Investor Lists 20-Acre Assemblage Near Downtown Nashville

Colorado investor Brad Cummings is raising the stakes on what land near downtown Nashville can become.

In a move five years in the making, the Denver-based developer has assembled what he calls the “holy grail” of Sun Belt real estate and is offering the 20-acre site for sale, the Nashville Business Journal reported.

The Clifton Innovation District, as it is called, sits just a mile west of downtown and two blocks north of Charlotte Avenue, offering immense potential for mixed-use projects.

Cummings, the chief investment officer for Commonwealth Avenue Capital Partners, envisions residential, office and retail uses for the site, which is zoned industrial but has the potential to support over 2.7 million square feet of mixed-use development.

With its proximity to the Nashville greenway, Cummings believes the site could attract an even grander development proposal.

“This is not just going to be some other tract of land where a multifamily developer builds a multistory podium,” Cummings said. “It’s going to be something really thoughtful. It might take a little while to find that person, but this is a huge deal.”

Assembling the properties began with a single parcel at 2302 Clifton Avenue, a 9.44-acre vacant lot acquired in November 2023. What followed was a complex series of transactions, including a $3.5 million purchase of a neighboring 5.86-acre site, home to nonprofit Project C.U.R.E.

As part of that deal, Cummings purchased a replacement property for $2.75 million and built a 54,000-square-foot facility for the nonprofit, overcoming delays and cost overruns.

Additional parcels at 2314 and 2318 Clifton Avenue were secured in December 2023 for $5.25 million.

The final piece, Blackstone Brewing Company’s site, is under contract, with plans to relocate and expand the brewery. None of the properties were publicly listed, and Cummings described the intricate process as a “storytelling extravaganza,” involving seven parcels purchased from five sellers.

To realize his vision for the site, Cumminings now has to find the right buyer.

“There’s like a Diet Coke, Coke and a Coke Zero kind of option depending on Brad’s availability and some of the structuring elements we include,” said Colliers broker Patrick Inglis, who worked with Cummings throughout the acquisition process.

Inglis explained that it would depend on the specific user, noting that there could be more than one future buyer involved.

“It may be multiple transactions that ultimately realize the value we’re looking for here,” he told the outlet.

— Andrew Terrell