Metro Councilmember Joy Styles' efforts to move along plans for the Global Mall redevelopment got a green light at Thursday night's planning commission meeting.
The items were heard on the commission’s consent agenda, so there was no discussion about the mall plans. However, Styles attended and thanked the planning commission members for including the site plans on consent. She pointed out that she is particularly excited about being able to move forward with the plans for a performing arts center, day care, hotel and artist housing. The development also includes a transit center, education facilities and community green space.
“Thank you for that," Styles said. "You have made that happen, and I appreciate it and my community is grateful."
Councilmember Joy Styles discusses community plan, rezoning
With passage from the planning commission, Styles' bills for the Global Mall site moves on to a second reading and a public hearing during the Aug. 6 Metro Council meeting.
After the zoning changes are approved on a third reading, which could come by Aug. 20 with no deferrals, Metro will be able to issue a request for proposals from master developers for the site.
Scene sister publication the Nashville Post recently spoke with Civic Design Center design director Eric Hoke about the plans for the redevelopment of the Global Mall site.
"Something that's really cool about Antioch, it's traditionally a suburban sprawling neighborhood," Hoke said. "But this concentrates a downtown component to a traditionally suburban and more urban condition for a town center. I think that's smart growth. That's the way we need to be moving."
Styles said previously that the transit center is the first piece of the puzzle for the area. It is already being designed and has received funding through WeGo.
"I think it's sort of a logical first step in terms of the whole Global Mall effort," Hoke said. "That transit center is the linchpin for the whole project. Once that's in place, then it makes a lot more sense to develop the rest of it. Murfreesboro is already the top-ridden corridor for WeGo. So linking a concrete connection to South Nashville is an essential step."
A rendering of the future Arts Ave at the Global Mall site
With housing as a central part of the plan, Hoke said this kind of "suburban retrofit" is an ongoing discussion across the country as cities deal with suburban sprawl. He said that nationally, one sustainable solution that is working is the "15-minute city," where everything is within 15 minutes walking distance of an apartment. He used the success of Nashville's 12South to emphasize the idea.
"What's really cool about the Global Mall plan is that they're building that urban street grid," he said. "They're creating a more block-like structure with that sort of spacing and I think that's important to walkability. That's important to making a sustained neighborhood."
Hoke said what will make the area livable is planning to provide offerings in the community that people need, highlighting that the KIPP Nashville charter school that is already on site and the plans for a soccer field work alongside housing and transit to create a tight-knit community.
"The Global Mall has kind of always been that community center in a way, but our needs are different now," Hoke said. "I think it's fun to think about that as the catalyst for future development, too."
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
