August 04, 2015
A New “Heart of the City” on the Horizon: Capitol View
I live in the Gulch and have heard many whispers of what would become of the vast wasteland on the other side of Charlotte Avenue. It is no wonder the mostly unoccupied 32-acre site would create buzz, as it is a coveted piece of real estate for any developer, especially given the growing trend of building up the downtown area and monetizing on the popularity of our booming city.
Let the rumors rest, as Jeff Haynes and Phil Fawcett, co-founding partners of the Nashville division of Boyle Investment Inc., are excitedly taking on the venture, partnering with Northwestern Mutual and Atlanta-based architecture and land planning company Cooper Carry (among others) to develop an innovative mixed-use development. The plans are set to break ground this fall and promise some much-needed amenities to the downtown area.
The site for Capitol View has a rare and unique positioning, as it is centrally located to all of the main Nashville area neighborhoods — from Vanderbilt and West End to The Gulch, Wedgewood Houston, Germantown and East Nashville.
“There are multiple points of ingress and egress to Capitol View, from two interstate exits to Joe Johnston (which runs through the Capitol View site), to Rosa Parks and Charlotte,” said Shelby Larkin, the director of marketing for Boyle Nashville. “The main access points and intersections at Capitol View will have traffic lights, and the project will be very easy to navigate and access.”
This accessibility was a critical consideration to the entire site plan. The streets have been designed in such a way that everything will be connected, pedestrian friendly and active, with festival lights, patios, and an array of retail storefronts lining the sidewalks.
“People will be able to walk or bike from Capitol View to the new baseball stadium and the site will connect to the Nashville Greenway,” Larkin said. “It will also be easy for job commuters and people driving into Nashville from the suburbs, with plenty of parking and easy access.”
But what exactly will be inhabiting this ideal location? HCA Holdings Inc., in a last minute change of heart, officially committed its two new headquarter buildings to 11 acres of the Capitol View site in December 2013. The plans will accommodate offices for Parallon Business Solutions and Sarah Cannon Research Institute. Construction is scheduled to begin next month for an expected Fall 2016 completion date.
The plans also contain one-million square feet of office space, 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, two hotels, several multi-family buildings (with a total of 1,065 units), a 100,000 square-foot conference center, and a large park/gathering space for concerts and events. Other businesses and the multi-family buildings will happen in accordance with the HCA construction for a Spring 2017 delivery date.
“We want to create an environment that has plenty of options — from a convenient lunch destination to a high-end dinner locale, to a great place to sit on the patio and have cocktails with friends or hear a concert in the park. A downtown location where people can also easily access day-to-day needs is key,” Larkin explained.
When asked about other businesses that have committed to the space, Larkin said they will continue to make announcements when the timing is right. They have spoken to, and want to attract, strong national companies to make Capitol View their headquarters-site, as well as companies that are looking for a unique, business location and national retailers that would be new to the Nashville market. The addition of an urban grocery store is also attracting a lot of buzz, and while Boyle is not naming any specific grocers at this time, they did say this was a “top priority.”
“Businesses will have a lot of recruitment leverage at Capitol View due to the on-site amenities, location, and look/feel,” Larkin said. “This environment will help Nashville attract top talent from other major cities, which is exciting and lends itself to a more diverse landscape.”
As for living in the area, the multi-family buildings are still in the design process. Boyle will release that information once the plans are finalized.
The partners at Boyle Nashville did not take this process lightly. Haynes and Fawcett both traveled the country extensively to tour various projects and see what other communities were doing. The result is the plan for Capitol View — a plan that holds very high hopes for making an innovative mark on Music City.
Haynes says it best: “We hope that Capitol View will become the new heart of Nashville and be completely different than anything currently offered from an architectural standpoint and an amenity standpoint. It will be the new center of the city, with vibrant streets and exciting amenities. We want to bring to Nashville the best of what we have seen during our travels and take this city to a new level.”
While this will mean more construction in our otherwise charming urban core, it also means realized potential for a unique space that is about to transform into a defining part of the Nashville community.
Be on the lookout for updates as this project continues to take shape.
For more information contact: Boyle Investment Company