A new micro-neighborhood that emerged in Nashville this spring is expanding quickly: Paseo South Gulch.

Prima, a luxury apartment building with 278 residences officially opened Thursday in Paseo South Gulch, an area bracketed by 8th Avenue South, Division Street and the CSX train tracks that run through the Gulch.

The vision from developer SomeraRoad, co-headquartered in Nashville and New York, is for something new that also feels authentic to Nashville, said Principal and Head of Development Andrew Donchez.

“We raised some eyebrows when we called our project the ‘South Gulch,'” said Donchez, who lives in Nashville. “Some people were skeptical about ‘out-of-towners’ coming in and coining a new district. But I think it has caught on.”

SomeraRoad purchased the land for $30 million in 2019, including the historic Bill Voorhees Building and former downtown antiques mall, which are being renovated to maintain their historic character.

Upscale restaurants, a nightclub and shopping in a ‘walkable area’

In the Voorhees building, which originally served as a John Deere distribution facility, several businesses are already set to move in. The Catbird Seat and Patterson House, owned by Strategic Hospitality, will relocate from their Midtown site to the top floor. Barista Parlor is also slated to set up shop, joining luxe co-working space The Malin. And Carter Vintage Guitars has opened in the historic space.

When it comes to defining SomeraRoad’s new neighborhood, Donchez said the developers and leasing team aimed to strike a balance between authenticity and newness.

“I think we’ve been successful, and very intentional, about bringing local tenants who we think are authentic to the character of Nashville like Carter Vintage Guitars,” he said.

Popular food truck Maiz de la Vida is opening a brick-and-mortar location in the former antiques warehouse on the site, which is already home to Australian-style breakfast restaurant Two Hands and speakeasy-nightclub Blind Barber.

All in all, the multi-building district includes two adaptive-reuse buildings and the new 16-story residential tower that includes more than 18,000 square feet of office space and about 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail. And another tower is in development.

Paseo South Gulch continues a pattern of steady expansion of the long-trendy Gulch area, which was originally developed by MarketStreet Enterprises. To the north of the Gulch is Capitol View, developed by Boyle Investment Company, which embraces design elements incorporating the former railyard.

The central themes of the developments include walkability, ample dining options, mixed-use development and connectivity to surrounding downtown areas.

Story continues

Housing development has exploded along Division Street, and new bars and restaurants have followed to serve the fast-growing neighborhood.

“We always looked at this project as part of a larger district,” Donchez said. “[The Gulch] feels like the most intimate and interesting part of downtown Nashville to me. It is becoming the most walkable area.”

As Prima welcomes first residents, the next development readies for launch

The Prima residential tower at Paseo South Gulch welcomed its first residents earlier this year. Floorplans at the apartment building range from studios to two-bedrooms, including one-bedrooms with an extra den or workspace. Rents for studio apartments start at $1,799.

The amenities at the apartment building include a remote workspace in addition to a community entertainment area. The co-working areas have become a new fixture of post-pandemic apartment development, and add to the self-contained nature of the apartment community.

The next phase of the project is a 30-story tower that will include a hotel and for-sale condominiums on the top floors. Construction could start as soon as late summer, Donchez said.

As a stream of residential, retail and office tenants move into the development, SomeraRoad plans to welcome the public into the space for a block party on Sunday, June 16. The event will feature tacos from Maiz de la Vida, free coffee from Barista Parlor and pop-ups from local retail vendors.

Reporter Molly Davis covers growth and development in Nashville. Reach her at mdavis2@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville’s South Gulch expands quickly with homes, dining