By Don Mooradian
April 22, 2005

Based on the success of its first condominium project in the Music Row area, Nashville developer M2H Group will soon break ground on another condominium building nearby at 1101 18th Ave. S.

“We just love Midtown,” said Marty Heflin, managing partner of M2H.

Development of the 56-unit building will run about $11 million, Heflin said. Groundbreaking is slated for late summer with completion set for fall of 2006.

To be called 1101 Eighteenth, the seven-story contemporary structure is designed by Gilbert/McLaughlin Architects in Nashville.

“They heard our vision and did a great job in the design,” Heflin said.

Among the eight floor plans available are one- and two-bedroom flats, two- and three-bedroom skylofts, and two-bedroom town homes. Prices range from $160,000 to $600,000. The condos are already selling at pre-construction prices, Heflin said.

Scott Troxel, of Keller Williams Realty, is handling sales and marketing.

The units will feature large windows, terraces, balconies, patios or decks allowing residents to enjoy the area.

“The reality is that the area has great views, so we have lots of glass,” said Heflin, who partners with M2H principal Bob Springer.

Currently, M2H is constructing a 46-unit condo building at 807 18th Ave., with residents to begin moving in this fall.

“Given the success of that project, we decided to stay in the area and do something else,” Heflin said.

Midtown and Music Row have “all the amenities of the suburbs but without the commute time,” Heflin said.

Residents of 1101 Eighteenth will have access to high-speed wireless Internet throughout the building as well as a private, secure parking garage.

M2H specializes in high-density residential and mixed-use developments and has developed residential communities throughout the state and the mid-Atlantic region. The company is a partner in the redevelopment of the Stahlman Building downtown.

Heflin said the company has opened an office in Denver and is looking to develop projects there.

By NANCY DEVILLE

EAST NASHVILLE — A new loft development is headed to the 900 block of east Nashville’s Woodland Street.

East End Lofts, which will be built near Five Points, will be a four-story building that will include 42 units with pricing starting at $139,900.

The residences will range from 736 to 1,110 square feet and include one- and two-bedrooms with one or two baths.

The project is a joint venture between developer Fred Williams and the Bristol Development Group.

”This is a totally different project than what was planned for the site before,” said Mark Deutschmann of Village Real Estate Services, who is handling the sales and marketing.

”This area is one of the prime gateway locations to east Nashville. It’s a redeveloping neighborhood commercial district. This brings residential to a zone that hasn’t seen that before. This is a likely site because it’s between downtown and Five Points and is just a natural location.

The lofts will feature such amenities as stainless steel appliances and sink and custom ebony cabinetry.

Two of the units will feature private rooftops, while all the lofts will have a terrace.

There are eight to 10 floor plans from which to choose. There also will be a gated lot for resident parking.

Deutschmann says the location is ideal and is close to schools, interstates and stores.

”It’s located pretty close to the Turnip Truck and the many restaurants in Five Points,” he said.

”The library is around the corner along with other services that are emerging in east Nashville. It sure is accessible to downtown, and Woodland Street is on a bus line.”

Jeff Ockerman, president of the East Area Business Council, said the project is reinforcing continued development, which began with the City View Lofts project also on Woodland.

”I think it’s an encouraging project because it shows the recognized value of condominium development in east Nashville,” he said.

”The project, as the design is proposed, is a real contemporary interpretation of the architectural design for the area. This is a type of design we haven’t seen before in east Nashville, but one that I think will be received with a lot of interest.”

Deutschmann said the project would be a good niche for single or urban professionals looking to relocate to east Nashville for a reasonable cost.

”This is an affordable opportunity to live in this location,” he said. ”It does offer a really good first-time buyer formula.

”From our experience selling some of the other projects downtown, there is quite a demand in the marketplace for a product under $200,000.”

Jennifer Kocak, owner of Urban Décor, a modern upscale furniture store at 937 Woodland St., said the East End Lofts would be an asset to the area.

”It’s going to be a way to improve and enhance the neighborhood and to indirectly increase security,” she said. ”There will be more middle- class traffic in the neighborhood, which is a good thing all the way around.”

Kocak said her store offers merchandise that will be a perfect fit for loft owners.

”Lofts run a little bit smaller to your average home,” she said. ”A lot of the furniture we offer is scaled to loft living.

”Some of our pieces are not as large but yet are just as functional. We do have some pieces that are multifunctional that will go from a coffee table to a full dining table in case someone doesn’t have a full dining room but wants to entertain in a formal way.”

Groundbreaking is expected to be in early summer and the construction process is anticipated to last about a year, Deutschmann said.

By William Williams, wwilliams@nashvillecitypaper.com
March 04, 2005

Rehabbing of one of the city’s few remaining 19th century industrial buildings, a brick structure at 621 21st Ave. N., is under way, and the structure is ready for build-out.

Nashville businessman Charles Jones bought the North Nashville structure from Saber Industries, Inc., for $475,000 last August. He said, a $50,000 cleaning and sandblasting effort was finished last month.

Jones is now marketing for redevelopment the historic structure, located just north of Charlotte Avenue and the city’s Midtown medical district.

He envisions loft apartments/condominiums and/or office space and has already had the building rezoned to accommodate mixed use.

“It is cleaned and ready for build-out,” Jones said. “We’re ready to start showing it to prospective tenants.”

Jones said he has invested about $20 per square foot in the building and will ask $750,000 for the building and its approximately 1.4 acres.

“Or for a qualified client, we would do the build-out,” he said.

The building is on a CSX rail line and at one time featured an extension, likely used as a warehouse for cotton or tobacco, Jones said.

Jones said the building has solid masonry walls, heart-of-pine floors/beams, arched windows and a basement.

Tim Walker, historic zoning coordinator of the Metro Historical Commission (MHC), described 621 as a “great brick warehouse.”

“The building is an important piece of our history,” Walker said, adding the MHC had feared the building might eventually be demolished. “Buildings of this type talk to the importance of the railroads as a form of transportation,” Walker added.

In November, Jones bought for $300,000 a two-building, 1960s-era apartment complex and is spending about $250,000 to improve the property. He intends to lease residential space in that building — about one block from his warehouse — while giving tenants an opportunity to build equity toward possible unit ownership.

Metro Councilman Edward Whitmore, in whose District 21 the property sits, said Jones’ projects can serve both the bustling medical district and residents living north of Charlotte Avenue.

“The area has been stagnant for some years,” Whitmore said. “I am very pleased to have Mr. Jones as a developer to come into the area and improve it.”

Jones has experience rehabbing large pre-World War II-built structures. For example, he oversaw conversion of the former St. Bernard Convent building, which is now called Convent Place and home to Jones’ office.

In addition, he owns portions of the former Werthan Manufacturing Co. bag building, which he is selling in stages to The Lofts at Werthan Mills LLC. The Werthan complex, located in Germantown, continues to be re-fashioned as loft condos.