (office condos in Franklin, TN).
The developer emphasized how they will to continue to push the design envelop and have toured riverfront properties across the world to gather inspiration for the project’s design. The approved development envisions mixed use buildings across four distinct zones with 1,750 multi-family residential units and 120,000 square feet of nonresidential use.
Slide the image to see What’s Now & Next.
Shown for context only.
There are five new access points onto the site one of which would align with South 14th Street. Future pedestrian connectivity in the area will be enhanced by a future extension of the East Bank greenway along the riverfront. The greenway will also connect the to Shelby Park and will be a short walk to the planned BRT from the East Bank to the Airport.
“The project will bring a much needed and desired connection between the existing neighborhood and the Cumberland River. It will be exciting to see this part of East Nashville have a connection to one of the city’s greatest natural amenities, and be accessible to Shelby Bottoms Park via a greenway extension.”
Brandon Bell, Residential Practice Leader – Gresham Smith
Approval Process
The approval of the development hinged on the commissions vote related to the specific zoning and how it meets the intent to transform the former industrial-use land. During the public hearing, Former Councilmember Brett Withers advised that,
“When NashvilleNext was adopted in 2015, this area along the south side of Davidson had a T5 policy on it and the rest of District 6 (His council district) has T4 or T3. He explained that the industrial uses no longer co-exist with residential in a way it was the case when they were originally constructed. There are a large number of constraints on the sites and from a feasibility standpoint of construction, whatever gets built is going to be large, and that is why the T5 policy was selected for this area at that time. Mr. Withers said they are getting more and more requests to rezone from industrial to mixed use.”
He continued that he had several community meetings and had great participation of all ages throughout the community and shared what was most desired from those participants. The commission voted unanimously to approve the proposed plan.
What’s Next
The project presents a unique opportunity to create its own character, flow, and feel as it is connects to the East Bank and upcoming Titans Stadium. This development will join the growing list of developments along the East Bank such as River North, Station East, and the Initial development Area of the Central Waterfront District. A sample of the projects are shown above.
City Now Next asked reached out to the architect and asked what gets them excited to with the developer on this project and Bell noted,“CA South has a true passion for quality projects that make positive changes in Nashville neighborhoods. Their drive for design-focused quality and care for community align well with our own values as a design firm”.
The developer is advancing the project into the design development phase as it continues to evaluate its best use given market conditions. We can expect to see conceptual design in the coming months.
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