Walkable neighborhoods gain traction in city as well as suburbs

From the suburbs to the heart of the city, homebuilders are crafting smart-growth communities where residents can park the car and walk or ride a bike to nearby parks, restaurants and shops.

Its a lifestyle youre buying as much as a location, said Jeremy Malone, a Realtor who owns a home in McKays Mill, a Jones Co. subdivision in Franklin with a network of trails and ponds that encourage outdoor activity.

A trip to the dentist or the grocery means putting on a pair of walking shoes, not getting in the car, he said.

Instead of watching television or playing video games, Malone, his wife Jinni and their two young children enjoy spending time outdoors.

Were close to everything we do, he said. And I can step 25 feet from my door and be on a walking trail that leads into the hills.

Sammie Baker enjoys having a clubhouse, pool and fitness center just steps from her door in StoneBridge, a master-planned community in Lebanon developed by Goodall Homes.

You just go home and you are in your own community, Baker said. I love to walk my dog by the pond.

In the core of the city, smart-growth developments are breathing new life into neighborhoods that were previously overlooked or in decline, said developer Mike Kenner.

His company, MiKen Development, is creating a 60-home subdivision on 60th Avenue North at Morrow Road in an area of West Nashville dotted with industrial sites. It will include a dog park and a commercial corner for local retailers.

Kenner believes his development will be especially popular with the same young buyers who have snapped up homes he has built in the Nations neighborhood next door. The Nations is around the corner from restaurants and pubs on Charlotte Pike.

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Walkable neighborhoods gain traction in city as well as suburbs