River Redevelopment Could Be Extensive

The 5-and-half-mile stretch of Nashville’s downtown riverfront could get a whole lot bigger, according to one of two river redevelopment ideas unveiled to the public last night.

Both plans host a range of boating, retail, residential and recreational uses.  The first plan would develop the existing waterfront and create a large city park just north of L-P Field.   

The second plan presented last night at the Adventure Science Center cuts a 300-foot-wide channel on the east side, making a 275-acre island around the stadium.  The channel would stay inside of the freeway loop. 

Jim Varallo, who’s building a marina across from Shelby Bottoms, likes the extra room for boaters.

“This takes the residential segment and applies it in areas where you can actually take pleasure boaters away from the commercial traffic.  So it makes it safer.”

Metro and the US Army Corps of Engineers hired Boston architects Hargreaves Associates to design the plan—a contract valued at 320-thousand dollars.

While most in the audience of the about 150 people seemed to like the channel idea, others like Susan Quinnan, weren’t so sure.

“Because they have to condemn all that property, that would cost a fortune.  And with the taxpayers we’ve already got, the stadium’s already cost us a lot of money, I mean I live in Metro now, the first one is feasible, but that second one, there’s no possible way.”

Metro owns roughly half of the property that would be needed to carve the channel. 

No cost estimates have been conducted for the project.  After two more public meetings this fall, the plan is expected to be finished by the end of the year.