6 Nashville Neighborhoods Under Construction

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Nashville is awash in change, and it’s on full display at nearly every corner, intersection, and roundabout. (You can also see it the eyes of frustrated drivers trying to park downtown.) On a smaller scale, individual neighborhoods are evolving, too—some are embracing their quirks while others have gotten a complete facelift. Keep tabs on these six areas in particular, as their current renaissance will shape the city’s future. Illustration by Tim Cook.

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Sylvan Park/Sylvan Heights

Charlotte Avenue seems to have the most up its sleeve, especially the stretch from the 440 overpass (just west of the vibrant OneC1ty community, an up-and-coming area in its own right) to White Bridge Pike. By this summer, the $50 million Hill Center Sylvan Heights will open Farm Burger, Double Dogs, and wine bar Salt & Vine at 40th Avenue; around the same time, construction will begin on The Factory of Nashville, a marketplace concept housed in the former L&L Restaurant Equipment building. And when the sprawling West 46th apartment development is (finally) completed, it’ll be in good company with newish neighborhood fixtures like Green Pea Salon, Blooma Yoga, Flip Burger, Oak Nashville home goods, and The Beer Pale.

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12 South

Change is an ironic constant in this Belmont-adjacent neighborhood, as every year promises a mini explosion of economic growth. 2013 brought the 12 South Flats complex, including Josephine and boutiques Cadeau and Emerson Grace, plus White’s Mercantile just down the street. In 2014, Epice and The Flipside joined the party, as did several retail shops (Hero, Judith Bright) and a new LEED-certified Sevier Park Community Center. And last year, the area welcomed Craft South and Bartaco—part of the 12 South Center development—in addition to hot spots like Embers Ski Lodge, Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James, and The Meet Room. Sweetening up 12 South even more are outposts of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream, Five Daughters Bakery, and Sprinkles—the only place you can score a red velvet cupcake at 2 a.m.

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Edgehill

They say to give credit where credit is due, and in this case it goes squarely to Edgehill Village Investors—as developers, they’ve seasoned this burgeoning neighborhood with the perfect blend of new and old businesses. Alongside anchors like Taco Mamacita and Bella Napoli Pizzeria, a flurry of fresh retail faces—Warby Parker, J.Crew, Castilleja, and Beija-Flor—have turned the area into a bona fide shopping hub. (Meanwhile, the revered Edgehill café got a floor-to-ceiling makeover and scootched a few doors down.) Two forthcoming spots that already have us drooling: Old Glory, a cocktail bar from the owners of East Nashville’s Bar 308, and the Spanish tapas joint Barcelona Wine Bar, which will take up residence in a warehouse on Villa Place.

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8th Avenue South/Melrose

Just below Wedgewood Avenue, the word on the street is condos. Developers can’t stop building—there’s Lofts on Eighth, 23Hundred at Berry Hill, and the proposed Broadstone Eighth South, to name a few—even if it means razing sites like the former Colonial Bakery or a Jaguar dealership. Less controversial additions include the high-profile Melrose complex (Sinema, The Sutler, Fenwick’s 300), Gruhn Guitars, Love Peace & Pho, Craft Brewed, and The Hook, a fast-casual concept that opened to great fanfare last month. Mix in the nearby oldies-but-goodies that are still hanging on—Zanies, M.L. Rose, the trusty antique mall—and you’ve got yourself one of the most eclectic stretches of town.

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Germantown

When Tandy Wilson opened City House in 2007, he set the tone for the historic neighborhood’s triumphant revival: preserve existing structures (and their charm), but spruce them up with sleek amenities. In that vein, Fresh Hospitality established the 10,000-square-foot Germantown Market on Madison Street, which includes Cochon Butcher, Juice Bar, and recent arrival Little Donkey. A slew of similarly converted spots sit within a three-block radius, like Butchertown Hall, 5th & Taylor, the latest Barista Parlor offshoot, Bearded Iris craft brewery, the forthcoming Geist restaurant, and Poppy & Monroe, a nail salon situated in an 1870s home. New construction does exist in these parts—mostly in the form of condos and the state-of-the-art First Tennessee Park.

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Main Street, East Nashville

Why did the downtown dwellers cross the river? To get to the east side—where, especially along this corridor, there’s truly something for every Nashvillian. From brand-new bars (Duke’s, Bar Luca) to buzzy restaurants (Butcher & Bee, Little Octopus) to retail shops (Two Son, Kitty) to luxury apartments (Amplify on Main, Stacks on Main), this former no man’s land has transformed into the hippest part of town in a few short years. Neighborhood institutions like The Family Wash and The Turnip Truck have flourished, too, upgrading to bigger, shinier locations. Tying everything together is the recently opened Basement East: a 400-capacity venue and pub where all walks of life gather for live music, stiff drinks, and zero pretense.