CBL proposes phased rezoning and mixed‑use plan for Cool Springs Galleria

Scotty Bernick, a landscape architect with Reagan Smith and Associates, and John Michelle, senior vice president of redevelopment for CBL Properties, presented a multi‑phase redevelopment concept for Cool Springs Galleria during a neighborhood meeting. The team said it will submit an initial application to the city next week and expects joint conceptual review, public hearings and readings through late summer.

The plan would rezone the property from its current RC12 (regional commerce, up to 12 stories) designation to a Planned Development (PD) to allow phased, flexible redevelopment that the presenters said preserves the mall's ongoing operations. "We are proposing a rezoning to a PD," Bernick said, adding the PD would be similar in uses and rights to RC12 while accommodating phased construction and existing lease constraints.

The developers described the 86.5‑acre campus as containing roughly 1.5 million square feet of mall building and extensive surface parking; two parcels housing Dillard's and Macy's together account for about 22 acres and are separately owned, which the team said constrains where and when work can occur. The concept places most new development on the western side of the campus, between Mallory Lane and the mall, to avoid disrupting anchor tenant parcels.

Under the concept, the team envisions a mix of uses: approximately 600 multifamily units split into two phases (about 300 units in Phase 4 and 300 in Phase 5), ground‑floor retail and restaurants integrated into residential buildings, and a hospitality component described as a 102–120‑key hotel. Phase 2 would add roughly 20,000 square feet of retail adjacent to the JCPenney parcel, and Phase 3 would rework ingress and egress at Mallory Lane and Crossroads Boulevard to improve circulation. Bernick said the multifamily phases would include structured parking and street‑facing retail where code allows.

Design goals listed in the presentation included increasing green and civic space by several acres to improve stormwater quality and provide programable plazas, reducing curb cuts to create safer streetscapes, and prioritizing pedestrian access within a five‑minute walk of core destinations. Bernick noted the site is served by Franklin Transit Authority bus routes and emphasized the team’s intent to "do no harm" to existing mall businesses while adding uses intended to complement—not compete with—the mall’s retail base.

A resident/property owner raised a question about long‑term viability, saying he worried that adding residential could lead to the mall following the fate of other failing regional malls. John Michelle responded: "Malls are not failing. Some malls are failing. ... This is one of them," and said CBL owns many properties, believes Cool Springs is a clear market winner and is investing to keep it modern and competitive. Michelle added that anchors and local market demographics support CBL's confidence in the property’s medium‑ and long‑term viability.

The presenters outlined a tentative public schedule: an initial submittal next Monday, a joint conceptual workshop on May 23 with the planning commission and BOMA, a planning commission public hearing on June 27, two first‑reading/work session opportunities, a second reading on Aug. 13 and a final third reading in late August. Presenters asked for public feedback and said they would send a recording of the meeting to attendees.

The application materials presented included conceptual massing, circulation diagrams, stormwater strategies and a phasing plan but did not provide final building designs, permit or financing details. Several capacity and operational constraints were repeatedly cited as limits on immediate change, including existing leases, parcel ownership by anchor tenants and existing utility and stormwater corridors.

Next steps: the project team will file the formal submittal, city staff will provide departmental comments, and the project will proceed through joint conceptual review and public hearings noted above. Specific approvals, building permits, final unit counts, financing sources and a construction timetable were not specified in the presentation.