Brentwood Shopping to get extreme Makeover

Businesses get extreme makeovers
The Tennessean• April 23, 2008

BRENTWOOD — More room to enjoy your quiche, a place to buy catnip, a Franklin favorite and an expanded space to ponder the great outdoors are all in the pipeline at two of Brentwood's busiest shopping plazas.
Brentwood Place, anchored by Kroger, TJ Maxx, Stein Mart and Office Depot, is just two weeks away from completion of an overhaul to the strip of storefronts on its north side, where Subway and Chile Burrito are situated.
Across the street a bit, the Hill Center, anchored by Fresh Market, is undergoing a few changes of its own. The Puffy Muffin restaurant reopened earlier this month after closing for a week to accommodate a full-scale renovation.
"We decided to switch things around so we would be able to give better service," said Jason Burns, Puffy Muffin's chief operating officer. "We wanted to change the flow of the restaurant and specifically address some areas where we felt our guests needed better access."
At Brentwood Place, Peter's Thai and Sushi will accomplish a similar goal when the eatery moves into a larger space next door to its current location in the under-renovation strip. Each business there is being completely refaced to produce a more "Main Street look," said Carl Storey, principal with Baker, Storey and McDonald Properties and leasing representative for the $2.5 million renovation project.
"They've had a lot of success where they are now and needed a bigger space," Storey said of Peter's.
Baker, Storey and McDonald also recently signed a lease with Brick's Cafe, located near Fieldstone Farms in Franklin, which will set up shop in one of the vacant units within the renovated strip. Storey said advanced negotiations are under way with another restaurant to join the lineup.
Additionally, 6,000 square feet of space being added to the 20,000-square-foot strip will be occupied by Pet Supermarket, which Storey said he expects to open by late May or early June.
Meanwhile, the REI in Hill Center has tentative plans to expand into the current Sherwin-Williams location, while the paint retailer will be relocating next door in the space that's been vacant since last summer.
A manager at REI could not specify when the changes might take place; however, Sherwin-Williams' move will be complete by April 30.

Franklin's traditional neighborhood to grow!

Southern Land Co. has announced new tenants for WestHaven Towncenter in Franklin.
The Nashville Buisness Journal-April, 28, 2008

The Spectacle Shoppe and Townsend Academy will join Harris Teeter and others are the commercial village in Franklin's traditional neighborhood development.
The Spectacle Shoppe is an independently owned optometry office and optical boutique owned by doctors Matthew R. Morrison, O.D. and Bradley S. Grant, O.D.
The practice will include eye exams, contact lenses, ocular disease management and LASIK evaluation and co-management. They will also offer designer frames.
Townsend Academy, a pre-school, will open in fall 2009. The school is owned and operated by Jennifer Rivera, Angela Garner, Stephanie Stanley.
Rivera is the owner of the Gardner School in Maryland Farms, which was awarded best preschool in Williamson County in 2007 by the local Best of Parenting Magazine.
The school will infants sign language, toddlers social development and three to five year olds pre-reading and pre-writing skills. It will also offer enrichment programs like ballet, gymnastics, music, sports and computers.
"We are pleased to add Townsend Academy and The Spectacle Shoppe to the growing roster of quality tenants in the Westhaven Town Center," says Creighton Wright, VP of Commercial Development for Southern Land Company in a news release. "The owners are dedicated to the best practices and all of West Franklin will benefit from having both in their backyard."
When completed, Westhaven will be 250,000 square feet of commercial space with 50 condo units. The design has open spaces, water features and pedestrian friendly gathering places.

Nolensville Buttercup Festival is a Hit!

Nolensville: Downtown keeps changing but festival's a mainstay
The Tennessean
If one thing's for sure about our historic district, it's always changing. It's not the first time things have shifted there, and I'll bet it won't be the last. As that's happening, the merchants are getting ready for the annual Buttercup Festival on Saturday.
Four stores are about to close and/or sell. Curly Willow owners are selling the business and the building. Art of Adornment is moving merchandise to a booth inside the Nolensville Feedmill. Leonard's Antiques and Uniques and Marishell's Gifts are closing, but will be open for business through festival day. And, yes, that means sales.

Becky Leonard has seen quite a drop-off in business. "The recession and gas prices have hit hard since fall," she says. "People aren't letting go of their disposable income on collectibles."
"God's in charge," Leonard says, who also plans to move items to a booth inside the feedmill. "He always changes a path for some reason."
Marishell's owners decided to retire and have been selling off inventory. Oh, my Webkinz supplier! Leaving!
Carol Hackett of Anna's Children's Clothing recently took over the business from her daughter and plans to try some new things in the coming year. She's going to miss her neighbors at Marishell's tremendously but still sees so much in the district's future.
"There's lots of potential here," she says. "I'd bet two to four months after sewer gets in there will be a turnaround." There's a group of people working to get sewer, as all of the buildings have septic tanks, but it's not a done deal yet. By the way, Hackett is working on getting Webkinz to sell at her store.
The Buttercup Festival will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the district. The stores will have door prizes and light refreshments. Food vendors outside will include the famous Steve Dornan barbecue, kettle corn and baked goods. Booths include crafts, toys and wellness products. It's a rain-or-shine event. Music by Jessica Miller's band will start at the Nolensville Feedmill at noon.
Be sure to look for a booth by Boy Scout Ben Leach of Troop 298. Leach, a 10th-grader at Ravenwood, is working on his Eagle project, which will be an educational setup about reducing, reusing and recycling.
Another must-see will be a booth by Nolensville Historical Society on The Homeplace Bed & Breakfast's front porch. Members, some of whom have lived in Nolensville their entire lives, plan to tell some stories about the old days at school, talk about the buildings, sports and farm life. They'll have lots of old photos to share, an antiques show-and-tell and town historical journals for sale.
Parent's Day Out: Stonebrook Baptist Church's Parent's Day Out program is accepting summer camp and fall registrations for children 18 months to 4 years old. Director Natalie Erskine is looking for a couple of teachers to work part time. Call Erskine at 870-4770 or e-mail steppingstonespdo@mac.com.
Friendly Neighbors: Friendly Neighbors group plans to visit Graceworks Ministries and the Williamson County Archives for its May 1 meeting. Lunch at Monells will follow. New members are always welcome. Meet at Nolensville Recreation Center at 9:45 a.m. to leave by 9:55 a.m. sharp.
Breakfast money: The Nolensville Lions Club raised $2,400 at its recent pancake breakfast. Funds will be divided among the PTOs at Nolensville Elementary, Sunset Elementary and Sunset Middle schools. Lions members say it was by far the largest crowd they have served. I chatted with David Rowland at the breakfast who said supplies had to be replenished with at least three different grocery runs that morning. The Lions are very grateful for the tremendous community support.

Nashville to have "Great Commuter Race"

“Great Commuter Race” will show the fastest way downtown Nashville

A bicyclist, driver, bus rider, and train passenger will leave Donelson Plaza at the same time, headed for the Metro Courthouse – who will get there first?
That’s the question volunteers will be answering at peak commuting time on May 6.
The race begins at 7 a.m. at Ace Hardware in Donelson Plaza, corner of Old Lebanon Pk. and J.B. Estille Rd. The race ends between 7:20 and 7:45 a.m. at Metro Courthouse Plaza at the end of Second Ave North.The cyclist and driver can choose their own routes, as long as they obey all traffic laws, and the riders will travel on a regularly scheduled MTA bus and the Music City Star commuter train.There’s more to consider about that 8-mile commute, though, than just the fastest time. Air quality, carbon dioxide emissions, and the relative cost of the trip are all factors in selecting the best way to get to work.
“Regardless of who wins,” said Walk-Bike Nashville executive director Shannon Hornsby. “this race will demonstrate that we now have more transportation choices than ever, and that the car is not always the most practical way to travel.”Nashville’s 2008 “Great Commuter Race” is a joint project of Walk/Bike Nashville, the Clean Air Partnership of Middle Tennessee, the Metro Planning Department, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Regional Transportation Authority/Music City Star, and the Veloteers Bicycle Club.

Hendersonville Elementary schools to receive $5.5 million in upgrades

Hendersonville elementary schools to get upgrades
The Tennessean, April 25, 2008

The Sumner County Board of Education gave the green light to move forward on adding new classrooms and expansion projects planned for four county elementary schools, including two in HendersonvilleTuesday night. In a special called meeting, board members unanimously approved spending nearly $5.5 million on expansions and renovations for Nannie Berry and Gene Brown Elementary schools in Hendersonville. Cardinal Construction Services based in Hendersonville provided the lowest bid for the combined project. Board members approved building eight new classrooms and expanding the cafeteria/kitchen at Gene Brown Elementary in Hendersonville. Nannie Berry Elementary will get six new classroom and will also get it's kitchen and cafeteria expanded. Both schools will get additional parking and lights. In a separate motion, the board unanimously approved spending $3.2 million for expanding North Sumner and Oakmont Elementary Schools. Curtis Builders of Gallatin provided the only bid for these projects. The cafeteria will be expanded and four new classrooms will be added to North Sumner Elementary in Bethpage. At Oakmont Elementary School, construction of a new office and reception area, a gymnasium, two additional classrooms and a canopy between the new gymnasium and school building were approved. The board also authorized spending $178, 250 for future upgrades to Oakmont's sewer system. The additions and renovations for the four schools are included in phase I of a $75 million school building program approved by the board and County Commission last year. "We're very satisfied with these bids. They are just about where we thought they would be," said Maryanne Durski, finance director for the school system.Steve Nichols, assistant director for facilities and maintenance reported that the low number of competitive bids for the projects was due to leery construction firms unwilling to work with the Sumner County school system because of its "bad reputation of "being difficult to work with - in particular with the board." "It's hurting us in getting contractors to bid on our work," Nichols said, adding he and his staff were working to reverse the perceived reputation with construction firms. Hendersonville member Don Long suggested that the declining number of contractors bidding on school projects is due recent rebids for three schools planned in Portland and Westmoreland. " Once they've thrown their numbers out there and it's available for the free world to see. Typically they aren't interested because they know somebody's going to come in an undercut them," Long said. Pending approval by the County Commission in May, construction of the projects will begin in June and should be completed before the start of the 2009-2010 school year, Nichols said.

Recent area Building Permits

Local Building Permits

The Tennessean, April 2008

Davidson County
Football stadium renovations. Value: $2 million. The Parent Co. Inc. took out a permit to renovate the Vanderbilt University football stadium.
Condos. Value: $1.4 million. Regent Homes LLC took out permits to build the shell of a condo building and 14 units at 8511 Burnham Lane in the Lenox Creekside development.
Shopping center. Value:$1.3 million. Shaub Construction Co. Inc. took out a permit to build the shell of a 14,250-square-foot shopping center at 2517 Edge-O-Lake Drive.
Office space. Value: $575,000. DWC Construction Co. Inc. took out a permit to finish space in a building at 4025 Hillsboro Pike for Ergon.
Condos. Value: $552,237. Regent Homes LLC took out permits to build 24 condos at 6900 Lenox Village Drive in the Lenox Village development.
Gas station. Value: $466,626. Kelley Construction LLC took out a permit to build a 3,740-square-foot commercial building with fuel canopy for Thorn ton's at 4145 Lebanon Pike.
Townhouses. Value: $401,906. Beazer Homes Corp. took out permits to build two townhouses at 2047-2049 Traemoor Village Drive.
Single-family home. Value: $383,252. Drees Premier Homes Inc. took out a permit to build a 3,790-square-foot house at 1304 Beech Hollow Drive.
Single-family home. Value: $318,263. NVR Fox Ridge Inc. took out a permit to build a 3,151-square-foot house at 501 Cato Ridge Court.
Record store. Value: $310,000. Robert S. Biscan & Co. took out a permit to renovate 26,700 square feet in the Richland Creek shopping center at 5400 Charlotte Ave. for the Great Escape.
Single-family home. Value: $302,967. Centex Homes took out a permit to build a 3,011-square-foot house at 7352 Autumn Crossing Way.
Home renovations. Value: $300,000. Principle Build ing Group Inc. took out a permit to renovate a house at 1909 19th Ave. S.
Single-family home. Value: $293,796. The Jones Co. of Tennessee LLC took out a permit to build a 2,915-square-foot house at 3116 Barnes Bend Drive.
Imaging center. Value: $290,000. Modern Renovators Inc. took out a permit to rehab space in a building at 4928 Edmondson Pike for Bio Harding Imaging Center.
Single-family home. Value: $276,582. Drees Premier Homes Inc. took out a permit to build a 2,646-square-foot house at 3532 Fairmeadows Drive.
Single-family home. Value: $273,464. Harvest Homes LLC took out a permit to build a 2,725-square-foot house at 172 Blackpool Drive.
Fuel canopy. Value: $268,600. PBG Construction took out a permit to build a fuel canopy for Atlantic Aviation Services at Nashville International Airport.
Condos. Value: $243,174. McLean Construction Co. took out permits to build two condos at 349-351 Sylvan Park Lane in the West End Station development.
Single-family home. Value: $232,788. Ole South Properties Inc. took out a permit to build a house at 5639 Hickory Park Drive.
Restaurant. Value: $195,714. Atlantic Restaurant Concepts LLC took out a permit to build a 1,788-square-foot Krystal restaurant at 1201 Murfreesboro Pike.
Condos. Value: $157,957. The Parent Co. Inc. took out permits to finish three condos in the Terrazzo building at 700 12th Ave. S.
Franklin
Office space. Value: $1.4 million. Jenny Campbell took out a permit to build out space in an office building at 3000 Meridian Blvd.
Build out. Value: $1.3 million. Robert Laumeyer took out a permit to build out a building at 1850 General George Patton Drive.
Single-family home. Value: $669,750. Davis Properties took out a permit to build a house at 707 Stonewater Blvd.
Single-family home. Value: $530,000. Deer Creek Construction took out a permit to build a house at 304 Whitewater Way.
Single-family home. Value: $413,555. The Jones Co. took out a permit to build a house at 1306 Bantry Court.
Park building. Value: $300,000. Matthew Taylor took out a permit to build a non-residential building in Jim Warren Park at 705 Boyd Mill Ave.
Brentwood
Single-family home. Value: $457,740. John Wieland Homes took out a permit to build a house at 9503 Delamere Creek Lane.
Addition. Value: $427,000. Associated Construction to add to a building at 238 Pelham Drive.
Single-family home. Value: $407,430. Larry T. Adams Construction took out a permit to build a house at 8253 Frontier Lane.
Single-family home. Value: $400,770. Fox Ridge Homes took out a permit to build a house at 1603 Newstead Terrace.
Single-family home. Value: $333,000. Ford Custom Classic Homes took out a permit to build a house at 9240 Carrisbrook Lane.
Restaurant. Value: $275,000. Interiors International took out a permit to finish space in a building at 330 Franklin Road for Peter's Sushi Thai.
Williamson County
Remodeling. Value: $260,000. J. Elisar took out a permit to remodel the interior of a building at 2495 Old Natchez Trail.

Children love Grassland's Owl's Hill Sanctuary

Grassland: Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary offers much to explore

I've confessed from this column's inception that I'm not an expert on all things Grassland. I'm merely a seven-year resident with a love for Grassland's beauty, landmarks and people. That said, I'm still embarrassed to admit I didn't realize Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary was in the Grassland area.
Every time I'd see an event listed at Owl's Hill, I'd glaze over it because in my mind it was one and the same with Owl Hollow, a place my husband had visited that seemed far, far away. Owl Hollow is actually a gun range ten miles south of downtown Franklin. In hindsight, a nature sanctuary doesn't mix all that well with a gun range, now does it?

Then I recently read "Grassland Community" in the dateline of an article about Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary in The Tennessean. Grassland Community? This is something I should obviously know about. So I investigated.
Well, Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary is 160 acres of protected green space near Beech Creek Road. (I'd always wondered what was back there.) Their mission is education, conservation, restoration, research and species protection. Who knew?
It's only open to the public during scheduled programs or by reservation, but fortunately there's a special wildflower tour offered next Tuesday from 1 to 3 p.m. for adults age 18 and over. A trained guide will identify flowers, plants, butterflies and songbirds throughout their wonderful walking trails. You'll want to wear comfortable shoes and bring your camera and binoculars. The walk begins promptly at 1 p.m. and reservations are strongly recommended. The cost is $6. Visit http://www.owlshill.org/ or call 370-4672 for more information.
For the kiddos, make reservations now for Owl's Hill's summer camps.
Children in kindergarten through third grade can do all things buggy at "BugOut" camp or sharpen their senses at "NatureDetective" camp or explore Owl's Hill's 450 million year old rock formations and look for the remains of sea creatures at "FossilFun" camp.
Kids ages 9-12 should consider "NatureRanger Camp." It allows serious nature lovers the opportunity to learn about trees and insects, monitor species, explore the habitats of reptiles and amphibians, and participate in a scavenger hunt and cookout.
"CompassCamp," filled with hands-on games and activities, teaches teens ages 12 – 17 the skills of map-reading and compass use. Campers learn to follow unmarked trails as well as basic orienteering skills.
"NatureExplorer Camp" invites teens to join a group conservation project. They explore ponds and creek, learn monitoring and wildlife census skills and create a nature journal.
These camps fill up quickly, so visit http://www.owlshill.org/ to download a registration form or call 370-4672 for more information.
I'd love to hear stories about your experiences at Owl's Hill so I can see what I've been missing all these years. And by all means, please let me know about other hidden (or not-so-hidden) treasures I'm missing in our community!

Leiper's Fork has invited everyone to a BBQ

Leiper's Fork: Everyone's invited to Hillsboro Community Center's BBQ
The Tennessean, April 25, 2008
The benefit for Doris Hargrove will be held on Saturday at the Hillsboro Community Center located at 5325 Old Highway 96. The doors will open at 3 p.m. and Smok-n-Joe will start serving his delicious pork and chicken barbecue at 4 p.m. There will be lots of great stuff on the auction block and bidding will begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. For more information call 791-1584 or 533-2391. All proceeds will go towards defraying medical and living expenses for Mr. Hargrove. Y'all come.
Congratulations to the students at Hillsboro Middle School who recently completed a drive to raise funds to help provide clean water for a community in Africa. By only drinking water, the students donated the money they would have spent on soft drinks, power drinks etc. to help provide funding necessary to dig a well. Approximately $2,400 was raised. The project was sponsored by the Hillsboro Middle School Student Council.

The youngsters participating in the Pre-School Storytime at the Leipers Fork Public Library will learn about L is for Library in the next Tuesday session beginning at 10:30 a.m.
The fabric arts group Witches in Stiches will meet at the Leipers Fork Library on Thursday from 5:30-7 p.m. Anyone interested in crocheting, knitting etc. is invited to join this informal, fun group. For more information call 794-7019.
Big birthday wishes go out to Laurel Aeillo, who is celebrating today. Also eating ice cream and cake this upcoming week Bob Headley on Friday, Beth Harrison and Chandler Greer on Saturday, Delroy Conner on Monday and Jason Simpson and Carlene Holt on Tuesday. I hope you all have great day.
Her friends were legion and they would all agree that to know Betty Jean Pratt was to love her. Her smile was infectious and the energy with which she attacked every project amazing. The return of Betty's cancer and the difficult course of treatment was like a cloud that covered all of us. On April 6 Betty Jean lost her battle and we lost a good and true friend. It is hard to imagine our community without Betty Jean and her dedication to pet projects such as the Hillsboro Recreation Association. If I close my eyes I can still hear her say, "Hey, it's for the kids!" Betty will always be a part of us and our community..
Mark your calendars for the annual plant sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 3 at the Center For Living and Learning located at 1979 Old Hillsboro Road.

The 25th year anniversary for Franklin's Main Street Festival. Don't miss out

Dianne Christian, Courtney and Sawyer Daniel at Main Street Festival 2007

Downtown Franklin fills with vendors, music this weekend
Annual Main Street Festival celebrates its 25th year
The Tennessean, April 24, 2008

FRANKLIN — Like the budding of a dogwood tree, the carnival rides that are rising today at the future Bicentennial Park herald the arrival of the Main Street Festival.
Tomorrow, kids, adults and the young at heart can take a spin on the high-speed swings, check out the Franklin skyline atop the Ferris wheel and snack on corn dogs, popcorn and cotton candy as a prelude to this weekend's arts and crafts-centered fair.
On Saturday and Sunday, 200 Main Street Festival vendors will fill booths lined along Main Street from First to Fifth avenues, including the Franklin Square, and offer their handmade wares.
Shoppers can choose from woodwork, pottery, jewelry, metal work, stained glass, photography, original oil and watercolor paintings, leatherwork, birdhouses, home and garden accents and more.
All that shopping can make a body hungry. Stop in for lunch, dinner or a treat along the streets. Feast on roasted corn on the cob, stuffed baked potatoes, burgers and hot dogs, cinnamon-roasted nuts, ice cream, turkey legs, funnel cakes and kettle corn. There's also Polish sausage, Greek gyros, Asian and Mexican cuisine and Southern favorites such as fried-green tomatoes and barbecue.
Those who enjoy music, dance and the performing arts can get their fill among four stages. Acts range from acoustic duos, big band, pop music bands, jazz and blues and the Williamson County Youth Orchestra. Irish step performers, cloggers and square dancers to get toes tapping.
Want to be in the center of the action? The public is invited to get up and dance during the free Dancin' in the Street event from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday on Fourth Avenue.
In its 25th year, the free Main Street Festival is the year's biggest event for the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County and the Downtown Franklin Association.

Nordstrom is finally here!

Nordstrom to open in Green Hills
Store will give neighborhood edge in luxury race
The Tennessean- April 24, 2008

That site is now occupied by a mall parking lot, which will have to be replaced before construction on the store can begin, said Hank Woerner, the mall’s general manager. Mall owner Davis Street Land Co. has already made plans to do so by adding two levels to the parking garage next to Macy’s, a project that will start early next year.“From a timing standpoint, it’s something that we just feel is right,” Woerner said. “We don’t want to crowd the 2008 holiday season.”The store will end a decade’s worth of exploration by Nordstrom in the Nashville area. In 2000, the retailer was to anchor an upscale, open-air shopping center planned in Brentwood, but Nordstrom pulled out a year later as the retail market softened.This new deal seems more likely to go through because the Mall at Green Hills is already well-established.“I think the reason (the Brentwood deal) didn’t go through is they couldn’t line up additional co-tenants,” said David Baker, a principal at the retail advisory firm Baker Storey McDonald.Nordstrom has been adding stores quickly since then. It will open eight stores this year, including its 159th location, in Detroit, on Friday.
Store gives edge to Green Hills
Meanwhile, Green Hills has emerged as the area’s center for upscale retailing. This year alone, Burberry, Juicy Couture and Kate Spade will open stores in the Mall at Green Hills, following on the heels of other recent additions such as Lacoste, Tiffany’s and Louis Vuitton.Nearby, the Hill Center at Green Hills opened last fall, with upscale grocer Whole Foods as its anchor. Another upscale grocer, Trader Joe’s, has plans to open a store near the mall as well.Adding Nordstrom’s should boost business at retailers throughout the neighborhood, tenant advisers said. Some shoppers from outside Middle Tennessee will travel into Green Hills specifically to visit Nordstrom’s boosting traffic at other businesses.“I, once a year, fly to Chicago just to go to Nordstrom,” said Peggy Sales, retail division leader in the Nashville office of Collier Turley Martin Tucker. “It’s just another level from anything we have.”Because of Green Hills’ limited space, it is unlikely that another major department store, such as Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdale’s, will follow Nordstrom into the neighborhood. But luxury boutiques, including Gucci, Eileen Fisher and Hugo Boss, could do so, squeezing into the mall and other upscale developments.Retailers such as Crate & Barrel and The Container Store might also take the Nordstrom store as a sign it should open a store in the region.“Retailers are all followers,” Baker said. “There are so many opportunities for retailers to locate stores in the United States that when a store like Nordstrom shows up on a site plan, they go, ‘I’m looking at Denver, but we ought to look at Nashville.’ ”

New Logo gives insight to new view of Main Street Franklin

Logo subtly illustrates new view of Main Street

When I got a press release recently from the Heritage Foundation/Downtown Franklin Association about this weekend's Main Street Festival, a colorful new logo immediately caught my eye.
Under a blue sky are three typical Main Street buildings, except that they are portrayed in orange, yellow and purple. In front of the buildings are three silhouette figures: a musician with a guitar, a couple at a sidewalk table and a woman carrying a shopping bag.
The new logo, designed by Julian Bibb Jr., recognizes a new consciousness on Main Street and includes images of Main Street activities that weren't even legal just four years ago.
The fight over propriety on Main Street goes back years. Street vendors have been banned at least since the 1960s. I've never seen a musician with an open guitar case on Main Street, except during festivals.
The most contentious image on the logo over the years has been the second one — the couple at the sidewalk table — in part because some tough codes regulations have banned merchandise, planters and benches from the public space in front of shops, but mostly because of the debate over the public consumption of alcohol.
That debate really heated up in the late 1990s when one alderman sought to ban all alcohol from all downtown special events. That effort ended up instead as a compromise, severely restricting beer sales and consumption at the Main Street Festival and the Franklin Jazz Festival.
The tide started to turn in 2001, with the first Wine Down Main Street event. Patrons moved from shop to shop tasting different wines.
In 2004, McCreary's Irish Pub became one of five downtown restaurants to put tables on the sidewalk in violation of city codes. Aldermen followed with a law regulating sidewalk dining and requiring a city permit.
In 2005, Mellow Mushroom added to the beer presence outdoors. Also that year, downtown merchants circulated a petition urging the city to relax a number of restrictions, such as allowing street musicians and sidewalk sales, in an effort to create a "more lively" downtown.
Also in 2005, the Brew, Stew & Stroll event — an Irish-themed beer tasting event now known as Feile Franklin — made its debut. Subsequent events have added Irish Whisky sampling to the event.
The objective of all this change, of course, is represented by the third figure on the logo, the woman with the shopping bag. Attracting people downtown more often keeps the shopping district top of mind. Weather permitting, there will be thousands there this weekend. And there will be a beer tent.

Plans for afforadble housing in Franklin

Affordable-housing plan draws praise
Leaders discuss waived fees, other incentives at work session
Review Appeal• April 23, 2008

FRANKLIN — Ermon Lature might be skeptical about a new push to create more affordably priced housing for Franklin's working class.
In the past, other plans amounted to only so much talk.

Instead, Lature, longtime executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County, says he and other lower-cost housing proponents are encouraged by a new city proposal that would give city incentives for builders and developers willing to build cheaper homes.
"It's been frustrating that not a lot has been done," said Lature, 75. "They're more encouraged by this than anything that's ever been done."
While a final plan has not been approved, city aldermen and a 27-member committee are shaping the city's first ordinance that would offer incentives, such as waiving some city fees, that would lower the cost of building a home here.
These are small steps, but supporters say they're encouraged by what could be ahead as the ordinance gets greater scrutiny.
"It's a great beginning to have the city address these issues of work force and affordable housing for the community," said Stephen Murray, executive director of the Community Housing Partnership of Williamson County.
Bransford: Give it teethParing down homebuilding costs here is a tall order considering average home prices in Williamson County remain steep — even in the midst of the national housing meltdown.
The county's average home price was $439,809, according to March 2008 Williamson County Association of Realtors figures. The median home price in March was $375,000.
For years, officials have said it's those prices that keep Franklin's working class — such as policemen, firefighters and teachers — living outside Williamson County.
Under the first draft of the ordinance proposal, city officials would not seek building permit or plan review fees from nonprofit agencies building low-cost housing in Franklin.
Using figures based on a typical Habitat home that sells for $100,000, Lature calculates the savings would only amount to several thousand dollars now. But he and others hope ongoing discussions will see the city ultimately back away from collecting such things as sewer and water tap fees.
"That could amount to as much as $10,000" a home, Lature said.
Other incentives might include allowing a developer to build more homes in a subdivision, if he or she agreed to build a certain number of affordably priced homes there.
Aldermen generally liked the first proposal they saw at an April work session but have not voted yet. More discussions are planned before any action is taken.
"This gives us some teeth to put into play to move this whole concept of affordable-priced housing forward," Alderman Pearl Bransford said.
While support for the plan may be inside City Hall, Murray says the push for the ordinance is coming from outside.
"It's coming from the community up," Murray said. "It isn't all staff-driven. It's community driven."

More room to enjoy in two of Brentwood's busiest shopping plazas.

Businesses get extreme makeovers
The Tennessean April 23, 2007


BRENTWOOD — More room to enjoy your quiche, a place to buy catnip, a Franklin favorite and an expanded space to ponder the great outdoors are all in the pipeline at two of Brentwood's busiest shopping plazas.
Brentwood Place, anchored by Kroger, TJ Maxx, Stein Mart and Office Depot, is just two weeks away from completion of an overhaul to the strip of storefronts on its north side, where Subway and Chile Burrito are situated.
Across the street a bit, the Hill Center, anchored by Fresh Market, is undergoing a few changes of its own. The Puffy Muffin restaurant reopened earlier this month after closing for a week to accommodate a full-scale renovation.
"We decided to switch things around so we would be able to give better service," said Jason Burns, Puffy Muffin's chief operating officer. "We wanted to change the flow of the restaurant and specifically address some areas where we felt our guests needed better access."
At Brentwood Place, Peter's Thai and Sushi will accomplish a similar goal when the eatery moves into a larger space next door to its current location in the under-renovation strip. Each business there is being completely refaced to produce a more "Main Street look," said Carl Storey, principal with Baker, Storey and McDonald Properties and leasing representative for the $2.5 million renovation project.
"They've had a lot of success where they are now and needed a bigger space," Storey said of Peter's.
Baker, Storey and McDonald also recently signed a lease with Brick's Cafe, located near Fieldstone Farms in Franklin, which will set up shop in one of the vacant units within the renovated strip. Storey said advanced negotiations are under way with another restaurant to join the lineup.
Additionally, 6,000 square feet of space being added to the 20,000-square-foot strip will be occupied by Pet Supermarket, which Storey said he expects to open by late May or early June.
Meanwhile, the REI in Hill Center has tentative plans to expand into the current Sherwin-Williams location, while the paint retailer will be relocating next door in the space that's been vacant since last summer.
A manager at REI could not specify when the changes might take place; however, Sherwin-Williams' move will be complete by April 30.

Historic Nolensville plans for new sewer

Historic downtown takes steps for sewer
The Tennessean, April 16, 2008

NOLENSVILLE — The historic district of Nolensville has grown a little quiet these days. A few buildings once occupied by shops and restaurants sit empty, and the foot traffic into the remaining businesses isn't what it once was.
The area is in need of a revival, which some residents hope will occur once antique signage and traffic signals go up. But those improvements might only decorate a deserted street if the town doesn't get sewer into the area.
"If we don't, we're going to be a ghost town," said Evelyn Bennett, owner of The Home Place Bed and Breakfast. "We have no sewer from about where the school is all the way past new Clovercroft Road. Three or four places have had to close. They're all having to close because they don't have sewage."
Many of the area's old septic systems aren't able to service the businesses anymore. To keep the area viable, the town is moving aggressively forward to bring Metro sewer lines to the historic district. It recently spent $10,000 to have the area surveyed, and the nonprofit Historic Nolensville Sewer Association is working to design this project.
"We now have the entire downtown historic district shot (for the survey)," said Jay Nelson, association president. "I actually spoke to two engineers, and they're going to come in on Thursday and talk about the actual design to try and accommodate everyone."
Revitalization awaitsThe intention is to design a sewer line that services businesses and homes on both sides of Nolensville Road, the key to revitalizing the area.
"I do think it's a valuable thing, not just for the economic development for the outside . . . but actually preserving the little downtown feel that Nolensville has," he said. "The reason I moved to Nolensville, I lived in Brentwood, was that downtown feel. I think it really has a lot of marketability."
Nelson has heard from prospective commercial businesses interested in moving to the area. But to get them here, they need sewer. Right now, however, it's a one-sided project, as the district isn't on the radar for Metro Water Services.
"I think we had some discussion when we extended the sewer trunk line a few years ago, but at this point, it looks like there's no plans to do any additional sewer extension into the Nolensville area," said Sonia Harvat, a spokeswoman for the water service.
Leiper's Fork likenedMetro sewer services many of Nolensville's residential developments, but the line has not crossed Mill Creek. If and when it does, area business owners like Darin Scheff think the historic buildings could attract businesses that give the area a character similar to Leiper's Fork. That's what he'd do with his building, Nolensville Feed Mill.
"If the sewer was here, I would already have my little sandwich or ice cream shop," he said. "The advantage (of sewer) for everybody is that, No. 1, nobody has to worry about old septic systems failing on them. It increases your property value. And the most important reason is that we can attract other businesses that want to come into town to rent and lease space."
The town is still a long way away from getting sewer to the area, but Nelson said it needs to be done to preserve the downtown.
"We don't want it to be a bunch of empty buildings down there. It doesn't look good," he said

Brentwood to install new traffic signals at busy intersection

Big changes ahead at very busy corner
The Tennessean, April 16, 2008
BRENTWOOD — A new, 75,000-square-foot building might actually improve Sunday morning traffic woes around the intersection of Concord and Franklin roads this summer.
A $5.7 million multipurpose building is going up on the Brentwood Baptist Church campus, but only because the church and its neighbor, Fellowship Bible Church, agreed to pay for new traffic signals, extra turn lanes into the two sites and a new shared driveway between the churches.
The city's Planning Commission asked for the upgrades because the traffic produced by these large congregations can clog roadways on Sunday mornings as well as other days of the week.
"If you're here Sunday mornings on Franklin Road, it's congested," said Wayne Price with Fellowship Bible Church.
City Senior Planner Jeff Dobson said the changes on Concord Road would help keep traffic flowing in the area during those peak hours.
The new traffic signals will likely be the most noticeable change for area residents.
One will be at Brentwood Baptist's existing Concord Road entrance. The second will be between that light and the one at the intersection with Franklin Road. This will give both churches two ways in and out.
Churches cover costsThe churches are paying for the upgrades. Price said this is one way of giving back to the community since the congregations don't pay property taxes.
"Having done a lot of planning, I think we have a pretty good capacity plan that should help the entire community."
He said the road and lighting projects should be finished this summer, but it'll take longer than that to complete the new facility that's spurred all this additional work.
"We are building what we're calling The Connection Center," said Steve Smith, Brentwood Baptist's communications minister.
"It will house about 1,000 seats, which we will use for worship opportunities for some of our individual groups within the church, as well as student ministry will use that for their gatherings."
Auditorium isn't allIn addition to the auditorium, the center will include a coffeehouse, a Christian bookstore, 30 small-group breakout rooms, 10 adult and student Bible study classrooms, two three-on-three basketball courts and eight classrooms and offices for the BBC Deaf Church.
"After moving to this campus in 2002, we just didn't have a place for folks to hang out and build more community," Smith said.
The Connection Center will connect to the main church building, and Smith said it should be open by mid- to late 2009. Once the student ministry and Deaf Church move into the center, the space they leave behind in the existing building will be remodeled and then occupied by the preschool and children's ministries.
Brentwood Baptist and Fellowship Bible are also getting additional parking spots, which is part of their joint roadwork project.

O'more will continue to go "green" with more efforts to save energy and resources.

O'More to mark this
Earth Day with tree and tea

The Tennesseean

FRANKLIN — Anyone who's passed by the O'More College of Design campus on Margin Street might have noticed the property looking a little greener in the past year. In celebration of Earth Day, which is today, and the planting of its 100th tree, the O'More staff is recognizing a commitment to beautify the seven-acre campus with a ceremony and afternoon tea.
In addition to the trees, which were planted as part of a program conceived in 2006, leaders of the fashion and design school have plans for a sensory garden in the yard behind Abbey Leix Mansion. Based on Aristotle's concepts of elements and seasons, the garden will open in early June. O'more will continue to go "green" with more efforts to save energy and resources, said college President Mark Hilliard. This includes instituting recycling opportunities, replacing light bulbs with compact florescent lights, using Earth-friendlier paints and using outdoor message boards to reduce paper waste. The planting ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. today. The tea will follow at 2 p.m. For the next two weeks, Williamson County residents will have several opportunities to observe Earth Day through their own actions. • A series of "shred days" will secure no-longer-needed private and personal documents from identity thieves and also make sure the paper doesn't end up in the landfill. Cadence Bank and Keep Williamson Beautiful will accept personal documents from the public to be cut into tiny pieces by large industrial shredders. Small paper clips and staples are acceptable, but heavy clips, clamps and binders should be removed. The shredding service is free and open to the community. Cadence Bank will offer a shred day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Franklin branch at 1224 Columbia Ave. and April 30 at the Brentwood branch at 93 Seaboard Lane. Shred-it of Nashville, which recycles 520,000 tons of paper every year, is in charge of the waste. Keep Williamson Beautiful will have a shred day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 420 Century Court off Columbia Avenue in Franklin. • A collection day for household hazardous waste and old computers will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 3 at the Williamson County Administrative Complex, at 1320 W. Main St. in Franklin. Residents can hand over their old household cleaners, automotive products, home maintenance products, batteries, computers and cell phones for proper disposal. Another Williamson Recycles/Keep Williamson Beautiful event, there is no charge for this service.

Nashville featured in a different light!

Strong first impression creates a 'Nashville State of Mind'
The Tennesseean

It would be an understatement to say Samantha Gibb was pleasantly surprised when she got her first peek at Nashville's rock and pop scene during a 2006 visit.
"I was blown away. I couldn't get over it," says Gibb, former Miami resident and the daughter of the late Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees. "These people look like they should be on MTV. They look like they've been playing for years when you see them on the stage. I know that if they were ever on TV, people would just be floored."
It was Gibb's desire to see Nashville's rock and pop performers on a larger stage that spurred the making of A Nashville State of Mind, which premieres Sunday at the Nashville Film Festival. The film, financed and produced by Gibb, takes intimate performances and interviews with dozens of local artists, including Aaron Winters, Brooke Waggoner and Jeremy Lister, and blows them up to the big screen. The results are surprisingly vivid and engaging.
The film is told partially through the eyes of Gibb's band, M.E.G., which relocated to Nashville from Miami immediately after that 2006 visit.
"The plan was just to check it out, play for a couple nights and see how it was," Gibb says. "And we just didn't want to leave. We went home for Christmas, packed up and came back."
Filming, helmed by Gibb's friends from Miami, began in April 2007, a few months into M.E.G.'s stay, and wrapped in November. Many of the interviews take place in familiar locales: studios, clubs, living rooms and (you guessed it) train tracks. Other settings, however, bring out less-expected moments: artists talking songwriter shop while at their construction day jobs, or goofily jamming on Beatles covers at a backyard bonfire.
Sprinkled among the footage is thoughtful — if a tad redundant — analysis of Nashville's music scene from a crop of local music and music biz figures, Hank III, Doc McGhee, Mike Grimes and Ethan Opelt among them.
'Nashville is like a school'
Gibb stresses that the film isn't meant to encapsulate Nashville's non-country scene as whole. Instead, it's a "small, small piece" of what her band witnessed as newcomers.
"I like it when Aaron (Winters) says Nashville is like a school, and everyone's going to class, saying 'Hey, what's going on? You do music, too? Cool,' and everyone's kind of cautious, but they're so intrigued by each other."
The tricky part was figuring out how M.E.G. was going to fit among this crowd onscreen. Gibb says other people had to convince her to include her own band in the film.
"I had a very hard time. I was like, 'I don't want us to do an interview, I don't want to do this,' but other people liked our stuff, too. I didn't want anyone that was a part of the movie to think that we were trying to ride on the coattails of their art and how great they are. That was the last thing I wanted anyone to feel, considering I financed the film. But I think it was really well-placed. It wasn't highlighting us, it just shows us introducing the film as, 'This is what we saw.' "
Another subject the film tiptoes around is Gibb's famous lineage. While he's never mentioned onscreen, Gibb says the film is dedicated to her father.
"It's definitely not something that we're steering away from," she says. "I'm proud to be his daughter."

Neighbors helping Neighbors

Neighbors helping neighbors
The Tennessean• April 11, 2008

It’s typical of these parts -- neighbors helping neighbors. This special place we call home is anchored by its strong sense of community. So when tornadoes ravaged some of its own, others stepped up to help out.
In the immediate aftermath, the heroes were the guys with the chain saws, the gals bringing boxes to those who had little to put in them, the rescue squad, those offering food and shelter.

And later -- it was the stars. The Fox Brothers and Larry Strickland were the instigators, organizing a show at Grace Chapel. Others quickly joined in -- Leiper’s Fork Bluegrass, Palmetto State Quartet and Wynonna Judd.The stellar show drew a sold out crowd of nearly 900 to Grace Chapel. For their $20 ticket, they received a priceless evening of entertainment. And nearly $20,000 was raised for the Red Cross who distributed it to area tornado victims.It was an incredible evening, but then, nothing out of the ordinary in this place where neighbors do help neighbors.To see some of them, click on "Leiper's Fork Neighbors" at the right of this story.

Centennial Park welcomes Earth Day

Earth Day takes center stage at Centennial Park festival
The Tennessean, April 16, 2008
The seventh annual Nashville Earth Day Festival will be 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at Centennial Park.
This year's festival, themed "Local Living for Global Change — It All Starts with Me," will feature numerous informational exhibits and activities aimed at educating participants about protecting our environment.
The booths, hosted by community groups, environmental organizations and government agencies, will offer hands-on activities for all ages.
"The Earth Day committee is proud to have the opportunity to present an entertaining and informative celebration," said Jennifer Hagan-Dier, Nashville Earth Day Festival committee chairwoman. "We are looking forward to another successful event and are excited to help inform the community of ways to protect our environment through a variety of activities."
The festival will feature workshops about organic farming and recycling as well as offer interactive activities, games, workshops and performances. The youth area will feature international dances and a music booth where children can create instruments from recycled materials.
Live entertainment will begin at 2 p.m. and continue throughout the day with performances by Five Star Iris, Sam & Ruby, Jen Foster and Jypsi. Raul Malo will take the stage at 5:50 p.m. for the main performance of the evening.

Diaster helps East Nashville prosper

Ten years later: East Nashville rebounds, prospers after tornado
Some residents feel storm was actually a catalyst for revitalization
The Tennessean, April 16, 2008

The path of destruction a tornado blazes is an unwelcome one, usually leaving displaced residents and undue hardships in its wake.
Such was the case with the three tornadoes that ripped through Nashville on April 16, 1998 — especially the storm that wreaked havoc on East Nashville.

But for all the devastation that storm brought, many feel that tornado's cloud had a silver lining, for all the damage became a catalyst for both the economic and social revival of East Nashville.
Ten years after the storm, the area and its reputation have changed drastically, but those who live there know that to create the neighborhood they ultimately want, there are still many improvements to be made.
Tornado speeds up redevelopment
Before that day in April, East Nashville residents were already working toward improving the area, and the neighborhood was already on its way to becoming a hip ZIP Code for buyers. The Five Points Redevelopment District was created in 1994, and other zoning plans for specific neighborhoods were already in effect.
But many think the tornado helped take the revival from a slow jog to a sprint.
"Clearly, East Nashville was moving forward prior to the tornado," said resident Billy Fields, who served as Metro's disaster relief coordinator after the storm. "However, the huge influx of renovation and rebuilding money for both homes and businesses pushed the revitalization of the area ahead much quicker than I believe it would have happened without the storm.
"East Nashville is a better place today than 10 years ago, and the tornado was a major part of the renaissance."
But for some, the tornado did more than just open the door to interested investors. It also forced residents to generate and agree upon a long-term vision for their community.
Jeff Ockerman cited work of Christine Kreyling and Hunter Gee's leadership of the Regional/Urban Redevelopment Team as integral to producing that plan.
"Without the tornado, I don't know if we'd have ever reached consensus on a vision for East Nashville and a willingness to share community resources necessary to achieve that vision," Ockerman said.
Diversity, new business helps restoration
So after April 16, 1998, what was the main factor that propelled East Nashville to its current status?
Fields said it was the residents themselves, who helped the rest of the city discover East Nashville was a "great place to live, work and play."
Ockerman agreed, saying the passion of people who moved to the area post-tornado combined with the experience with the pre-tornado group has made success inevitable.
But developer Dan Heller thinks that, outside of zoning overlays passed in the years since the tornado, the efforts of fellow developer March Egerton helped propel the neighborhood into the spotlight.
"Most of the popular and successful businesses in Five Points started with March Egerton," Heller said. " He's the one that bought an old television repair shop, then convinced Bob Bernstein to locate his Bongo Java Roasting Co. there. He saw a tiny, 1920s gas station with no parking on Woodland and brought in Margot to open her restaurant there. The list goes on and on.
"It takes a very unique combination of characteristics to do that kind of work, to take buildings which might otherwise have been demolished — in a very dicey part of town — and create such clear and obvious value."
Some would say it's these landmark businesses that helped reacquaint the rest of the city with East Nashville, and Metro Councilman Mike Jameson wouldn't disagree. But he thinks it's the proximity to downtown, and the diversity of the residents that have people moving across the river.
"In nearly every category — racial, economic, philosophical, personal orientation — we are one of the most balanced neighborhoods around," Jameson said. "I moved here because I wanted to live in America, not some homogenous gated subdivision named after a Confederate general.
"Ironically, I fear we're beginning to lose a little of that balance as our property values rise and gentrification sets in."
Helping one helps all
It's no secret that gentrification has set in during the last decade, and that's presented a certain set of challenges to residents and officials who are trying to steer the growth of a changing community.
So to keep East Nashville on the track of progress, a balance must be struck between the needs of the different populations that call the area home.
For some, that means making it easier for small businesses to set up shop. For others, it means strengthening ties with Metro government and the city's Chamber of Commerce to help foster growth initiatives.
But most agree a key factor is helping those areas, such as the east bank and areas surrounding Cayce Homes, which have not seen the prosperity experienced by others. Attention to these areas will help the neighborhood overall.
"While Sam Levy and other public housing facilities have undergone renovation, Cayce Homes sits idly by," Jameson said. "Under the current federal administration, funding for renovations was essentially eliminated. But with change imminent in Washington, D.C., and with Mayor Karl Dean's commitment to affordable and workforce housing, hope is on the horizon."
Ockerman believes that by focusing on these areas, and addressing issues such as affordable housing and quality education, East Nashville can make significant strides toward the overarching goal: economic success for all.
" If (these areas) can't share in the success, we fail from a moral perspective as well as an economic perspective," Ockerman said. "We can't achieve the success we want if we, as a city, continue to marginalize one large group of our neighbors."

Franklin's wish list is growing!

City's wish list now worth $289 million
The Tennessean• April 16, 2008

FRANKLIN —The city's new shopping list is hundreds of pages long and includes slots for a new City Hall and police headquarters and money for parks and roads.
The newly released 2008 Capital Improvement Projects list proposes $289 million in brick-and-mortar projects to keep pace with Franklin's growth through the next five years. By comparison, aldermen projected to spend $153.4 million through 2010 in the last CIP project released in 2005.
But the Board of Mayor and Aldermen faces hard choices: What projects should be shed and what should be kept? What should be spent now and what can't afford to wait?
"It's up to the board to decide how much of a priority we can afford to spend this year and how much can we afford to put things back," Mayor John Schroer said. "Those are things that I think have to be discussed."
The choices begin later this month when aldermen will meet twice to parse through the projects city staff are proposing to launch through 2012.
Launching new projects has not come fast enough in recent years for Alderman Dan Klatt, who says Franklin's infrastructure is still playing catch-up to its growth.
"I believe that we are behind," Klatt said. "We've lost time in implementing (board) decisions for infrastructure improvements."
Projects like the widening of Hillsboro Road and installing a new line to supply sewer to Goose Creek should have begun before now, Klatt said.
Work on Hillsboro Road has yet to begin, while the Five Mile Creek sewer project has only recently been ironed out after months of controversy.
Meanwhile, the expense of projects has grown over time, too.
In 2005, aldermen set aside $10 million for two phases of widening Hillsboro Road. While that money has yet to be spent, costs of the road's upgrades have increased. Now aldermen have decided to widen the entirety of the road as it enters the city.
The price tag? In excess of $30 million.
The challenge becomes paying for the overdue work and the new projects on the horizon.
"How do we prioritize them and pay for a City Hall replacement? And a new police headquarters is going to be a challenge," said Klatt, who has led work to build a new City Hall and the city's next police headquarters.
In some cases, the tight national economic times might benefit Franklin. Alderman Mike Skinner says competing companies could pick up bargains on work.
"Some of these projects might be a little cheaper because the construction companies might have less to do, especially some of these road projects," Skinner said.
Schroer, who said he's gone through the CIP list twice already, wants aldermen to rank their priorities of what projects to launch first.
Alderman Clyde Barnhill has done that. He wants to defer parks projects, such as the Battle of Franklin's eastern flank and Harlinsdale Farm, in order to spend more money on road, water and sewer upgrades.
"There will be some items in the capital improvement budget that we will have to defer in order to concentrate on things that the citizens of Franklin have asked us to concentrate on," Barnhill said.

Townhomes and shopping centers to come in the future

MTSU area lands $10M project
Nashville Business Journal - by Nashville Business Journal

Regent Homes has slated land across from the president's home at Middle Tennessee State University for a $10 million retail and residential development.
East Main Village will offer 9,533 square feet of retail space and 44 townhomes in a brick, two-story building with frontage along Middle Tennessee Boulevard.
Builder David McGowan says the target market for the two-bedroom, two-car garage townhomes is university employees and students. The location is a five-minute walk from the center of the MTSU campus. Townhomes are expected to be priced in the $170,000s.
McGowan closed on the land a year ago and plans to buy more land but is seeking commercial rezoning first. The project goes before the planning commission for a public hearing May 7.
McGowan says he expects coffee shops, restaurants and services like a copy store in the retail spaces. He has letters of intent from restaurants that he won't release yet. Some of the restaurants will have outdoor courtyard dining and parking will be located behind the stores and townhomes.
Local real estate agent says the project should be good for the near-campus location. He says parents often buy townhomes for college students and the area is good for professors and other campus employees.
Jim Walls, a 32-year resident of the area, says most residents in the neighborhood would welcome restaurants and a coffee shop to the street, though there is concern about the commercial area encroaching onto a historic residential area of East Main Street.
Walls says many parents have bought condos in a new nearby development for their children attending college and the community has not had increased traffic from it.
Commercial and residential ends of the project will be open by fall 2009, McGowan says.

March 2008 Williamson County Home Sales

March 2008 Home Sales In Williamson County

The Williamson County Association of REALTORS® announces the sale of homes statistics for Williamson County, Tn. for the month of March. There were 273 residential and condominium closings reported for the month, according to figures provided by RealTracs Solutions, the multiple listing service used by REALTORS® in the Middle-Tennessee area.
Compared to March of 2007, the residential home closings decreased 29 percent and the median prices for residential homes decreased by 1 percent. Days on the market (DOM) for residential homes increased by 16 days or 24 percent as compared to March 2007. Condominium closings decreased by 43 percent. The median prices for condominiums increased by 15 percent and days on the market also increased by 41 percent (17 days) compared to March 2007.

March 2008

"Williamson County's real estate market is showing the first signs of an upswing in buyer interest. We are hopeful that buyers will continue their renewed interest in buying homes. The longer days on the market reflects the slowed absorption over the past six months. We continue to believe that the improving stability in the mortgage market and the pent-up demand for housing will bring recovery in the housing market by the fourth quarter of 2008," said Kathie Moore, 2008 President of the Williamson County Association of REALTORS®.

Trustee creates new program to help struggling homeowners

Friday, April 11, 2008
Nashville Bankruptcy trustee starts new program to help financially ailing homeowners
Nashville Business Journal - by Cynthia Yeldell Nashville Business Journal

Nashville's Bankruptcy trustee is joining his counterparts in Memphis and Jackson to launch a new tool to prevent foreclosures.
The Tennessee Mortgage Mitigation Project pairs troubled homeowners with community organizations that serve as mediators to help borrowers negotiate new loan terms with mortgage lenders.
Under current law, bankruptcy judges aren't allowed to alter the terms of mortgage loans.
Middle Tennessee Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee Henry Hildebrand says the program is needed because local foreclosures are growing at an exponential rate. He says bankruptcies with mortgage foreclosures have been increasing the past two years and are up 20 to 30 percent from last year.
Of the 400 bankruptcy cases Hildebrand sees each month, he says about 300 have mortgages tied to them.
"It's not like Nevada where they have enormous problems, but it's pretty substantial here," Hildebrand says.
The Center For Responsible Lending expects 46,218 foreclosures in Tennessee - primarily in 2008 and 2009 - that will decrease home values and the tax base by an estimated $967 million.
The agency says court-supervised modification could reduce the number of foreclosed homes by 11,555 and save $242 million in home values and tax base.
Hildebrand says the program is beneficial to mortgage lenders and borrowers. For instance, it can help buyers keep their homes by arranging for a loan change from an adjustable rate to a more affordable fixed rate.
Lenders save money by preventing foreclosures, estimated to cost an average of $50,000 per home, Hildebrand says.
Each bankruptcy trustee has developed a list of mortgage lenders that are willing to work with borrowers and a list of local community organizations that will serve as mediators.
Teresa Burns is executive director of GAP Community Development Resources, a nonprofit organization that is on the list of local mediators. Burns says homeowners can receive help preventing foreclosures before or after going into bankruptcy.
Burns' Williamson County office has been bombarded with requests for foreclosure help in recent months, she says.
In September 2007, 10 clients requested foreclosure help. In March this year, there were 110 new cases.
The increase was gradual at first. Burns saw 16 new cases in November last year, 24 in December and 48 in January.
"I do have some people come in here and just try to leave their keys in my office because they just can't afford it," Burns says. "I can foresee the same thing that hit Atlanta and Florida coming here."
Donna Marie Jendritza, public relations manager for Texas-based Litton Loan Services, one of the mortgage lenders on the list, says her company has been working with borrowers to modify loans since 2006. The company can lower interest rates, change adjustable rate mortgages to fixed rates or waive fees, she says.
"We are working with the courts to come up with a plan," Jendritza says.
George Stevenson, one of two Chapter 13 bankruptcy Trustees in Memphis, says West Tennessee started its program earlier this year.
He says the program has raised awareness of loss mitigation and more lawyers are starting to enter the process before their clients file bankruptcy

Garden Tour in Nashville's 12th South

12th South home-garden tour shows off 'urban hip'
Neighborhood displays architecture from 1920s bungalows to new construction
Davidson A.M. • April 11, 2008

Pam and Mark Miller moved into their home in the 12th South neighborhood about 18 months ago. "We call it urban hip here," Pam Miller said. "We love it. You are close to everything, and there are so many neat places to go. Our home is new, but we built it to look more traditional. It has a great open floor plan."
Stephanie and Adam Romary are going on their fifth year living in their 1925 bungalow in the same neighborhood.
"It's wonderful here," Stephanie Romary said. "The neighbors are great. We walk together and have dinner together."
So, when their homes, as well as seven other homes and two gardens, were selected to be on the fifth annual 12South Neighborhood Tour, they were eager to accept. Produced by the 12South Neighborhood Association, the tour is set for 11 a.m.-5 p.m., April 19.
Tickets are $8 and available for purchase from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Summer Classics parking lot located at 2600 12th Ave. South.
Proceeds from the tour will benefit neighborhood improvements and beautification projects. Since the annual tour started, the neighborhood association has raised enough money to plant cherry trees along the 12th South business district and install a new marker designating the 12South area in the traffic island on the north side of the district.
Tarek El Gammal, president of the neighborhood association, said last year the tour sold about 350 tickets. He is hoping for at least that many this year.
"The tickets are actually the tour guides," El Gammal said. "Each ticket holder gets a package with a write-up of each house. There is also a map and a suggested route to take. Of course, you can come and go as you want."
El Gammal said the association defines the 12South area as running from Wedgewood Avenue on the north side to about Kirkwood Avenue to the south. It goes about one-half of a block west from 12th Avenue to a couple of blocks east.
"Metro planning has the east boundary at 10th Avenue, but we also include Vaulx," El Gammal said. "Those boundaries are a little loose."
Walkability, heritage part of charm
Miller and her husband had lived in Williamson County before moving into the area. Mark Miller, Milmar Properties, is a contractor.
"He has built over 60 homes in the 12South, Belmont, Vanderbilt and Green Hills areas," she said. "We just felt it was time we moved into the area, too."
So, while their home will represent a more contemporary style, the Romary home on Montrose Avenue will represent the architectural heritage in the area.
"We have scraped and painted," Romary said. "There were five or six layers of paint and wallpaper on these walls. We have done the ceilings. But, we kept all our original built-ins."
El Gammal's traditional bungalow was on the tour last year. He and his family have only lived in Nashville a little over a year, after moving here from Chicago.
"This was the closest thing we found to what we were used to in Chicago," he said. "The walkability really caught our eyes. We loved the architecture in the area and all the nearby businesses."
From front porches to new business
The 12South neighborhood has undergone significant changes over the past five years or so. The easy access to downtown and other Nashville areas, combined with the affordability of the homes increased its attractiveness. Then, as new residents started to come into the area, new businesses also came.
"You can see the changes through the tour," El Gammal said. "The residents and businesses have fed off of each other. We expect the business district to be quite lively during the tour as well."
Ken Winter, a 12South Neighborhood Association board member, said the association worked hard in selecting the homes and gardens on the tour.
"We worked hard to represent not only the multiplicity of housing here, but also each residence's relation to the cultural and architectural heritage of the neighborhood," said Winter, an eight-year resident in the area.
The selection of homes, he said, also "exudes the front-porch neighborliness we treasure."

Nashville home sales drop but prices are up

March home sales down 28%, prices up 3%
Nashville Business Journal, April 10, 2008
Nashville area home sales dropped 28.7 percent in March, but prices rose 3 percent, creating a bright spot for local Realtors.
Total home closings are down to 2,227 from 3,126 in March 2007.
Inventory has been rising each month in 2008, from 21,952 in January to 22,473 in February to 23,730 in March. The number of homes on the market is up from 19,091 in March of last year.
Prices for single family homes increased 3 percent to $178,388 from $173,388. The median price for condominiums increased 4.6 percent to $160,573 from $153,400.
"The number of closings is down significantly compared to last year, but the fact that home prices are rising is a good sign that the Greater Nashville market remains stable even in this time of market transition," says GNAR President Mandy Wachtler in a news

Old Post office will receive upgrades

Franklin plans for newest old buildings
In first step since land swap, city to rehab Five Points Post Office
The Tennessean April 9, 2008

FRANKLIN — Years after a land swap with the county, Franklin will pay $2.5 million to take ownership of several aging downtown properties, including the Five Points Post Office.
The next question remains how much more will be spent on improving those properties — and how much the county will spend to create a new passive park on the 200 acres near Leiper's Fork it received in trade.
There's been no discussion from either camp about what might be ahead.
City leaders traded the wooded land known as the "Springs property" in exchange for the county-owned Five Points Post Office building, two jail buildings on Bridge Street and about 6 acres on Eddy Lane that adjoin Fort Granger, all in or near downtown.
Because the Springs property was formerly owned through the city's Water and Sewer Fund, regulations mandate that city officials must purchase the formerly county-owned properties from that fund before updating those buildings for general, public purposes.
After months of discussion, aldermen agreed in late March to begin making 36 monthly payments of $73,810 tothe fund. City and county officials first discussed the swap back in 2005 and finalized the deal last year.
The $2.5 million price is based on a 2002 appraisal by state Department of Transportation officials of the Springs property, according to interim City Administrator Russ Truell.
Now that Franklin technically owns the downtown properties, city leaders are addressing the conditions of the buildings and renewing leases.
The one with the most pressing need of attention is the 1930s-era post office, arguably one of downtown Franklin's most visible sites. It's home to a private postal operation and the offices of the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County. Archival material is stored in its basement.
"You have to maintain the stuff you own," Franklin Mayor John Schroer said. "The post office is a very viable piece of property in the city of Franklin. It has to be maintained."
Potential repairs run the gamut from minor fixes, like repairing broken toilets, to major overhauls, such as replacing its antiquated heating and cooling system.
"We just gave them a list of things we felt like were in their best interests to fix," Heritage Foundation Executive Director Mary Pearce said.
Attorneys are negotiating lease terms with the post office operation and the foundation.
Rent set at $1,000 In the case of the foundation, a new lease calls for a monthly $1,000 payment to the city. Under its previous lease with the county, the foundation paid $1 a year. The latest discussions have centered on how much the foundation should pay toward the building's utility bill.
Interim City Attorney Shauna Billingsley confirmed that negotiations were ongoing with both tenants and were not finalized.
Despite any changes, keeping a post office downtown remains a must for Pearce.
"As someone who cares about the ongoing vitality of Main Street, I think it's critical," Pearce said. Post office manager Kathy Russell confirmed a new lease for her operation is still being finalized, but did not elaborate. "We are still going to be here," Russell said. "If I had any concerns (about the building's condition), I would discuss it with (the city)."
The last contract between the county and Russell for the space stood at $11,600 annually.
Archives will moveBy year's end, the county archival materials will be removed from the post office basement as crews cull through the records, deciding which to keep and relocate and which to destroy, County Mayor Rogers Anderson said.
Discussions about the future of the former jail buildings on Bridge Street and the land on Eddy Lane are still ongoing.
As for the new county park, Anderson said residents should expect public meetings about how the Springs property might be used, but to expect no work on it this year.

907-acres sold in Spring Hill and being developed into "a major shopping center".

The sale of acreage brings new plans to Spring Hill community
The Tennessean• April 8, 2008
SPRING HILL — After a year of negotiations, auto dealer R.C. Alexander sold his 907-acre Spring Hill property to Franklin developer Robert N. Moore last week.
"Bobby is probably going to do wonders and make a hundred million dollars on the property," R.C. Alexander said. "He's going to develop it, and if he runs a road through it, he can do pretty much anything he wants with it."
Moore said he plans to build "a major commercial shopping center" on the property, including retail, restaurants, hotels and a mixture of other uses including office, apartments and homes.
"Our working title for the project is Spring Station since the majority of the land is in Spring Hill and a small part in Thompson's Station," he said in a statement. "We are still in the early planning stage but the development will be first class in every respect."
Alexander owned the property, which includes a 7-acre lake, for 15 years. He said Moore has tentative plans to establish commercial and residential developments.
The property was annexed into the city two years ago and has been for sale nearly as long. The land includes a 5,000-square-foot house at 2660 Buckner Lane, built in 1993.
A proposal for a connection from the property to Interstate 65 to be created by 2025 is a part of the city's major thoroughfare plan.
The land also is desired by the Williamson County School District, which is surveying the property for a school site.
Alexander told The Tennessean early last year that he has had dozens of offers from developers for the property, which had a $56.5 million price tag. He did not say what the final sale price was.

A list of the 40 new neighborhoods in WIlliamson County

More than 40 new neighborhoods in Williamson County!

People shopping for new homes in Williamson County will see new themes and twists on traditional home designs, an effort on the part of builders to give home buyers something different in 2008.
Turnberry Homes has four new neighborhoods in development and the company has borrowed names from California's wine country: Catalina in Nolensville, Sonoma in Brentwood, Stag's Leap and Chardonnay in Franklin.
"I thought these are absolutely fabulous names for neighborhoods," said Turnberry President Rick Bell, explaining he was struck by the beauty of the Napa and Sonoma valleys while visiting those areas recently.
The company has unusual plans for Chardonnay, where construction is expected to get under way this summer. In addition to featuring new elevations that will be consistently French Country or Old World in design, the neighborhood will carry out a wine theme with a country villa winery at the entrance and vineyards.
"I think it's going to have something for people that is very novel," Bell said.
Home prices in the Turnberry subdivisions range from about $450,000 up to the $700,000s.
In southern Williamson County, developer Mark Mihacsi is just beginning to create Cascade Estates, which he envisions as a water-themed neighborhood.
Mihacsi plans a man-made lake with three fountains in addition to a pool, pool house, pavilion, playgrounds and plenty of natural wooded areas for walking and hiking.
Man-made waterfalls will mark the neighborhood entrance on Lewisburg Pike, along with extensive landscaping. Homes in Cascade Estates will be on one- to four-acre lots and prices are projected to be from $750,000 to $1.2 million.
Not far from Cascade Estates is Canterbury, a new Thompson's Station subdivision that is featuring Old World architecture and an unusually long list of amenities.
Planned are a beach-entry pool, fitness center, community clubhouse, cabanas, a community amphitheater, walking trails, parks, a kids' tree house and fiber optic wiring to every home. The streetscape will include sidewalks, gas lanterns, a cobblestone entrance and guardhouse.
Canterbury will have 1,100 homes when it is completed in 2023. It will include town homes starting in the $240,000s, while single-family home prices will start at about $370,000.
Several other new neighborhoods are being planned to offer residents more opportunities than usual to connect with nature without leaving their subdivisions.
Meadowbrook in Spring Hill will include a 30-acre grass park that's laced with crushed gravel trails. Developer Cornerstone Land Co. has plans to plant approximately 300 trees of varying species on the property. Meadowbrook will also feature three playgrounds for children and a 1.5-mile walking trail.
The single-family homes and the town homes in Meadowbrook will be from 1,200 to 2,600 square feet, with prices ranging from $157,900 to $209,000.
In west Brentwood, Olde Towne has two creeks on the property that the state has designated an "aquatic resource." Developer Adam Stern has committed to preserving them for residents' enjoyment.
This secluded neighborhood of 21 custom homes on 26 acres will also feature green space and sidewalks, hedgerows and street trees.
Development continues at Stream Valley in Franklin, a neighborhood with an intense emphasis on connecting with nature. Plans there call for preserving more than 150 acres of hills, streambeds, ponds and open spaces, as well as construction of a neighborhood spa along with a pool, clubhouse and walking paths.
The site of last year's Parade of Homes, Stream Valley will have town homes as well as single-family homes and a town center with a mix of office and boutique retail space. Home prices will range from the $270,000s to the $300,000s for town homes and from $400,000 to $1.5 million for the single-family homes.
Laurel Cove, a community that will be built around a Greg Norman signature golf course on Arno Road, will also connect its residents to the outdoors in multiple ways.
In addition to the golf course, Laurel Cove, like Stream Valley, will have its own spa. There also will be tennis courts, a tennis shop, a neighborhood coffee shop, pools, clubhouse, children's playground, walking trails and picnic pavilions.
The developer, Tentara Partners, has begun work on the clubhouse, tennis, swim and fitness centers. The development does not expect to have homes until the end of 2008.
Home prices are anticipated to start in the $600,000s and there will be 820 homes at Laurel Cove when it is finished sometime in 2015.

Pre-Approval letter vs. Pre-Qualification letter

Pre-Qualification letter vs. Pre-Approval letter

There is a HUGE difference between a Pre-Qualification letter and a Pre-Approval letter.
By Dianne Christian, Broker
A Pre-Qualification letter can be issued after a five-minute conversation with a Lender. All it says is that X Buyer is qualified to buy a home for XX dollars PROVIDING the information the Buyer has given to the Lender is accurate. It's not worth the paper it's written on because nothing has been verified. The Lender was simply crunching numbers based upon the Buyer's stated income, stated debt and their credit score (which may or may not have been pulled). The Lender is saying this is a price they "can" afford provided they are telling the truth and everything pans out upon further investigation.

A Pre-Approval letter, on the other hand, is more. The Lender is stating that X Buyer is PRE-APPROVED for a loan in the amount of X dollars towards a purchase price of X dollars and that the Lender has already seen their bank statements, IRS returns, paycheck stubs and verified their income, debt and credit report. What remains to finish up the loan would then be the things that are attached to a specific home: the home appraisal, title search, etc. The Buyer's portion has already been done. Around here, in order to get a Pre-Approval letter the Buyer has already made application to the Lender and paid the application fee of about $350 so the Lender can begin the process.

Listing Agents are generally unimpressed when a Buyer provides a Pre-Qual letter. I've often had Buyer's Agents TELL me they have a Pre-Approval letter and then it ended up being a Pre-Qual letter. I send it back and explain the difference. A Pre-Qual letter is worthless, but a Pre-Approval letter shows the Buyer is serious and can afford to buy the house.

New Henley community welcomes realtors

By: Ashley Henkel-Marketing Assistant for Dianne Christian Team

"Don't be a fool and miss this!" Late afternoon on April Fool's Day, was the appropriate comment made by realtor Dianne Christian and she was exactly right! The Henley community welcomed local realtors to preview the newest neighborhood in Franklin which is only minutes from Historic downtown. There are eighty-seven homes in the community built in a valley situated at the corner of Mack Hatcher Parkway and Highway 96. There were six new construction homes that were open to view and built by Henley's featured builders: The Hughes Group, LLC, Frank White Construction, LLC, and Wayne Dunn & Associates. These homes reflect a variety of distinctive architectural styles and fine features starting in the $600s. Even though the homes are built by three different builders, these magnificent homes offer their own form of tranquility with the custom architectural details, soaring volume ceilings, and exceptional amenities. When you step outside you take in the scenic views and breathe taking landscaping on the Pedistrian friendly sidewalks. The realtors gave great feedback and enjoyed meeting the featured builders and discovering this great community. That's not all! Drinks and food were provided, and catered by O'Charley's restaurant. Betty White, wife of builder Frank White also provided her famous homemade desserts. The event also held drawings and cash prizes. The realtors that toured every home out of six qualified for cash prizes. The Keller Williams Franklin Office won the top prize for for having the most agents attend the event. The event proved to be lots of fun and a huge success and the once best kept secret in Franklin is becoming a hot topic in the real estate community!

Henley is just around the corner from the everyday hustle and bustle, you’ll find a new meaning for the word “home.” These magnificent newly built homes offer their own form of tranquility with the custom architectural details, soaring volume ceilings, and exceptional amenities. Be prepared to be pampered with the magnificent master suite, heavy crown moldings throughout, custom hardwood stairs with wrought iron spindles, and sprawling granite counter tops with rich custom solid-wood cabinetry that surround a generously crafted kitchen. Step outside to take in the scenic views and breathe taking landscaping with covered patios and outdoor fireplaces, perfect for entertaining or that laid back lifestyle. This impeccably designed community gives each new homeowner the convenience of living in a secure and elegant setting with wonderfully tree lined streets while being just two miles from Historical Downtown Franklin. Each new homeowner will also be granted a one year membership to the YMCA located at the entrance of Henley, courtesy of The Hughes Group. Welcome home to a new kind of living. This secret you’ll have to tell everyone about!