Updated.
GBT Realty and Monarch Alternative Capital are moving closer to transforming the former Beaman Automotive dealership into a multi-tower mixed-use development called Mid City, according to submitted plans. The submission offers more insight into site access, phasing, and overall circulation. The project serves as one of the major gateway developments into Midtown Nashville and is primarily situated between Broadway and McGavock Street. The address is 1525 Broadway.
“This filing by the project team is a normal administrative milestone as part of a 12-month process to further advance the project. Due to its large-scale scope, the redevelopment of the former Beaman Automotive will be executed in phases. It should be noted that any density figures included in these filings are preliminary and may not be reflective of final plans. We’re all very excited for the transformative potential of this site and the project team is working diligently to deliver a vision that perfectly reflects the needs of Nashville.”
JT Martin, Senior Vice President
Shown for context only.
The site area being submitted for approval includes the garage podium and infrastructure for phase 1 of the development. Phase 1 will also provide development continuity as other phased developments along each of the gateways into Midtown move closer to breaking ground. This includes Demonbreun Hill, Albion Music Row, and 1401 Church Street to name a few. The map below provides a sample of adjacent developments for context.
A request has been submitted for final site plan approval for the collection of properties that make up the site zoned MUI-A and within the Urban Design Overlay District. Once approved, the request will advance the mixed-use development on the 8 acres site. The request was made by Gensler, on behalf of the property Owner. Here’s the quick rundown:
MID CITY
1525 Broadway
| What’s Now: | Former Dealership |
| What’s Next: | Mixed-Use |
| Developers: | GBT |
| Monarch | |
| Architect: | Gensler |
| Landscape: | GGN |
| Civil: | Ragan Smith |
| Traffic Eng. | KCI |
| Residential: | TBD |
| Office: | TBD |
| Retail: | TBD |
| Parking: | TBD |
| Contractor: | TBD |
Both vehicular and pedestrian access to the retail spaces is shown from Main Street. Pedestrian access to the retail spaces is also shown from 14th Avenue, however, it isn’t clear if it is for egress-only. There is a pavilion above the garage podium in phase 1 for site circulation which is above Broadway.
Access to the pavilion from Broadway is through a set of monumental stairs, which has an overlook at the top landing. There is also ample outdoor seating shown for reference. The plans indicate that all towers will be submitted under different phases and did not specifically indicate the timing of the phasing. It is not yet apparent if the retail-only portion will be built first and if the towers will follow once market conditions are more favorable. The retail component is shown conceptually below for reference.
Towers 1 & 2 appear to be office towers which are anchored by retail. Access into the parking structure is from the newly created Main Street and a new segment of 15th Avenue South. Martin also noted that, “As Class A office space will be a component of what will be a dynamic and world class mixed-use district, CBRE is having preliminary conversations with potential office users”. While the parking access gave some indication of planned uses, the submitted plans did not explicitly state them.
Site Improvements
The plan offers insight into the scope of improvements within the public Right-of-Way. Overall, improvements include a mix of shared, dedicated, and off-street bike lanes, landscape buffers, sidewalks, new traffic signals, crosswalks, and new intersections. Here is a summary based on the submitted plans:
Broadway – During phasing Broadway is widened by eliminating the existing sidewalk and shifting it onto the site. The lane that is created is not shown to be used for traffic in the interim. However, in the final condition, the extra space allows Broadway to widen from 7 to 9 lanes for a segment of BRT (Bus Rapid Transit). The dedicated bus lanes and stops are in the center of Broadway in both the East & Westbound directions. There is also a new signalized intersection at Main Street and Broadway which splits the East and West Bound bus stations. In terms of traffic flow, Eastbound driving lanes bottleneck at the new intersection from 3 lanes to 2 lanes and Westbound from 4-lanes to 3 lanes. There were no arrows on the plan, however, these may become dedicated turning lanes. The lanes open back up once you pass the bus stations.
Shown for context only.
14th Avenue – New sidewalks and landscape buffer on the project side of the street.
McGavock Street – New sidewalks and landscape buffer on the project side of the street. The delineation for responsibility is at the median. Bike traffic is shared with cars from 14th Ave to Main Street. A dedicated one-way bike lane is shown from Main Street to 16th Avenue.
16th Avenue – New sidewalks and landscape buffer and road improvements on the project side of the street. There is also an off-street bike lane. The delineation for responsibility is at the curb and gutter on the opposite side of the street. 16th Avenue also extends from 3 lanes to 4 lanes.
CityNowNext will provide more coverage on the traffic study as the information becomes available. The project is scheduled for the 4/11/2024 Metro Planning Commission Agenda.
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