Briley charts future for historic downtown Nashville building as park land swap stalls
Mayor David Briley has convened a committee to evaluate the future of Nashville's Morris Memorial Building, pushing forward his plan to purchase and renovate the dilapidated historic building downtown for potential affordable housing.
In an announcement Thursday, Briley said he appointed the nine-member committee to provide recommendations for how to use the property, if the Metro Council ultimately agrees to the $12.8 million acquisition.
Meanwhile, a related and controversial deal to trade Metro-owned Church Street Park for the Morris Memorial Building’s parking lot appears to have stalled.
The Morris Memorial Building, at the corner of Fourth and Charlotte avenues in the historic black business district, was built in the mid-1920s to be the publishing arm of the National Baptist Convention, the largest African-American religious denomination. It was designed by one of the nation’s first black-owned architectural firms.
"It’s a unique moment for me, for the city council and for the city to demonstrate that we — in the face of a lot of growth and prosperity — are also going to remember what was important about the city 100 years ago and leave a legacy for generations to come," Briley said in an interview with The Tennessean.
"If the city doesn't step up and preserve it, I think it’ll be lost forever," he said.
The committee, chaired by Friendship Baptist Church pastor and former Metro police officer Jimmy Greer, is asked to report back with recommendations in several weeks.
Other members are:
- Carole Bucy, Davidson County historian / Advisory Council, Historic Nashville
- Angela Crane-Jones, president, Nashville Business Incubation Center
- David Ewing, attorney and Nashville historian
- Kaki Friskics-Warren, Metropolitan Housing Trust Fund Commission
- LeShane Greenhill, CEO and co-founder of Sagents and past president of the Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce
- Rita Mitchell, founder and president of Rita P. Mitchell LLC and retired First TN Bank executive
- Dwayne Scott, president and CEO of SRS Constructions / Nashville Black Chamber
- Linda Wynn, Metro Historical Commission, and history professor at Fisk University
Councilman Freddie O'Connell, whose district includes the building; Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency board member Aole Ansari; and the mayor's Chief Diversity Officer Ashford Hughes also will serve.
“(Briley) didn’t put his thumb on the scale in any way or say, ‘Here’s what outcomes we’re looking for,’” O'Connell said after the group's first meeting Thursday afternoon. "I am privileged to be on the committee representing District 19."
He said the committee will meet every two weeks and report their findings in June, on the future of the “striking building."
“This partnership is an example of constructive leadership focused on the goal of providing perpetual recognition to the historic and present contributions of African-Americans to Nashville," National Baptist Convention President Jerry Young said in a statement.
He said he was encouraged by the mayor's recognition of the historical importance of the building and that he was excited to explore the "highest and best uses" for the site.
Affordable housing considered
Briley's office signed an "acquisition option" to buy the building from the National Baptist Convention for $12.8 million in February, citing historic preservation as the main priority. The city has until July to close the deal.
As questions linger on whether the Morris building is a cost-effective way to develop new affordable housing, Briley said he believes it’s the “right place," pointing to its proximity to a transit station and jobs and services downtown.
"It fits a lot of bills for affordability," Briley said. "It is close to a lot of jobs that are, in many respects, going to fit into that affordability range."
If the committee determines that retrofitting the building is too expensive, Briley said there is a potential to use the space as a business incubator for minority-owned small businesses or Metro facilities.
"Somehow we could still acknowledge the history of African-Americans in this city," Briley said, adding that the Metro Council would approve new funds — instead of drawing upon more than half of a $25 million bond allocated for affordable housing — for the project if that were the case.
Briley also hopes to trade the parking lot of the Morris Memorial Building for Church Street Park downtown in a related deal.
The Morris Memorial Building’s parking lot and Church Street Park have been eyed by the mayor’s office for years. The park has long been a point of contention for the community because it is a gathering place for homeless people, and developer Tony Giarratana initially made a bid to former Mayor Megan Barry to take it over.
At one point, as part of the park negotiations, the Barry administration considered building a homeless services center at the parking lot of the Morris Memorial Building. That center is now slated to be built directly north of the new downtown jail under construction.
In July, Briley proposed the land swap with Giarratana, who owns the parking lot. Giarratana would build a condominium skyscraper on the park at 600 Church St. under the plan.
The city would then turn the parking lot into a park to offset the loss of the green space, using $2 million from Giarratana.
Before the mayor proposed buying the Morris Memorial Building, the National Baptist Convention opposed the city's plans for the parking lot, saying they would hurt the property value.
Land swap deal stalled
The Metro Council has yet to take up the land swap proposal for approval, and the mayor's office has not indicated when that may take place.
The Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation narrowly approved the plan in early November with a 4-3 vote. Council members were expected to vote on it soon after.
"This needs to get moving pretty quickly to get it fully baked this year, which is everyone's goal I believe," Bo Campbell, an attorney for Giarratana, told a Metro attorney in an Aug. 7 email obtained by The Tennessean.
It's not clear why the plans have been delayed. A spokesman for the mayor said Giarratana is working with the planning department to rezone Church Street Park for a 65-story residential tower, which would be the city's tallest.
But planning officials said they had not received any plans or requests.
Giarratana has produced a rendering of the proposed condo tower. But he provided few specifics on the development, which would not include any parking. He hasn't said when it would be built or where its residents would park.
"Our next tower is envisioned as condos with a restaurant," Giarratana said. "I'll look forward to discussing our plans when appropriate."
The Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency said it has not yet amended the Capitol Mall Redevelopment Plan to allow for residential use of the park property — a first step in clearing the regulatory path to allow the condo tower.
In October, Campbell told members of the mayor's office that the MDHA Board of Commissioners was prepared to vote on a change to the park site's plan that would allow for residential use there by December. Metro officials also must approve a zoning change before work can begin.
"With respect to amending the Capitol Mall Redevelopment Plan to allow residential use on the Church Street park site," Campbell wrote in an email. "They (MDHA) do not believe they need a formal public/neighborhood meeting given the relatively modest nature of the amendment. Their anticipation is this will go to the Board at the December meeting."
An MDHA spokesman said this week that "staff isn't aware of timing" to vote on the park site plan change.
Giarratana also said he would commercialize Anne Dudley Dallas Boulevard flanking the park and add some green space as part of the deal. He said he would invest "up to $5 million" in that work and create a dog park.
A city-funded homeless services center with 100 transitional housing units at 505 Second Ave. N. also was pitched as part of this deal when it was announced in April.
Giarratana has said he would oversee the building's design if the developer agrees.
Critics of the land swap say it is designed to push homeless people who use the park elsewhere.
The Nashville Civic Design Center and other local architects have argued that the park can be reprogrammed into a thriving public space with better planning.
Several parks and recreation board members agreed, complaining that the city hasn't adequately invested in the park, allowing it to fall into disrepair.
Briley's plans to replace the lost green space with a new park next to Morris Memorial Building could simply move the problems at Church Street Park to another part of town, they said.
They also criticized the city's decision to consider only one proposal for the land swap with Giarratana.
"This just pushes the (homelessness) problem down the street," said dissenting parks board member Michelle Steele. "It's not a fair process for those interested in possibly developing that property."
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