Mixed-use project will introduce much-needed housing and public green spaces
Today, Southern Land Company (SLC), a national real estate developer of award-winning mixed-use developments and master-planned communities, acquired the Lincoln College of Technology (Lincoln Tech) campus at 1524 Gallatin Avenue in East Nashville. SLC plans to introduce a mixed-use community offering a variety of housing options, multiple public open spaces, and improved neighborhood connectivity. Comprising 16.35 acres, the development will consist of 800 multifamily homes (apartments and live-work residences), 150 single-family homes (cottages and townhomes), and approximately 300,000 square feet of commercial space.
“We are committed to creating an interesting, vibrant mixed-use community that will become the walkable neighborhood center for East Nashville residents,” said Tim Downey, SLC Founder and CEO. “We will introduce more than two acres of prominent public green space and a great mixture of housing options in a location where neither currently exists. As Nashville continues to grow, this redevelopment project is going to create a dynamic place to live and an exciting destination for the broader community.”
SLC’s plans for the project include a centralized lawn at the northwest corner of Strouse and Trevecca Avenues. The lawn will fill a need in an area that has limited access to high quality open space. It will serve as a gathering place and will be programmed with special events and activities by SLC. It will be surrounded by restaurants and retail, which will further activate the space. The addition of pedestrian-focused streetscapes and walkways will make the lawn and the entire development easy to access and navigate.
The Lincoln Tech campus is home to Renraw, the former home of the Warner family. The house, which is currently located near the center of the campus, will be preserved and incorporated as an integral part of SLC’s redevelopment. SLC will relocate the house to the corner of McClurkan and Trevecca Avenues, allowing the house to become more visible and accessible. In the new location, the house will serve as an iconic access point to the property and will be open to the public for the first time. SLC is committed to the long-term preservation of the house and is working with experienced house movers and engineers to finalize plans for the relocation.
The development’s buildings will range from three stories to seven stories tall, and they have been purposely configured to transition the scale of the development to the adjacent single-family neighborhood. Townhomes and cottages will buffer the larger buildings and provide single-family oriented product at a scale not provided in the surrounding neighborhoods. Fifteen percent of the residences will be for sale. Three parking structures will be part of the project, with only one having direct frontage along a public street. The parking structures’ facades will feature public artworks.
SLC purchased the property from Lincoln Educational Services, the parent company of Lincoln Tech. Lincoln Tech sought a move away from its East Nashville campus, acknowledging there was a better use for the property and that the campus no longer functionally served their long-range facility planning needs as they seek to expand program offerings.
“We are excited to have this stage of our expansion plan in Nashville completed,” said Scott Shaw, Lincoln Tech’s President and CEO. “As part of the sale agreement, we will remain at the current location for up to 18 months as we develop our new campus in the Nashville market. The new facility will include two new training programs, Electrician and HVAC training, which will be added to our existing Automotive, Diesel, Heavy Equipment, Collision Repair and Welding programs.”
SLC’s acquisition of the property comes after more than a year of working closely with the Metro Nashville Planning Department, District 5 Council Member Sean Parker, neighboring Council Members, and community stakeholders. In September 2022, SLC held four public meetings to gather feedback from the community on the vision for the redevelopment of the Lincoln Tech campus.
“Getting this right in the eyes of the surrounding community matters tremendously to us,” said Downey. “The feedback our team received during the public meetings was very encouraging and helped affirm we are setting out to create a place that will benefit the community.”
SLC received approval on its request to rezone the property to permit mixed-use development from the Metropolitan Council in March 2023.
SLC is continuing to work with the Metro Nashville Planning Department to finalize design details for the project. More information and renderings will be available at a later date.
SLC’s project will be built in phases. A construction start date has not been set. SLC’s acquisition of the Lincoln Tech campus was a sale-leaseback transaction which permits Lincoln Tech to remain onsite for a period post-closing while they work to finalize details for their new campus.
The Lincoln Tech redevelopment will be Nashville-based SLC’s latest project in the metro area, joining a diverse portfolio of successful mixed-use, multifamily, and master-planned communities. Current active communities in the region include Vertis Green Hills, the 18-story luxury mixed-use community where SLC is headquartered; and Westhaven, the award-winning master-planned community in Franklin known for its traditional neighborhood design, carefully designed open spaces, lush landscaping, and vibrant Village Center with dining, shopping, and health and wellness offerings. Additionally, SLC is developing a master-planned community in Nolensville, where more than 40 percent of the land will be reserved for parks and open spaces.
SLC’s other local projects have included Dwell at McEwen, a mixed-use development in Cool Springs, and Elliston 23, SLC’s first mixed-use community in Nashville, located in the West End neighborhood. SLC sold Dwell at McEwen and Elliston 23 in 2014.
A full list of SLC’s communities in the Nashville metro area and across the US is available at https://southernland.com/portfolio/.
