The Trail West building, where a developer recently dropped his redevelopment plans, the fifth to do so. Credit: Bobby Allyn / WPLN
A developer has scrapped plans for the Trail West building on Lower Broadway after Metro Council blocked the redevelopment by not allowing a historic zoning exception. It marks the fifth project that failed before it started in the building that now houses a boots store.
Developer Marshall Karr said he wanted to do an open-air steakhouse, but was met with resistance from city preservation officials who said his design would disrupt the building’s character. In particular, the large windows he envisioned to install. Some city officials said Karr’s design amounted to demolition, but Karr said he wanted to work with the building, not tear it down.
Now, however, he’s looking to hand the building off. He gave up after realizing that he couldn’t get the Metro Council to let him work around the guidelines set forth in a historical overlay. To fulfill Karr’s design, he would basically need an overlay waiver.
“Rather than trying to fight city hall, this is an uphill battle, I’d be better off just selling the project to someone who might wanna take on the city and do what the city is requiring them to do,” he said.
The Trail West building was built around 1900. But after a fire in the 1940s, it was significantly remodeled.
In June, a developer dropped plans to open a Walgreens at the site, after it drew sharp criticism from honky-tonk row preservationists.
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