The existing Donelson Plaza is a 1950’s-era retail shopping center designed in the same vein as many of that time period: large expanses of asphalt surface parking in front of low-slung single-and-two-story large floor-plate retail boxes. The proximity of the large developable site just 2 blocks from a key stop on Nashville’s only commuter rail line, the Music City Star, led Holladay Properties to purchase the site for its potential as a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) community. Centric Architecture helped envision the potential opportunities with the developer shortly after purchase, and were then retained to complete a comprehensive phased Master Plan for the full site.
The Centric team lead visioning sessions with the Metro Councilman for the area, and worked with city officials to develop a near-term and long-term vision for the entire site, which focused on increased connectivity through the site, increased density and walkability, and better connectivity with the nearby Train Station. Underground parking decks take advantage of existing topography, and density is designed and scaled both to foster an urban, walkable scale while thoughtfully transitioning to the adjacent single-family neighborhoods. The Centerpiece of the master plan is a new public greenspace fronted by a new branch public library. This civic space is intended to serve as the bookend to the future development of the Donelson Station commuter rail stop, helping create and define.
