Eastside Buzz, May 6
By Randy Fox
Eastside Buzz
Fri 6 May 2022 3:00 CST
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New eateries and new housing are on the way along with a move for an Eastside original. Plus, new rules for buses of woo girls may be in the works. It’s all in this week’s Buzz!
For Our Northern Neighbors & Don’t Miss Out!
The new issue of our sister magazine, The Madisonian is now on the streets with a cover feature on “Honky Tonk Professor” Joshua Hedley, a scoop on plans for the “coming soon” public park on Madison Station Boulevard, a look back at the glory days of Madison Square, and more! Grab your issue now while they’re still available at many of the same locations that carry The East Nashvillian!
We're getting down to the wire for advertising in the May-June issue of The East Nashvillian. Don’t miss your chance to shine a light on your business or organization. Place your ad in our new issue by contacting our sales team right now at sales@theeasnashvillian.com.
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Look East (and South) Neighbor!
East Nashville’s locally-owned and operated optical center, Look East, will be moving south to 966 Main St. later this month. While that may be a new location for Look East, it’s not a new location for an Eastside optical center. For 35 years, Dr. Don J. Fenn and his wife Glenna ran the Horner Rausch Optical Super Store and an adjacent optometrist practice until it closed in November 2016.
According to Look East co-owner, Dr. Kathleen Brasfield, it isn’t the first time Look East has inherited a legacy from the now-retired Dr. Fenn. “He retired right after we opened in 2016. I met with him and he gave us his charts to hold on to for patients, so it’s kind of fun; we’ve come full circle.”
Dr. Brasfield says the new location will accommodate more appointments, more exam rooms, more frames in stock, and expanded hours. They will also have the ability and resources to provide more specialty services to clients along with more parking than at their current location.
The grand opening of the new location is set for Tuesday, May 24, and they have several special things planned for the week. For updates, follow Look East on Facebook @lookeastnashville or watch future installments of “Eastside Buzz”!
Envision Cayce Moves Ahead with Cherry Oak
On Wednesday, May 4, ground was broken for the next phase of the Envision Cayce Master Plan implementation, Cherry Oak Apartments. Located at 705 S. Sixth St., Cherry Oak Apartments will feature 96 units: 45 subsidized for current Cayce Place residents, eight new affordable, six workforce, and 37 market-rate apartments. It is the seventh new residential construction and sixth mixed-income development at Cayce Place.
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According to District 6 Council Member, Brett Withers, “Cherry Oak Apartments was designed around and named for a Nashville Tree Foundation Big Old Tree Contest, which championed the specimen tree. The design of these new apartments that Smith Gee Studio created doesn’t just work around the tree but makes it a highlight of this block. This tree will beckon residents and visitors to explore the planned park that will expand through the heart of the campus and form the centerpiece and prime gathering place for one of Nashville’s most inviting and uplifting neighborhoods.” More info on Cherry Oak Apartments and the Envision Cayce Master Plan can be found at nashville-mdha.org.
Party Bus Rules Debate Rages On
Representatives from several community organizations, residents of neighborhoods adjacent to the downtown area, and “transportainment” vehicle operators filled a crowded meeting room last Thursday, April 29, to express their opinions on an early draft of Nashville’s first party vehicle regulations under consideration by the Metro Transportation Licensing Commission. The commission also received nearly 50 written comments on the proposed regulations.
Industry operators voiced their objections to 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. curfews and rush-hour restrictions, bemoaning that such measures would lead to millions of dollars in losses. Meanwhile, folks in residential neighborhoods affected by tranportainment vehicles cited multiple examples of noise and lewd actions from drunken partiers that disrupt the peace of neighborhoods and local retail businesses. Vehicle operators also expressed their opposition to an enclosure requirement for having alcohol on board aimed at reducing noise and ensuring the safety of passengers, siting that such requirements would lead to excessively high temperatures in the vehicles.
The commission continues to consider the proposed regulations while it gathers more information and comments from residents of adjacent neighborhoods, Metro’s legal consultants, insurance professionals. and the Nashville Department of Transportation. Considerations include areas of operation, regulation of nudity or lewd objects on the vehicles, reasonable insurance requirements, and traffic patterns. The commission will vote on a finalized set of regulations at a later date. A copy of the proposed draft rules is available at nashville.gov.
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Matters of Development
ICON Entertainment, the company run by entertainment memorabilia collector and hospitality mogul Bill Miller, is working on a new restaurant and bar for the old Southern Grist location at 1201 Porter Rd. According to reports, Miller, whose businesses include The Johnny Cash Museum & Cafe, The Patsy Cline Museum, magic venue House of Cards, and Skulls Rainbow Room, has announced the new eatery will have a “neighborhood feel.”
The popular Brooklyn-based Italian restaurant Frankies 457 Spuntino has announced plans to open a location in East Nashville, the first location outside New York City, according to a story published in The New York Times. Opened in 2004 by co-owners Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli, Frankies 570 Spuntino has found success with a focus on simple Southern Italian food. The Nashville location is scheduled to open next January as Frankies Spuntino Nashville in the Laurel & Pine development at 905 Cherokee Ave. Plans for the restaurant include an event space, an outdoor patio, and a retail space with wines, Italian cured meats, and the restaurant’s packaged products. For upates, follow Frankies on Facebook @frankies457spuntino.
The Shelby Green Development, a new luxury community, is currently under construction near the Shelby Golf Course. The development from the Nashville-based Movement Property Group will feature 20 homes, with the first round of homes scheduled to be available in summer 2022. According to a press release, 10% of Movement Property Group’s profits after closing go directly to the LiftUP fund, an initiative created by MPG to provide mortgage payments and rent relief to families and individuals who have been affected by circumstances beyond their control.
Plans for a mixed-use building have been announced for 730 Main St. The five-story building would have 57 residential units and some ground-level retail space. Nashville-based Richland Building Partners is undertaking the redevelopment with Smith Gee Studio handling the architectural work.
DOT and Metro Want You to Connect the Dots!
As the Nashville Department of Transportation and the Tennessee Department of Transportation's Nashville office begin work on the Connect Downtown plan to improve mobility and address traffic congestion in the downtown core of Nashville, they are asking residents to share their transportation challenges, priorities, and opinions through an online survey. For more info on the project and to take the survey, visit ConnectDowntown.Nashville.gov.
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Love Buzz
Joy Oladokun "Purple Haze"
Is there still love at the end of the world? After listening to “Purple Haze” one can only surmise that Joy Oladokun's answer is a resounding, “YES!”
But don't take my word for it. Check out the video of Oladokun & her band performing “Purple Haze” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
In other words, damn the apocalypse, full speed ahead! Sometimes folks mistake believing love will triumph for naivete. But this begs the question: How will it ever triumph if we don't at least believe in the possibility? Oladokun isn't waiting for a perfect world in order to love. “Purple Haze” calls for love in spite of this crazy-ass world.
—Chuck Allen
”Purple Haze” drops on Tuesday, May 10, via Republic Records and is available to pre-save here.
And don't miss seeing Joy Oladokun live next weekend during a two-night stand at The Basement East. The Saturday night show is sold out, but tickets remain for the Sunday, May 15, show. Get your tickets here while they last.
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