NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Rutlege Hill lot that sits in the shadow of some of Nashville's tallest buildings could soon be home to a project that will change the skyline itself.
The 2nd and Peabody development would include retail, restaurants, offices and a hotel, inside two skyscrapers. One tower would be 34 stories and the other 38. The towers would be among the tallest buildings in Nashville.
While developers argue it will add to a fast-growing area just South of downtown, some groups worry about its possible impact on a historic area.
"It's a tough balance of commerce versus preservation and that's a big battle that we're facing more and more downtown and in surrounding areas," Historic Nashville's Elizabeth Elkins said. "History stretches in that neighborhood back to the turn of the 1800s, so having something 38 stories high... it just sets a standard for that neighborhood to change rapidly and to really lose that kind of historic character we're trying to preserve."
"We really have to make a decision how far are we going to allow glass skyscrapers to go from downtown and at what cost to the character of the city," she continued.
The project goes in front of the Metro Planning Commission later this month.
