By Richard Lawson

John Nelley and Al Buckley made their mark on Nashville real estate as partners in building millions of square feet of warehouse and single-story, flexible office space.

Now, they are taking on the urban environment with a 67,000-square-foot mixed-use building in Hillsboro Village.

After working months on plans for 20th and Belcourt avenues in The Village, Nelley and Buckley will develop the parking lot across from Sunset Grill with Randy Rayburn, the owner of that restaurant as well as Midtown Café and Cabana.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer with a completion date in September 2009, said John Keller, senior vice president of ProVenture Commercial, which is handling the building’s marketing and will manage it once it’s built.

The building will have 12,000 square feet of street-level retail space and 55,000 square feet of office space. It will wrap around a garage containing 312 spaces. Architect Manuel Zeitlin designed the building, which will have a stepped back terrace area at the top.

This building will be the second commercial building in Hillsboro Village since a conservation overlay was approved in 1998 using urban design standards. The last was built at the corner of 21st Ave. and Blakemore. It has apartments above retail, which includes Pancake Pantry.

Office space is limited in Hillsboro Village, and there’s no Class-A space.

“It’s a very tight office market,” Keller said. “You really don’t have traditional office space in Hillsboro village.”