Facials in Berry Hill, TN

Construction is underway on a mixed-use building at the Berry Hill site last home, in part, to Athens Family Restaurant.

The future five-floor building, to be called The Berry and to sit at 2526 Eighth Ave. S., will offer 6,500 square feet of retail space, 60 residential units (Airbnb and short-term rental studios, one- and two-bedrooms) and 118 parking spaces.

The Greek cuisine-focused Athens closed in 2021 after a 16-year run, with its former building having been demolished (read here). It now operates on Belmont Boulevard near Belmont University.

The 0.79-acre Melrose-area property being developed also includes a parcel (last addressed at 2528 Eighth Ave. S.) previously home to a small retail building (formerly a motel) that was razed to accommodate the project.

Nashville-based HNP Properties quitclaim deeded the property in May to a general partnership, which is undertaking the work via a $14.3 million loan from Pinnacle Bank.

Bill Hostettler, who is affiliated with HNP and the partnership, told the Post in 2021 he and the investors had planned a retail building on the then-two-parcel site. However, they later altered the thrust of the project to include residential.

"We felt there was a shortage of such residential product related to short-term rentals," Hostettler told the Post, adding that The Berry will allow early pre-check-ins via the use of 30 lockers. Full check-in will be at 4 p.m.

The building will carry a price tag of about $20 million (including land), he said. Retail space will anchor the main level, with parking located on floor two and the residential units on levels three, four and five.

Hostettler said one of the investors in the project is John Howard, who has ownership in downtown's Woolworth Theatre building and Banner Building (now called Banner Lofts).

MJM Architects is handling design of the roughly 60,000-square-foot The Berry. Snyder Engineering is the civil engineer, with Conrad Construction as the general contractor. Each is locally based.

HNP Properties acquired the two Melrose-area properties in separate transactions (in 2004 and 2007) for $755,000, according to Metro records.

Others support efforts to improve safety and make the neighborhood more pedestrian friendly.

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Big changes are on the way for 8th Avenue South in the Berry Hill and Melrose areas, including a possible reduction of four travel lanes to two. And not everyone is happy about it.

"I see the traffic on this street every day, and I know what happens any time they take a lane away here for construction or an accident or things like that," said Gabriel Smith, CEO of CEAdvisory, who serves as the spokesman for the coalition of local businesses leading the charge against the proposed changes.

"It's total gridlock."

The City of Berry Hill, Metro Nashville and the Tennessee Department of Transportation have partnered on the 8th Avenue South Multimodal Study, which aims to address the needs of the growing community by making 8th Avenue South more pedestrian and bike friendly.

► More:Publix grocery store planned for Nashville's Melrose area

Metro officials stress nothing is final and reducing the number of lanes is just one of many options under consideration to improve the area.

“I think there’s considerable support for creating a more bike and pedestrian-friendly environment, but at the same time, there are people who are concerned that it’ll cause problems with other traffic,” said Craig Owensby, a spokesman for the Metro Planning Department.

What proposed for the road?

There are few sidewalks and crosswalks along the stretch of 8th Avenue South, making the area prone to accidents and dangerous for motorists, bikers and pedestrians alike.

The study outlines various scenarios for the future of 8th Avenue, two of which involve reducing the street from four lanes to two.

After receiving input from a focus group, reducing the street to two lanes with a center turn lane emerged as the most popular scenario, according to the study.

It's the possibility of this proposed so-called "road diet," or the reduction or repurposing of road lanes, that seems to be the biggest hang-up.

Citizens Against 8th Avenue Gridlock has placed signs and billboards along the busy street. They read, "2 Lanes = GRIDLOCK" and "Say NO to GRIDLOCK," and point to Keep8th4Lanes.com, a website and online petition against the changes. The petition currently has about 3,500 signatures.

The website cites "a large number of studies" on road diets as confirmation that reducing the street to two lanes is not feasible. Although the site does not link to any, the Federal Highway Administration reports that road diets are ideal for roadways serving 20,000 vehicles per day or less.

According to the study, 8th Avenue South served just over 20,000 in 2014. Smith said he is sure that with recent growth in Nashville the numbers are much higher now.

He said his personal concern is that these changes would affect real estate values. But other business owners who have joined the cause say they are worried their clientele won't be able to get down the street.

Others are optimistic about changes

Others are more optimistic about the proposed changes.

"I know that it is impossible to cross 8th Avenue," said S. A. Habib, owner of Locomotion Creative, which operates out of second-floor office space on 8th Avenue. "You take your life in your own hands when you’re trying to cross the street here."

Habib said the idea of two lanes with a dedicated turn lane makes sense.

"If they couple that with some crosswalks that would be even better," Habib said.

For others, though, there's an even more pressing concern: safety.

"As both a neighbor and the owner of three neighborhood-based establishments in 8th Avenue/Melrose, I am supportive of planning that considers walkability as well as cars," said Austin Ray, owner of the The Sutler, Melrose Billiard Parlor and M.L. Rose.

"While I am as sensitive to increasing traffic and drive times as anyone else, 8th Avenue is clearly a dangerous place to walk or ride a bicycle," he said in a statement. "To me, doing nothing to help the current situation is not an option."

A little over a year ago Mangia Nashville, a local Italian restaurant, found a home on the corner of 8th Avenue South for its first brick-and-mortar store after operating as a trendy pop-up since 2011.

"My greatest concern, and it should be the greatest priority, is to install more sidewalks," Chef and owner Nick Pellegrino said. "I'd love to see that happen regardless of what they do."

What's next for the 8th Avenue?

Citizens Against 8th Avenue Gridlock understands the area has needs, Smith said.

"We are all in favor of making 8th Avenue safer and seeing improvements to sidewalks and the addition of crosswalks. None of those issues, unfortunately, are being addressed in the current plan, and we’re very much opposed to the reduction of the lanes in this major thoroughfare,” he said.

But Metro Planning Department has not settled on any one specific plan, Owensby said.

He said reducing the number of lanesis just one of many options from the study, and officials still have a lot of public input to get before any decisions are made.

"There have been public meetings, there have been emails, we’re aware of the results of two online polls, there have been some calls and personal contacts,” he said.

In February, several community members met at Room at the Inn to see proposed plans, participate in interactive presentations and share their own ideas for the community, including a new brand identity.

"We have a lot of hope," Smith said.

In recent years, Nashville's certainly seen a boom in beautiful murals springing up around the city. Something very special's emerged in one neighborhood.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — In recent years, Nashville's certainly seen a boom in beautiful murals springing up around the city. Something very special's emerged in one neighborhood, and it's only become greater over the course of 12 years.

"I can express myself," said painter Scott Guion, speaking between adding paint strokes to a fence. "I sorta meditate. I can kinda get in the zone, and it just feeds me."

Fences are usually something that separates people. The work Scott has done off and on for 12 years on the fences of the Berry Hill neighborhood is something that brings people together.

"Getting to study the lives and listen to the music of the different artists out here is just fulfilling, man," he explained.

The neighborhood is, of course, full of recording studios. Scott's work all began when the owner of the House of Blues studio called him to bring a little life to the area.

"Suggested that I paint some of his favorite artists," he said. "Who's the greatest of the greats? Who are the people who built music? Who can we honor? Every once in a while he'd call me up and say, 'Hey, I built a new fence. Why don't you come to paint the new fence?'"

The fences include murals of Loretta Lynn, Michael Jackson, the Beatles, Prince, Outkast, Amy Winehouse, and Willie Nelson. Bold voice of psychedelic rock, Janis Joplin, is a mural neighbor to piano playin' pioneer of rock 'n' roll Fats Domino.

"I'm listening to their music," Scott said. "I'm watching videos. I'm learning."

After five years away from these murals, the East Iris Studios have moved in and asked Scott for a new fence.

"What a high honor to paint these giants of music," Scott said, standing in front of a new fence that now features the faces of artists including Reba McEntire, Miley Cyrus, and Carrie Underwood.

Scott's now painted about 70 famous faces in the neighborhood.

"Since I was a child, like everyone on the planet, I've loved Dolly Parton," he said. "To get to paint Dolly out here was really special and amazing. One day I got a really beautiful note from Greg Allman's widow telling me how much she enjoyed the portrait."

On Monday, Scott was adding one more.

"Led Zeppelin!" he laughed. "Yeah, I've been practicing this mural since I was in high school, drawing it on my notebook. So, hopefully, I got it down by now!"

Scott's unsure if this will be his final mural in Berry Hill. If this is it, the end of a 12-year journey, he's happy to bring people all these faces to teach a new generation of music lovers and pay tribute to the greats.

"It is really special to be given the opportunity to do that," Scott said. "It's amazing. I am just blessed."

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The Tibetan Buddhist community consecrated its new temple during a Sunday morning ceremony in Berry Hill.

About 60 people connected to the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center of Tennessee gathered inside the freshly constructed Yeshe Tsogyal Temple for the service. The temple, with its traditional Tibetan architecture, has been years in the making.

"While we can be together in practice anywhere, creating this special structure just adds a level of beauty and commitment and connection that you don't have without it," Annabaker Garber, coordinator of the center, said.

What the Temple looks like

On Sunday morning, many held or wore strings of prayer beads as they sat in rows of white folding chairs, facing the golden Buddha statues in the shrine at the front of the room.

More:What are Buddhists building in Berry Hill? A new temple.

Bright yellow walls surrounded the group and a multi-tiered crystal chandelier hung above them as they prayed and chanted aloud together. The temple doors stayed open as rained poured outside.

"It's an overwhelming feeling of happiness for all of us," Garber said. "It is a rare occurrence that you can create a gift like this for the greater good. It's such a joy to be here with all these like-minded people and to offer it out to the world."

Tibetan Buddhist master Venerable Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche presided over the inauguration ceremony.

He repeatedly expressed his gratitude to those who helped make the temple a reality, thanking all who gave of their time, effort and money.

The history of the center in Berry Hill

The new temple, the focal point of the Tennessee center, is a part of a $525,000 renovation project for the 419 East Iris Drive location. The Nashville-area center is one about 20 Padmasambhava Buddhist Centers in the U.S. and beyond. There also is a 500-acre monastery and education center in New York state.

Khenpo Rinpoche and his late brother, Venerable Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche, established Padmasambhava Buddhist Center of Tennessee in 1990. They had begun visiting Middle Tennessee in the 1980s at the invitation of local Buddhists and those exploring the religion.

Nestled in the Berry Hill neighborhood, the Tennessee center sees about 15 to 30 people at its weekend services, and has about 350 people on its local mailing list and 1,000 globally, Garber said. Prior to the completion of the new temple, the community practiced in a converted house on the property.

Betsy Oleksa and her husband joined the community about seven years ago.

"Once we started coming, we jumped in with both feet," said Oleksa, one of the center's former board members. "It seemed to be a great home for us."

At the close of the ceremony, Oleksa joined those lined up before Khenpo Rinpoche. As is tradition, she offered him a white scarf as a gift. He blessed it and returned it to her, draping it around her neck.

'The work of so many'

Oleksa and her husband, who live in Hermitage, were among those to contribute to the completion of the new temple.

"It's been the work of so many people for so long. It's incredibly joyous, but there's a little bit of tears as well because of the work," she said. "There isn't anything else like it around here."

Garber wants the broader community to know they are welcome at the center, too.

"The whole principle of Buddhism is that we're here to work on behalf of everybody," Garber said. "We offer this to the community so that everyone can have a sense of the vastness of the world and diversity in the world and the fact that we're all connected."

Visit pbc-tn.org online for more information about the center.

Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.

A film and music studio campus — to carry a price tag of about $250 million and to accommodate operations for the world’s largest music company — is being eyed for Berry Hill.

The multi-building mixed-use project will house Universal Music Group operations and include recording studios, scoring stages and an audio research and development building, among other offerings.

The roughly 4.14-acre future campus will comprise multiple properties on both Columbine Place and East Iris Drive (see here) near Columbine Park. UMG (which owns the property housing its East Iris Studios; formerly House of Blues) and an entity affiliated with Dallas-based Xebec collectively own the 17 properties eyed for the development. The latter has acquired its properties during the past two years (read here).

Via Berry Hill Development LLC, Xebec, UMG and Sylmar, Calif.-based Sylmar Studios seemingly will collectively participate in the effort. Led by CEO Tony Guanci, Sylmar Studios is having Xebec develop a Los Angeles-area site with a similar facility, to offer a price tag of $500 million (read here).

The concept plan document notes the project could include 93,500 square feet of studios, 115,000 square feet of education/office space, 3,200 square feet of retail space, 20,500 square feet for two restaurant spaces and four residential dwelling units, dubbed producer cottages.

UMG officials and Guanci met with City of Berry Hill officials and community stakeholders Monday night to discuss the concept plan. If the development materializes, it will also include an expansion of Columbine Park and an educational component to potentially be utilized by area universities, including Middle Tennessee State University.

Joe Baker, Berry Hill city manager, told the Post he favors the project.

“This will be a transformational development for both Berry Hill and Nashville,” Baker said. “It is a big deal.”

About 75 stakeholders attended the meeting, with many speaking in favor, in general, of the project, Baker said. Nobody opposed the concept plan though some asked if the development team could provide time for additional input, he added.

UMG officials and Guanci could not be reached for comment.

"The proposed mixed-use development is for an entertainment industry production and education campus centered around a vibrant public space bordered by a mix of restaurant and retail uses," the developers wrote in the document submitted to the City of Berry Hill.

"The improved and expanded public park includes a new community building, stage, and outdoor performance venue. The development is anchored by state of the art recording and video studio facilities, an audio technology research and development lab, and a scoring stage which is the first of its kind in the central U.S. The education component borders the west side of the public park intended to house a variety of higher-ed music school programs that will benefit from the synergy with on-campus industry professionals and activities."

Universal Music Group N.V. is a Dutch-American multinational music corporation with operational headquarters located in Santa Monica, Calif. Locally, UMG Nashville operates its main offices downtown and in Midtown.

As of this month, Universal Music Group has a market cap of $48.7 billion, making it the world's 353th most valuable company by market cap, according to Companies Market Cap.

For the project, Nashville’s ESa will serve as architect, with the local office of Raleigh-based Kimley Horn and Associates (land-planning, traffic engineering and civil engineering) and Dale and Associates (land-planning and engineering) to also participate.