Atlanta-based SWH Residential Partners has finalized a ground breaking date for and released renderings of the apartment building it plans to develop on Rolling Mill Hill.

Originally, the residential building, which remains unnamed and a price tag for which will not be disclosed, was to have risen five stories, with on-site work to have started in March. Now groundbreaking is slated for June, with the building (see images below) to stand seven stories at its tallest point (about 80 feet), according to John Tirrill, SWH managing partner.

“We’re looking at a couple of names but will want to make an announcement by the time we start in June,” he said.

Orlando-based Baker Barrios Architects, which is handling design work, has given the apartment building a contemporary aesthetic. Tirrill said the development team originally considered a neo-art deco flavor but opted instead for an industrial look.

“As the design process evolved, it’s kind of where we ended up,” he said.

Tirrill said the building’s primary exterior materials will be brick, Hardie panel, steel and stucco. It will feature about 100 units. Solomon Builders will serve as general contractor, while Littlejohn Engineering Associates is doing landscape architecture and engineering. Both are based in Nashville.

Rolling Mill Hill already is home to The Art Deco, The Metro, Nance Place, Ryman Lofts and The Victorian apartment buildings.

Tirrill said the building will be positioned on an empty lot next to the historic chimney that sits adjacent to The Metro (click here for a photo of the site). SWH owned The Metro, The Art Deco and The Victorian before selling to Des Moines, Iowa-based Principal Global Real Estate Investors last year for $11.4 million. MDHA developed Ryman Lofts and developed Nance Place.

“We’ll spend a lot of time and effort stabilizing the [chimney], which we feel is an architectural asset,” Tirrill said.

The previously mentioned Principal Global Real Estate Investors is the owner of the project, while SWH will serve as the fee development manager.

Engineering and planning firm Civil Site Design Group, which has worked on Rolling Mill Hill's Trolley Barns and Ryman Lofts among other projects, has recruited project manager Sean DeCoster from Littlejohn Associates. DeCoster, who will run one of Civil Site's residential and site development groups, has almost two decades of experience.

“Sean is a fantastic addition to our already outstanding engineering team,” said Porter. “His management style, attention to detail, and scheduling ability create a unique client-focused structure that is poised to meet any and all project goals.”

Indianapolis-based developer Buckingham Cos. is hoping to break ground in the second quarter of 2013 on its hotel-anchored mixed-used project proposed for Midtown.

Following last week’s successful rezoning effort before the Metro Planning Commission, Buckingham will now go before the Metro Council. The first meeting is slated for Jan. 8. A public hearing will be held on Feb. 5, with a final council vote tentatively set for Feb. 19.

James Weaver, a Waller attorney who specializes in land-use matters, said the site — which addresses 21st Avenue, Broadway and Division Street — is worthy of a quality, high-profile project.

“Given the mass available under the base zone, the developer was extremely judicious with the final massing proposal,” Weaver said of the plan the planning commission approved.

Buckingham wants to reinvent about 1.75 acres containing the former building home to Mario’s (lost to a fire) and structures accommodating Ken’s Sushi, Benchmark and Wendy’s. The site is unusual — and many would say prime — in that it addresses three major streets in Midtown.
Buckingham, which is working with the LaGasse family (which has long owned the properties) and Littlejohn Engineering Associates, plans a project that will include a 19-story hotel, retail and residential space, and structured parking. (See more images here.)

Weaver, who declined to note what hotelier Buckingham is eyeing, said the development team will be working with Metro Councilwoman Erica Gilmore, other member of the council, and area businesses and residents.

“In this case, Buckingham is a new entity to Nashville,” Weaver said. “Everybody who has met the Buckingham people is excited. But there are people who haven’t met them yet, so we’ll take this opportunity to introduce them. It’s all about education.”

Weaver, who referenced H.G. Hill Realty’s looming rehab project at Division and 21st, the Adelicia and various nearby restaurants, called the site on which the development will rise “an important piece of real estate.”

“There are not many of these parcels around,” he said. “But it’s about more than this project alone. It’s about the general area.”

Consultants from Littlejohn Engineering will early next month lead a series of community workshops in Robertson County that will help chart a comprehensive growth and development plan. The meetings will be held in Springfield, Cross Plains and Adams.

“Every resident or business in Robertson County will be affected by this project in some way,” said Jonathan Garner, chair of the project’s steering committee. “Roads, housing, parks, schools, and even historic landmarks are under discussion. Public input on this project is crucial to its success.”

The Littlejohn Engineering Associates website now offers some interesting images of Indianapolis-based Buckingham Cos.'s proposed Midtown mixed-use development. Check them here. Interestingly, the renderings show the name of architect Torti Gallas and Partners. Buckingham (read more about the company's Nashville project here) is saying very little about the unnamed development, so we can't note with certainty that TG&P is the architect (as the company may have simply providing renderings). But Torti Gallas, which is based in Silver Spring, Md., clearly does quality work. Check here.

Nashville-based Littlejohn Engineering Associates announced today it has opened a new office (pictured here) in Knoxville, which will be under the direction of Scott McDonald. Established in 1989, LEA has a staff of 107, with offices also located in Chattanooga, the Tri-Cities, Orlando, Phoenix and Decatur, Ala.