NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Since 1979, it's been a must stop spot for trucks. But soon, the land that the TA Travel Center has occupied for decades could attract a much different crowd.
In 2020, property management firm RMR Group purchased the 15-acre property near James Robertson Parkway and Interstate 24. Last year, the Metro Planning Commission granted the company preliminary approval to use the site to build a mixed-use development, with a maximum height of 30 stories.
It comes at a time when all eyes are on the East Bank and what a redevelopment strategy could look like. The Tennessee Titans are asking for a new, covered stadium. Mixed-use developments could be proposed surrounding a new stadium complex and tech giant Oracle is under construction just down the street.
"All indicators are that we will continue this trajectory, and if we keep adding great venues, great restaurants, more hotels, perhaps a domed stadium. I really think the sky’s the limit," said Leesa LeClaire, of the Greater Nashville Hospitality Association.
LeClaire said — while re-imagining Nashville's East Bank could be a catalyst for even more tourism — it has to strike the right balance.
"The key is we have to keep it safe, and we have to keep people safe and having fun. If we don’t do that, they won’t keep coming back. So that really is a key factor," she said.
NewsChannel 5 reached out to the company who owns TA Travel Center, along with the new land owner, to see if they could give us a timeline or an idea of what's coming next. So far, we haven't heard back.
However, if you look at the preliminary documents provided to the Metro Planning Commission, the new zoning would allow for residential, commercial and even venues like a microbrewery or theater.
It's important to note, RMR Group would have to return to the MPC with a final proposal before the plan can move forward.
Richel Albright with Metro's Planning Department sent us the following statement about redevelopment along the East Bank.
“A common criticism we’ve heard from Nashvillians is that growth and development has occurred in a piecemeal fashion throughout our city. With the incoming Oracle campus and River North development, Metro Planning felt we had an opportunity to prepare for, and help guide, growth along the rest of the East Bank. The Imagine East Bank Draft Vision Plan takes community feedback and lays out a vision for the types of developments residents want to see in this area – from safe multimodal streets, to robust and accessible parks and riverfront, and housing types with a range of affordability.
Currently, much of the land on the East Bank is intensely entitled, meaning that without updates to the land use policy, the types of development and growth you see in Midtown could occur on the East Bank. As we’re gathering community feedback on the draft plan our goal is to have the vision plan adopted by Metro Planning Commission, which would update the supplemental policy and allow for the Commission to have a policy that reflects the community’s desire when reviewing future rezoning requests on the East Bank.”
