New Buildings will replace old in Brentwood

Wrecking ball expected in Town Center
Developer plans two new buildings at important corner
The Tennessean• May 28, 2008

BRENTWOOD —A line of three shabby buildings stands at the official entrance to Brentwood's Town Center.
The brick or old white-siding structures don't fit in with the city's vision for this area, which calls for a quaint, pedestrian-friendly village with strict design standards. The contrast has become more apparent in recent years because the three sit next to the new decorative brick markers at the intersection of Franklin Road and Town Center Way.
Their appearance doesn't bother Shaw Mehrzad, who manages Oriental Rug Restoration in the small, brick building just south of the intersection. He likes the area's high visibility and traffic, which is why he's not looking forward to moving out by July 23.
"The building is coming down," he said. "I will try my darnedest to find a good location and low overhead as good as this building."
Brookside Properties now owns the buildings and has submitted a plan to the Brentwood Planning Department to redevelop that corner. That plan involves demolishing the existing buildings, a fact Mehrzad's business has promoted in recent sale ads that urge customers to come in before the wrecking ball does.
Brookside is proposing two new buildings, one for a bank and the other for retail and commercial use. Because the buildings will provide the first impression of Town Center to Franklin Road motorists, the proper design is a crucial element to their approval. In fact, Brookside is refining its plans now, said Jeff Dobson, senior city planner.
"The building was a little too modern when I first saw it," Dodson said.
City Commissioner Betsy Crossley was on the city Planning Commission in January 2004 when it approved the special C-4 zoning district for "downtown Brentwood." She said she would like to see the project create a "sort of nice gateway building" into Town Center, which is bordered on the North by Old Hickory Boulevard, the East by Interstate 65, the South by Church Street and the west by Eastpark Drive.
As of deadline, the city Planning Department was still going over the details of the development. It'll likely be on the agenda at next month's Brentwood Planning Commission meeting.
Regardless of what happens, Oriental Rug Restoration will be closing its doors so they can be out of the building by July 23. Mehrzad, however, isn't upset.
He has faith there is a reason for the move.
"My fate was to be here until July 23, and now my fate is to find somewhere else," he said