An architect’s rendering of the Riverfront redevelopment project from a bird’s eye view. Photo courtesy of the Nashville Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency.
The 20-year plan was jointly funded by the US Army Corp of Engineers and Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation, and was created through numerous design workshops, community advisory groups, stakeholder meetings and consulting processes. The plan has a clear purpose:
“Cities with great waterfronts can offer a better quality of life to retain and attract citizens and capital. Nashville has the potential to create a great waterfront that is truly world-class. The window of opportunity is open and conditions are right to move on this now – it is Nashville’s time.”
The plan lays ground to transform over 190 acres of underutilized industrial land into sustainable mixed-use developments. These new developments, along with cultural centers and entertainment venues, are expected to help Nashville attract more than $1.4 billion in new private investment capital.
In 2009, the Metropolitan Council adopted a long-range capital budget that targeted a total of $54 million for riverfront redevelopment and included an immediate allocation of $30 million to jump-start construction of the initial phases of the Nashville Riverfront Concept Plan. Phase One, a family park called Cumberland Park, and Phase Two, renovation of the historic Bridge Building, were completed in March of 2012.