A Nashville developer has put the long-vacant West End Avenue lot that once held a Piggly Wiggly grocery store under contract, setting the stage for a 15-story tower in the Centennial Park area. H.G. Hill Realty Co. has owned the 2900 West End Ave. site for over a century, and the pending sale would end its long hold on one of Midtown's most visible empty parcels.
Richland Building Partners is under contract to buy the site, according to the Nashville Business Journal. Richland is a Nashville-based developer known mainly for luxury residential projects, and the acquisition would put it in control of a 1.48-acre, three-parcel site in the Centennial Park area, as detailed by the Nashville Post.
A Tower Designed for West End's Gateway Corridor
The proposed building is planned to have 15 stories, per the same Nashville Post report. That plan followed a key variance granted by Metro Nashville's Board of Zoning Appeals in August, clearing a path around standard height restrictions on the underlying parcel despite the scrutiny such exceptions typically draw near residential areas and parks along West End Avenue.
The tower is planned to include 110 residential units, 260 hotel rooms, 10,000 square feet of restaurant space and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
A Century of Hill Family Ownership Comes to an End
The property has stayed in H.G. Hill Realty's hands since the company acquired the land in 1923, according to Metro Davidson County records cited by the Nashville Scene. Over the late 20th century, Hill Realty shifted from operating grocery stores to managing a broad commercial real estate portfolio, a transition that left this stretch of West End as one of its longest-held assets.
The grocery building that once anchored the site had a layered neighborhood history, having housed independent markets Bi Rite and Apple Market before becoming a Piggly Wiggly. That store closed in April 2022 due to severe structural issues, as the Nashville Scene reported at the time. Hill Realty said the structural issues could not be resolved and fencing was needed.
A Stalled Apartment Deal Preceded the Current Plan
This is not the first redevelopment attempt for the site. H.G. Hill partnered with Franklin-based Chartwell Residential on a 15-story apartment project, but it was later canceled amid rising costs. H.G. Hill later offered the property for ground lease or sale.
Richland has been building out its internal capacity to handle complex projects like this one. The company hired former AJ Capital Partners executive Brandon Johnson in May as Director of Development & Construction, a move it says positions the firm to lead complex mixed-use, residential and hospitality projects; Johnson had previously managed development momentum for AJ Capital in Nashville's Wedgewood Village, according to Richland Building Partners.
Part of a Busy Pipeline Across Nashville
Part of a Busy Pipeline Across Nashville The West End deal lands as Richland juggles other projects around the city. Richland's other projects include Lower 3rd, an eight-story, 120-unit mixed-use condo building in Nashville's Chestnut Hill neighborhood with starting prices in the high $200,000s, according to the Nashville Post. Hoodline previously reported that construction was planned to begin in November, with units starting in the $200,000s.
The West End project adds to recent development activity along the avenue. Key details about the Piggly Wiggly site deal remain unresolved, including the expected closing timeline and sale price for the land, the hotel brand that would operate the planned 260 rooms, and the timeline for formal site plan submittals to the Metro Planning Commission.
