Axios Nashville

October 16, 2025
Good morning, Nashville. We can see the light of a clear, blue Thursday.
- Today's weather: Sunny with a high of 81.
๐ Happy birthday to our Axios Nashville member Anthony Perez!
This newsletter is 953 words โ a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Belle Meade Plaza condos join a booming high-end market
Ultra-luxe condos coming to the Belle Meade Plaza site will start at $2.5 million and will include access to ritzy amenities like private mahjong rooms, a Pilates studio and an on-site salon.
Why it matters: The condos, which will be split across two residential towers known as 1 Iris Lane, represent the new standard for high-end living in Nashville.
The big picture: Nashville's luxury housing market has exploded since the pandemic, fueled by a surge of high-earning transplants moving from costal hubs like Los Angeles and New York.
- By last year, Music City was recognized as the nation's biggest market for high-end real estate.
- Uber-chic condos have become a massive draw. Earlier this year, two penthouse units in the Broadwest building sold for a combined $14.8 million.
By the numbers: The new 1 Iris Lane buildings will include a total of 92 condos, with units ranging from one to four bedrooms, according to a new statement from developer AJ Capital Partners. The average size will be about 3,200 square feet.
- Residents will have access to a five-acre private park.
- There will also be 16,000 square feet dedicated to amenities, including screening rooms, a private pool and spaces for wine, whiskey and cigar lovers.
What they're saying: Steve Fridrich with Fridrich & Clark Realty called 1 Iris Lane "an unprecedented development" in a statement.
- "We have not seen anything like it in Nashville, more so in the whole Southeast," he said.
Zoom out: The condo towers will be at the center of the larger Belle Meade Village redevelopment project along Harding Pike at White Bridge Road.
- Crews demolished the old Belle Meade Plaza, including a Kroger and a shopping center, earlier this year to make room for the new construction.
State of play: Belle Meade Village will also include a boutique hotel and 6 acres of public green space, with access to restored greenway space along Richland Creek.
- A retail village with garden-lined paths will include more 40 storefronts, including cafes, restaurants and global brands.
- The centerpiece of the "town square" design will be an antique carousel.
What's next: An appointment-only sales gallery for prospective buyers at 1 Iris Lane opens Nov. 3. Construction on the residential towers is expected to begin before the end of the year, with an opening date expected in early 2028.
See a rendering of the carousel planned in Belle Meade Village
2. BNA hasn't been asked to play Kristi Noem video
Several airports across country are refusing to show a video of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blaming the ongoing government shutdown on congressional Democrats.
- But no one has asked Nashville's airport to show anything in the first place, according to a spokesperson.
Why it matters: The Trump administration released the video for airing at TSA checkpoints earlier this month. But some transportation authorities have shelved the message out of concern it violates the Hatch Act, which aims to ensure federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion.
Zoom in: "The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority has not received a request from the Department of Homeland Security or the Transportation Security Administration to play any videos," a spokesperson said yesterday afternoon in a statement.
Catch up quick: Noem's video says that it is the Transportation Security Administration's priority to ensure efficient, pleasant and safe travel โ but "Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government."
- Noem continues, "because of this, many of our operations are impacted, and most of our TSA employees are working without pay."
- She then expresses "hope" that "Democrats will soon recognize the importance of opening the government."
Zoom out: Major airports in other cities including Seattle, Portland, Charlotte and Las Vegas confirmed to Axios they will not display Noem's video.
Worth noting: Airports do regularly display videos from the Department of Homeland Security secretary, though those typically focus on safety or travel procedures, not partisan messaging, the Washington Post reports.
3. The Setlist: Vrabel comforts Callahan
๐ Former Titans coach Mike Vrabel said he reached out to his replacement Brian Callahan this week after Callahan got fired.
- "I don't want to see anyone who shares a job with you to get let go," Vrabel said. "That's a tough feeling." (CBS News)
๐งน The Fallon Company, which is leading the East Bank development project, is hosting a free screening of the Halloween classic "Hocus Pocus" on Oct. 24 at Wasioto Park. (WKRN)
- It's one of multiple community events the firm is planning during development.
A Middle Tennessee prosecutor who was charged with shooting at a wanted fugitive will resign this month. (Tennessean)
4. "9-1-1: Nashville" star shadowed real dispatchers
Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley wanted to see how real 911 dispatchers worked before she started playing one in the outlandish new drama "9-1-1: Nashville."
Zoom in: The Nashville Scene reported on Williams-Paisley's request.
What they said: "We were absolutely open to it, and we spent the day with her, and we wanted her to see a real, authentic, raw day in the life of a 911 dispatcher in Nashville," James Matthews, spokesperson for the Metro Department of Emergency Communications, told the Scene.
Fun fact: One part of the pilot episode showed Williams-Paisley guiding a caller through an emergency on a video call. (In the scene, a little girl flying a kite gets swept away by the wind and whizzes around in circles overhead.)
- The call wasn't realistic, but the technology was.
- The Scene reports Nashville dispatchers can get access to a caller's phone camera by sending them a link.
Our picks:
Nate's vacation song of the day is "Under the Boardwalk" by The Drifters.
๐ค Adam is trying to embrace more boredom in his life.
This newsletter was edited by Jen Burkett.
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