Nashville developer John Eldridge looks north for two new housing developments

With its City Heights neighborhood developments well underway, E3 Construction Services is targeting North Nashville for two new for-sale housing projects.

Hearth and Haven at North Pointe and The Vista at North Pointe, both to be located on Buena Vista Pike, are the Nashville-based firm’s newest focus. The first is slated for 39 townhomes and 30 condo units on more than 10 undeveloped acres. The second is a 26-unit townhouse development on two acres.

Hearth and Haven is scheduled to break ground later this year, with a 2022 wrap. The Vista has already broken ground and should finish out sometime this year, according to a statement.

While investors race to buy the remaining parcels in Nashville’s downtown urban core, John Eldridge III, E3’s founder, is looking north. He’s especially eyeing Trinity Lane — a corridor close to downtown that holds abundant undeveloped land, some of which is in an Opportunity Zone — for future projects.

“One of the things that was extremely attractive [about Trinity Lane] is how much infrastructure is already in place,” Eldridge said. “Aside from its impressive views of the river and incredible proximity to downtown, the area has plenteous untapped potential.”

He pointed out that in other, more crowded Nashville areas, community displacement often accompanies development. But the Trinity Lane corridor, he said, allows for huge land buys (10, 15 acres or more at a time) without disrupting the existing population.

Eldridge and his team have already finished one project in the Trinity Lane area. That’s West Vue on Trinity, a townhome development that opened in fall. All 27 units are currently sold or under contract, according to a company statement.

City Heights and Crave at City Heights are scheduled to top out this year.

Eldridge also began a partnership with Jason Word, a North Nashville native who runs J. Word Properties, in 2020. Their LLC, WE Develop, plans to break ground on its first project, Word 17 at North Pointe, later this year, a statement said.

“We still have very little inventory that we have left to sell,” Eldridge said. “Not only here in town but on a national level, there’s a lot of confidence in this market right now.”