In the heart of the city

Lochlin Caffey

How Third & Urban and FCP’s Sylvan Supply mixed use project is changing the West Nashville, Tennessee scene

Interview by Michael J.Pallerino

Development. Consulting. Management. Third & Urban is an Atlanta-based developer that builds communities. It builds the kind of communities that anchor people, not just city blocks— communities that retain context, history and experience, not just tenants. In each development, these communities help build a connection between the area and the culture. Such was the case with the Sylvan Supply mixed-use project on the old Madison Mill industrial site in West Nashville, Tennessee. The project is divided into six buildings connected by open corridors and terraces providing outdoor workspaces for tenants. A joint venture between Third & Urban and FCP, the partnership enlisted the help of JLL’s Project and Development Services (PDS) group in Nashville to manage the adaptive reuse development which has become Chris Faussemagne instrumental in the city’s radical reinvention of the Charlotte Avenue corridor. Sylvan Supply buildings offer prime Class A office space (targeting creative businesses) featuring open floor plans, large windows and amenitized outdoor space, as well as 35,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space. Chris Faussemagne, Partner with Third & Urban, says that because Nashville is an ideal city for creative, infill development, the project is the perfect reflection of the growing economy’s innovation and invention. Initial interest from companies seeking large-format creative space, as seen in other markets, showed the need for Sylvan Supply. We sat down with Faussemagne and JLL VP Lochlin Caffey to get a peek into the Sylvan Supply adaptive re-use mixed use development project.

Give us a snapshot of the Sylvan Supply project?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne:

Sylvan Supply is an adaptive re-use mixed use development that redeveloped the former Madison Mill property located at 42nd and Charlotte in West Nashville. The project has approximately 35,000 square feet of local retail and 160,000 square feet of creative office.

What type of consumers are you targeting?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: For the retail end, we are focused on providing everyday services as well as Food and Beverage for the surrounding area. For the offices, we are looking for companies that prefer the volume and light found in older industrial buildings. We have seen the occupiers of this “creative space” mature from design firms to traditional office users such as Accenture.

How does the overall design cater to what today’s consumers are looking for?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: The building design provides an abundance of natural light and volume of space providing a quality of workspace that is not seen with traditional office buildings. We also have found that our focus on outdoor space and direct access to suites from the outside has become more of a focus as office tenants return to the office.

What kind of adjustments have you made in order to cater to your customers in this new landscape?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: As noted above, the project wellness designs that were planned pre-pandemic has allowed the project to thrive without having to make drastic changes. We have seen changes over the past year that we think will continue to be seen with regards to smaller restaurants that have expanded their sales to focus on “to go” as well as more outdoor seating.

Give us a snapshot of your strategy.

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne:

Sylvan Supply is an adaptive re-use mixed use development that redeveloped the former Madison Mill property located at

EST 2010

42nd and Charlotte in West Nashville. The project has approximately 35,000 square feet of local retail and 160,000 square feet of creative office.

Walk us through how and why your locations are designed the way they are?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: The project is designed to provide creative office space and dynamic local retailers. Centric Architects did a fantastic job working with the team on taking a former industrial building with a massive floorplate and creating a network of breezeways that not only created outdoor spaces, but also cut the building into rational floorplates.

Take us through your construction and design strategy.

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: We start with our GC in the room in the very first design meeting and every once since. After 20-plus years working with Gay Construction Company, they understand what we are looking to accomplish and help guide the narrative for the development. Their involvement is not to inhibit the design and creative process, but more so to identify the most cost effective approach so we do not waste time focused on design solutions that may not be the most rational path.

What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: Clearly pricing in the current environment. It has put even more pressure on making sure that 100% CDs are complete and the GMP contract reflects it. While it is still a competitive environment in the subcontractor market, the rising costs of materials and tighter labor markets make changes mid-project far more complicated.

Talk about sustainability. What are you doing?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: We view our projects as a benefit as we are re-using existing structures. While we typically do not apply for programs such as LEED, we often make decisions that allow a future tenant to have an easy path to getting LEED for their interiors.

The building design provides an abundance of natural light and volume of space providing a quality of workspace that is not seen with traditional office buildings.

— Chris Faussemagne, Partner with Third & Urban

We have seen changes over the past year that we think will continue to be seen with regards to smaller restaurants that have expanded their sales to focus on “to go” as well as more outdoor seating.

— Chris Faussemagne, Partner with Third & Urban

Tell us about the art piece that you were commissioned to create for the development.

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: The sculpture started as a solution to provide some design into an area of the project that was prominent but blank. After discussions with Lochlin, we thought one of his designs would be a perfect fit. As the development progressed, we elected to build a new retail structure on the site where the sculpture was supposed to go but still wanted to move forward with the piece. Today, the sculpture stands at the intersection of the breezeways and provides a focal point drawing you into the site.

Lochlin Caffey: Sylvan Supply was originally a jumble of interconnected buildings- almost one huge concrete ‘beehive’. Third &Urban’s brilliant idea was to cut this into usable sized floor plates by means of breezeways. This brought light, air and order to the development, and made it navigable and user-friendly. The concept gave me the idea to propose an “obelisk” at the intersection of two breezeways. It’s an idea I took from the plan of Rome. The piece itself is a modular sculpture. It’s one simple shape- a plank, basically, of steel, repeated 27 times into a helical “spine.” We were very careful about the color selection. We wanted something that would stand on its own, working with the murals and graphics throughout the development. Ultimately, we took the color from that of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Why is art becoming such an important part of commercial developments?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: In addition to the sculpture noted above, art in general provides both energy to the project and also

can tell a story. When we made the decision to build a parking structure, we realized that we had a blank canvas and through working with Eastside Murals gave a nod to the historic railway. While the locomotive was a late addition to the project, it has added a design element on what was a concrete wall.

Lochlin Caffey: Re-urbanization: There is a national trend, led by millennials, toward moving from the suburbs back to urban core. The driver: The economics of auto-centered living are no longer sustainable, nor desirable. Life in the suburbs is neither affordable nor interesting. People want to be in a livable urban environment—with walkable communities and local amenities. Employers, service retailers, and entertainment are re-locating to support this phenomenon. Expectations for urban living include local access to workplaces, service retail, green space, and entertainment.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: I get to focus on multiple disciplines. An average day can have me working on capital markets on one call, heading to a design meeting with an architect, and then working through entitlements and finally construction. For someone who is a bit ADHD, it allows me to fill my day with focusing on multiple goals.

What was the best advice you ever received?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: Work hard, try again. Concept being that while we always try to build great projects but sometimes market factors don’t make them the financial success you had hoped. As developers, we can only build good projects that benefit communities.

What is one of your favorite projects?

Third & Urban’s Faussemagne: It was a project called White Provision (Westside Provisions District) delivered in 2010. I think we got the placemaking so right that it led to over a billion dollars invested by others over the next decade to redevelop the neighboring property. Thoughtful placemaking can elevate not only a project but a neighborhood. CCR

How to Make Your Advertising in CCR…

By Jim Nowakowski, President Accountability Information Management, Inc.

We do a lot of advertising research. And today, there’s a lot of confusing information about what advertising is and isn’t.

The Readership Circles chart on the right will help you cut through this confusion. Because today, an “ad” is just part of the equation: readers get information digitally. They go through Google to fi nd you (over 4-billion searches each day), so your ad investment in CCR is just part of the equation. This article explains how to maximize that investment.

Content is the Key

Your ad appears in the print and digital version of the media outlet. The publisher of CCR, David Corson, invests most of his time and money building his “overall audience” for your ad (you can see his audience in this auditing tool: http://intrln.com/ccr)

But he also has his website to handle the audience he can’t control: the Google audience. Therefore, you can help maximize your investment by sending in your company information for CCR's website. The more content you have on the internet, the more chances you have of being found and purchased. Simple, huh?

Your Product is Really Information

No matter what product or service you are selling, your real product is information. Thus, you are in an information war competing for the attention of buyers with not just your competitors, but with everyone on the internet. The more content you have that’s yours, the more opportunities for them to see you and go through the readership circles.

Why We Know This

AIM places a tracking code on CCR’s website and each month monitors visitors. Then, because you advertise, you receive 10 “dossiers” seen on the right on companies who have consumed data – companies that represent high-valued targets because their need is NOW for what you are selling. ACCOUNTABILITY WEBSITE AUDIT Accountability Information Management, Inc.

SEPTEMBER 2020

David Corson has us audit this activity. You receive this audit if you advertise, and it represents a rich fi eld of leads for you. Call David Corson 678.765.6550 today to fi nd out more details! Or, call us and we’ll help you understand the powerful information at your disposal.

Always Trusted Information Accountability Informati on Management, Inc. 553 N. North Court, Suite 160 Palati ne, Illinois 60067 847-358-8558 www.a-i-m.com

CCR-MAG.COM

IMPORTANT. This audit covers the above website for the period of September, 2020. It was conducted by allowing Accountability Information Management, Inc. (AIM) by placing a proprietary Code on the website to provide deeper analytics from the thousands of monthly visitors to the website to the publisher (i.e., the companies utilizing the website). AIM is in the business of auditing and verifying data. For information, contact: AIM, 553 N. North Court, Suite 160, Palatine, Illinois 60067. PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT. Commercial Construction & Renovation, CCR-MAG.COM, is a community of leading commercial construction professionals within the retail, restaurant, hospitality, health care, federal, multifamily and other commercial sectors. The website content spans the design, construction and facilities operations of major commercial construction segments to meet the information needs of today’s high level executives. Visitors will find information relevant to the collaborative management process required to complete projects on time and on budget, and to efficiently manage these facilities. PRIVACY. F&J Publications, LLC discloses the information we collect on this website and how it is used. This report is based on visitors to CCR-MAG.COM. Specifically, the information in this report is aggregated to provide our advertisers information on website usage. F&J Publications always reserves the right to release information about visitors, including non-personal information.

NUMBER OF COMPANIES XXX This is the number of companies that the Code identifies. This number is the monthly universe of companies that can be identified from the thousands of visitors to this website. NUMBER OF TIMES THESE X,XXX This is the number of times these companies visited the website. The average per company is 1.41. PAGE VIEWS BY X,XXX This is the number of page views that these companies viewed on the website. The average pages viewed by a company this month is 2.04. SEARCH TERMS USED BY XX This is the number of identifiable different search terms these companies used to arrive on the website. The search terms, for example, were put into a browser which delivered results. Among the results was a page on this website. For example, while many people find it by typing in “commercial construction and renovation” or “CCR” in a search engine like Google or Bing, other terms deliver specific pages from this website based on what users type into the search engine. These searches account for less than 5% of the total search terms used. The top ten (listed) account for 48% of the identified total (not counting CCR itself). INDUSTRIES XX This is the number of companies that the Code is able to classify. It represents 5% of the total companies that visited this website, and is supplied for reference only. See UNDERSTANDING THE DATA. FIRST PAGE VIEWED X,XXX The Code keeps track of the first page viewed by the companies, and is the same number of times the companies came to the website. The chart Key First Pages Viewed lists the top ten landing pages from this grouping (excluding CCR-MAG.com itself, which is among the top, but not more than 12%).

SEARCH TERMS USED TO REACH US

• “Christopher Bushnell” AND Social Security • gary falco architecture • hi macs color TERRAZZO LUNA • inverter eon model el3 10 watt pricing • metal work very essential tools • mulehide jts1 colors • penncolor uv dispersions • permeable pavement concerns • rampart yellow wallcovering • silicone molds

KEY FIRST PAGES VIEWED (other than CCR-MAG.com)

• 7-essential-tools-for-your-metalworkingprojects • what-is-soil-reinforcement-and-how-is-it-done • 8-important-safety-measures-forconstruction-sites • new-menards-store-in-paducah-ky • construction-procurement-101 • conversations-with-bennett-van-wert-dwm • conversation-withbobby-darnell-cmc • american-dream-mall-in-nj-to-reopen-onoctober-1 • cny-group-names-new-vp-of-people-andculture • the-impact-of-building-materials-inconstruction

COUNTRY BREAKDOWN OF COMPANIES

United States XX%

India X%

Pakistan Canada United Kingdom Other (64 countries)

UNDERSTANDING THE DATA

This report is provided to you from the publisher to help you understand the creation, distribution and consumption of information on the digital highways. The companies that are provided to you in this report have visited CCR-MAG.COM and consumed information. Knowing the name of the company gives you a “heads up” to pursue for your sales efforts. If you need to explore additional ideas, including ways to utilize this information, please contact the publisher or AIM directly. In addition to the INDUSTRY/COMPANY listings, you will see a list of companies that are not categorized by Code into industries. These are sometimes more valuable and should be considered carefully for your sales efforts. Finally, often a company will utilize a general channel (like Comcast), which does not provide the individual company’s IP. These visitors are often just as valuable in terms of “what” they consume on our website. We would happy to help you pursue this type of analysis.

No matter where you place your message, this is the pattern of what we call the “Readership Chain.” And the weakest link in the chain will break it. That’s why you need as much content as you can on the Internet. People, your buyers, get distracted easily. Your messages must be compelling.

...Pay Dividends.

The magazine or newsletter or website has a specifi c number of possibilities - the overall audience. possibilities - the overall audience. You must factor that into ROI.

Some convert into readers of your message.

Not all people will "see" what you are selling. You must know some of these basics.

Some also raise the hand and ask for information.

Accountability Tools from CCR

The audience audit tool (on the left) enables you to see CCR’s audience for yourself. The Company Dossier tool on the right highlights 10 companies who have consumed CCR content that month for your marketing purposes. Advertising in CCR gets you these dossiers. And there’s much more. Below are the highlights from the prior month for your review. Imagine being able to see who is consuming content like this, and then putting them in your marketing sights!

ACCOUNTABILITY WEBSITE AUDIT

Each month advertisers receive powerful information to help them market their products and services. Here is a taste. 98,819 pages were consumed by over 2,000 companies. Among them:

• Architectural fi rms like HDR Inc. and Smithgroup • Universities like Illinois Wesleyan, Yale or University of Massachusetts • Energy companies like BP America or Schlumberger • Financial companies like American Express, Mckinsey & Company and Wells Fargo • Materials companies like USG Corp and Carlisle • Industrial companies like Aecom, Eaton and General Dynamics

And thousands more like CBRE, Texas Instruments, Goodyear, St. Lukes Episcopal Hospital. All these companies have projects going on – projects you can access to sell your products and services.

Call the publisher, David Corson for a complete details. 678.765.6550. Or email him at: davidc@ccr-mag.com.