Nashville's first big East Bank development, River North, adds new shops to the plan

Sitting along 550 acres of the Cumberland River downtown, Nashville's East Bank is getting ready to undergo more developmental transformation as four new tenants have been announced by developers MRP Realty and Creek Lane Capital as part of the second wave of growth of what will be the River North neighborhood.

What was an underused expanse of industrial land and truck stops has now become the area for Nashville’s biggest redevelopment project.

While Nashville is known for being an entertainment city, the focus of this redevelopment is making the industrial east bank a livable area with grocery stores, residential areas, parks and even daycares being added to the mix.

The first phase of the 12-acre Landings at River North project, set to open later this year, will have four buildings that will consist of 651 apartments, 73,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, and 78,000 square feet for creative office space. The apartments will open in early November with office, restaurant and retail tenants opening into 2025.

Earlier this year, popular burger chain Shake Shack and a taproom called Hoppin' based in Charlotte, North Carolina announced that they will open at River North, at 2300 Bowline Avenue.

Now, two new restaurants, a fitness boutique and a holistic dental experience will also open at the site near the Tennessee Titans' Nissan Stadium.

Sweet Truth Dental offers a modern and holistic dental experience. This will be their second location after having success in their Brentwood location.

Pure Green will be a stop for smoothies, fresh cold pressed juices and acai bowls.

BodyRok will be a 1,400 square foot studio that will offer classes that focus on high-intensity, low-impact workouts. Their classes are high energy with elements of Pilates and strength training.

With locations in Mt. Juliet, Bellevue and Cool Springs, Thai Samurai will open a fourth location in River North with its upscale sushi and Asian fusion menu.

After multiple delays in the summer of 2019, Metro Nashville and developers kicked off the River North redevelopment in 2021 after Metro Council members released $13.8 million to replace narrow and unpaved industrial roads to accommodate traffic flow. The first phase is 12 acres, but ultimately, the development area stretches across 100 acres including the 65 acres owned by Oracle Corp. for its future world headquarters.

The full East Bank redevelopment project, including Oracle offices for 8,500 employees and a new pedestrian bridge across the river, is expected to come to fruition by the end of 2031.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville's first big East Bank development, River North, adds new shops to the plan