NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — “Open for business,” in these times, it’s a phrase we’re not so used to seeing. Actually, we’re getting used to seeing the exact opposite as businesses close up shop and hard workers lose their jobs.

But there is hope.

Amid this pandemic, contractors and developers are pushing product and completing projects, hoping to get Music City back on track.

Right now, in three sectors, cranes are claiming victory over the Coronavirus.

Hospitality, office, and multi-family sectors are all still opening, even though there may be a slight slowdown.

Brasfield and Gorrie completed Peabody Plaza this week at Rolling Mill Hill. The nine-story, 280,000 square foot project’s site was previously a vacant parking lot.

Peabody Plaza also includes a five-story below-grade, 371,000 square foot parking deck with 1,000 spaces. A 6,000 square foot amenity deck overlooks downtown and the Cumberland River. A 0.75-acre park located just outside of the office tower, partially situated over the underground parking garage, provides ample green space.

Tenants are now moving into the new Eakin Partners property. They are now 50 percent occupied.

• 

• 

• 

“We had a few things, materials, that were delayed, but just by a few weeks,” said John Eakin, partner at Eakin Partners. “We were able to totally build out the space and have the tenants move in as planned as scheduled on July 1.”

Avi Niego, Executive Director at Kenect Nashville in Midtown, dealt with construction delays too.

“There were construction delays and things out of our control but we communicated with our tenants​,” said Niego.

Kenect Nashville welcomed its first tenants this past weekend.

Located in Midtown between Vanderbilt University and Music Row, Kenect is a mixed-use hospitality-driven residential community designed with the busy professional, who seeks an on-demand lifestyle, in mind. Kenect is changing the way people live and work with an experiential living concept, including co-working space, social memberships, communal social spaces, 24-hour amenities, onsite concierge, virtual events, and more. 

“I think this product caters specifically to those clients, you can work from home but you don’t have to be contained from inside your apartment,” said Niego.

• 

• 

The 20-story building houses 420 residential units, 21,000 square feet of retail, and 16,000 square feet of co-working space. The building is currently opening in stages.

From office buildings to apartments to hotels, opening amid a pandemic wasn’t easy.

“Certainly doing everything right now is challenge,” said Joel Pizzuti, President of Pizzuti Companies.

Despite the uncertainly that remains in the hotel industry, Pizzuti says he’s here to stay. ​

“This is a hotel that means a lot to me and my family so for better for worse were going to move forward and open in August, and I believe long-term we’ll be in a great position in a great city.”

• 

• 

• 

The Joseph Hotel, set to open in a few weeks in SoBro houses 297 hotel rooms and features 26,000 square feet of versatile event space, a full-service spa, and a fitness center. Three distinct dining outlets—Yolan, fine Italian; Denim, a rooftop destination; and Four Walls, an intimate cocktail bar; are overseen by notable food and beverage partners Tony and Cathy Mantuano.

“Certainly, doing everything right now is challenge, to be honest, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised at the interest in being a part of the Joseph and working at the hotel, certainly we’ve adjusted some of our hiring, we haven’t hired as many people as we probably would have if we were opening under different circumstances, but we still found great people in Nashville who wanted to be part of the hotel and we recruited people from outside the city who were attracted to city long term like we are,” said Pizzuti.

Despite the many challenges, all of these men remain hopeful.

“We are committed to Nashville long-term, we love the city, it’s one of the best cities in the U.S. and will continue to be long-term and if we can be apart of that during this challenging time and come out of it on the other side I think that’s a good thing,” ​​said Pizzuti.