Much like that of downtown Nashville, the Belle Meade-area skyline is about to go vertical in a big way – a change that will impact one of the city’s most prestigious neighborhoods for decades to come.

Replacing something old with something new is the vision developer AJ Capital Partners has for historic Belle Meade Plaza, which opened in 1961 on the fringe of the wealthy enclave.

If the proposal passes scrutiny from the Planning Commission and Metro Council during the next few months, the aging, six-decade-old shopping center will in years to come give way to four gleaming, mixed-use towers that would include 90 condominiums, 350 rental units, a 90-room hotel, a parking garage and approximately 60,000 feet of retail space.

There would also be a dog park and plenty of green space. Green roofs, terraces and pools would top the towers. The plan also includes restoration of Richland and Sugartree creeks.

“Our vision for Belle Meade is to create a walkable, pedestrian-first public space. A public square for the community,” Ryan Doyle, AJ Capital’s senior vice president, said at a recent community meeting to lay out the plan.

Doyle envisions “a place where you can walk your dog, grab a coffee, grab an ice cream, get a great meal, buy a gift or peacefully enjoy the movement and habitat of Richland Creek, which we expect to improve as part of this project.”

As one might expect, the proposal is not without opposition from residents concerned about increased traffic, construction issues, and a loss for the “old Nashville” the six-decade-old Plaza represents.

The “new Nashville” project would indeed be a significant pivot away from a commercial site to a primarily upscale residential location that could affect future Belle Meade development.

District 24 Council Member Kathleen Murphy, whose second four-year term expires in August, stresses it’s not the done deal many think or suggest, but she likes what she’s seen so far in the proposal.

“I think it’s important that constituents and neighbors understand that Belle Meade Plaza, we’re not done yet,” Murphy explains. “This project hasn’t been decided yet. People are concerned about traffic, and I think we need to get our heads around the realization of the traffic impact before we make a judgment there.

AJ Capital’s vision for the Belle Meade Plaza property includes four towers for condos, apartments and a hotel. There also would be a parking garage and about 60,000 square feet of retail space.

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“Projects go through edits and design processes before the final decision is made,” she adds. “I know that there are several people who have decided they are against this project, but I think that it is best to hold judgment until we get down to a final version to look at.”

This isn’t the first time Belle Meade Plaza’s redevelopment has been explored, but it has progressed further than any other proposal, says William Hastings, principal of Hastings Architecture Associates.

“Every few years, someone will call our office and say we want to redevelop the Belle Meade shopping center, you know, and somebody will have some big vision for it,” Hastings said at the Jan. 5 community meeting. “We’ll spend a little time on it, and the landowner will consider selling it, and there’s this dance that goes on.

“And it’s never made it to this level because those of you that have lived in the neighborhood not longer than I know, this is the first time a project has made it to this level of planning. We’re excited about bringing it to a new life for the next 60 years, which is about how long that building’s been there … and probably 20 years past its life.”

Time for a change?

Pat Nolan, the longtime political analyst at WTVF Channel 5, lives in West Nashville, not too far away from the proposed project. He has seen how Nashville has changed over the decades – some good, some bad, but always inevitable.

Back in the 1950s and ’60s, Nashville was in its country music heyday, the Ryman Auditorium hosted the Grand Ole Opry every Saturday night. Hard times hit downtown in the 1970s when businesses flocked to the suburbs, crime moved in, and the Opry left downtown for a lush new home in Donelson next to Opryland theme park and the grand hotel.

Retail flight to the suburbs continued in the 1980s, but a renewal of downtown began in ’90s with the advent of two professional sports franchises, the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and NHL’s Nashville Predators.

From the 2000s through today, people have been moving to Nashville in droves, and the lack of adequate housing and infrastructure are major issues. Also, the growth of downtown business and residential properties accelerates at a vertical pace shows no signs of slowing.

Nolan calls the current Belle Meade Plaza a nostalgic connection to the past even, though most residents know the strip mall is outdated in many ways.

The proposal, which has not yet been approved by Metro officials, calls for 90 condominiums, 350 rental units and a 90-room hotel. That could be scaled back as the approval process proceeds.

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“It’s been a place a lot of Nashvillians over the years have gone,” he says. “It’s a traditional 1950s and ’60s-type strip mall, and particularly for a lot of longtime Nashvillians, it was the place they went to eat (at Belle Meade Buffet),” Nolan says. “So it’s got a lot of memory in there … It’s sort of the traditional ’50s and ’60s kind of thing.”

After noting traffic, construction and concerns about the height of the towers, Nolan points out the Belle Meade Plaza of yesteryear could not be built today because of more stringent regulations.

“It was the way that things were built and developed in those days. That’s not the way things would be built and developed today,” Nolan says. “I do think there’s some things about the general project that has merit to it, but as always the devil’s in the details.

“I think the height of the buildings (10-15 stories) and the traffic are the things that they’re going to have to try to work out to get people comfortable about it, Otherwise, people sort of say, ‘well, I used to remember this and I want it to be like that forever.’ And nothing stays forever, particularly in the business area.”

Murphy says it’s not as much about present-day changes as it is thinking about the future.

“Any city that does not have growth or change or improvement in any 10-year period is a city that is not moving forward,” Murphy says. “It’s not healthy if a city does not make changes and modernize or make improvements. A city that just stays stagnant in any 10-year period is in serious trouble on a lot of different levels.

“Nashville is constantly changing just like every other city is. And so, this is an area of town that this property has not changed since it was originally developed. A lot of this infrastructure and street structure is very much the same that it has been for my entire life that I’ve lived here, and I’m 38.”

And this is the right place at the right time in Belle Meade’s history for such a change, she believes.

The property’s proximity to the busy intersection at Harding Pike and White Bridge Road have fanned concerns of increased congestion.

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“A community that has no change is not a living, thriving community. We just have to manage that change to the best of our ability, responsibly, and make sure Nashville is still a great place to live,” Murphy says. “There’s going to be growth pains; there always is. And we have to mitigate that. Those are the things that we’re balancing now.”

Talking about traffic

Concerns about traffic woes at the Harding Pike-White Bridge Road intersection – already one of Nashville’s already busiest junctions – will be the in-depth subject for the next Plaza project community meeting Saturday at 2 p.m., at MBA.

A large turnout is expected, and a representative from Nashville’s Department of Transportation will be on hand to answer questions.

Murphy acknowledges traffic is “terrible” and “awful” but says those issues are going to be addressed. That they have to be, in order for the project to move forward and win public support.

“We’ve always had traffic issues and so that’s something that is continually going to be addressed. Nashville, through our various departments, addresses where growth is happening and where improvements need to be made. And it is our time to address that,” she says, noting that both Nashville and the state will work with developers on the project since Harding Pike is a state highway.

“Just because the traffic intersection is failing does not mean that this one development is responsible for fixing the entire problem,” she says. “But they are responsible for their fair share, and that’s all determined by the Department of Transportation.”

Doyle notes the KCI traffic study is posted on their project website www.bellemeadeplaza.com and more will be revealed in the upcoming community meeting.

“I think it’ll be important at that Jan. 21 meeting to really talk about the holistic neighborhood and how this is all going to work in the long run,” he says. “We are a part of a more holistic study and look at traffic and think that this neighborhood deserves that.”

Retail occupancy to be addressed

The fate of current stores and shops is another big question facing redevelopment of Belle Meade Plaza. Kroger has already confirmed its plans to move to the other side of Harding Pike into the space occupied by Harris Teeter in the old Belle Meade Theater building.

Other small-business owners at the Plaza want to know if they will be part of the new project or whether they should start looking elsewhere.

“The sale of the Plaza is not 100% done yet,” says Scott Isaacs, owner of Belle Meade Jewelry and Repair. “I do believe that’s going to happen and, as soon as it happens, my hopes are the new developer will include the businesses that have been in the neighborhood.

“I mean, we’ve been here for 17 years. Our next-door neighbor (Smoothie King) has been here 23 years. We have some really good businesses and family-owned that the neighborhood has really supported. We are here to serve them, and we just hope that we’re part of the conversation with the new development.”

Charlie Tallent, owner of Katy’s Hallmark Shop, says he expects the redevelopment to move forward and to be moving to a new location at some point in the future.

“I know they’ve got a big plan, and I’ve seen the plan,” he says. “It looks great, but I think it’s got to go through the Planning Commission. It’s got to go through (Metro) Council, and I think also the Department of Transportation will have something to say about it, too. So I haven’t really thought a whole lot about what we’ll do until we have something more final.

“Our landlord, Robin Realty and the May family, have been great to work with over the last 20 years, and I couldn’t ask for a better landlord,” Tallent says. “We’ve expanded I think three times since we’ve been here, the last one coming in 2008.”

He says he also understands the realities of the situation and is already thinking about what’s next.

“As soon as it becomes a little more final, then I think we will definitely start to look for a new home at that point,” Tallent says, adding that he’ll work with new property owners for the duration of his lease.

“If they go forward with it, we will definitely try to relocate. I doubt, if they’re doing it, we’d be able to be here for you know for two years or however long it takes.

“So we’ll try to relocate, probably, at that point, which whether we’ll come back to this location or not, or whether they’ll have something that would fit our needs … you know, that’s why it’s just crazy right now for us until we know this is coming for sure.”

AJ Capital’s Doyle says discussions would be premature until the project wins approval.

“In the near-term, we anticipate honoring the leases that are still there, working with those businesses as long as we can,” Doyle says. “You know … keep them going until we start construction and opportunities like that to continue to work with the community, we’re more than open to consider.”

Isaacs says he is anxious to hear from developers, but understands how business works.

“We would love to hear from them,” he says. “Our hopes are that the businesses that have helped develop this area to make it worth a record number sale in the city, we hope that they have a chance to include us and at least bring us to the table to talk about future involvement.”

Isaacs says future involvement could range anywhere from a buyout of the 1½ years remaining on his lease to extending it beyond the current length.

“We would be willing to work with the new developers if we had some assurances that we would at least be included in the conversation. And not just included just to pander to us,” he says. “But we’ve supported this community for so long that we just really think that the current owners that want to be in the next development will make great advocates, great ambassadors to the new project. It would give the community maybe something to look forward to.

“It’s unfortunate that the small independent stores are getting pushed out for all the big box franchises. I do feel like it’s the developers’ responsibility to make sure that they make space available for small businesses like ours that are here dedicated to our community.

“I mean, it’s just a rare thing to find that jewelry and watch repair shop. And for a store like ours, Belle Meade Jewelry, there’s just not a lot of places for a store like ours to move into,” Isaacs continues. “So we would love to sort of know what the plan is so we can decide – do we move to a temporary space, do we look for something more permanent? It would be nice for them to include us in the conversation.”