Mayor Freddie O’Connell, partners laying groundwork for infrastructure, connectivity on Nashville’s East Bank

The revitalization of the 550-acre East Bank, stretching from the I-65 bridge to the Silliman Evans Bridge, is advancing through a series of actions that lay the foundation for achieving the long-term vision of a new affordable neighborhood for Nashville.

In Mayor O’Connell’s recently released Capital Spending Plan (CSP), the administration proposes a $33.5 million allocation to NDOT focused on establishing critical infrastructure and connectivity through three key areas: land acquisition, design, and construction.

• $14.6 million for land acquisition to buy right of way between James Robertson Parkway to Jefferson Street for the East Bank Boulevard.
• $6.6 million for design work related to infrastructure needs such as street grid, new utilities, a transit hub, and other related projects to transportation and connectivity.
• $12.3 million for construction of the street grid and utility and infrastructure relocation.

“While it may go largely unseen, the work we are doing today is laying the foundation for bringing neighborhoods for Nashvillians to the East Bank,” said Chief Development Officer Bob Mendes. “Transforming the East Bank will be a long process and these initial steps are critical to achieving the connections laid out by our community in Imagine East Bank.”

Imagine East Bank, a two-year community engagement process led by the Nashville Planning Department, was designed with the most robust community engagement efforts since NashvilleNext, and development of the East Bank is the result of a vision plan built off the ideas of Nashville’s residents.

The East Bank is comprised of a 550-acre area adjacent to the Cumberland River running from River North and the area where the Oracle campus will be all the way to the interstate on the south side of the loop and includes 130 acres of Metro-owned land. The size of the development is nearly 10 times the size of Nashville’s Gulch neighborhood.

Earlier this year, the Metro Council approved an agreement to improve the area around the new stadium in a way that addresses our pressing need for housing. The agreement requires the delivery of 1,550 housing units with mixed affordability requirements. Key components include:

• 2 residential buildings with 100% of units to be affordable
• All other residential buildings with at least 10% of the units to be affordable
• A daycare
• Building neighborhoods by requiring ground floor retail uses in every building

The work of the O’Connell administration is guided by two priorities of improving quality of life for Nashvillians and making Nashville more affordable. By committing to long-term affordability, the East Bank development sets a historic precedent for how Nashville moves, works, and grows.