The latest design plans for Nashville's most ambitious development project reveal a complex new downtown district anchored by Amazon's office campus and an entertainment district similar to L.A. Live.

The 25-story Grand Hyatt hotel will be the first tenant to open in the fall, in the 17-acre Nashville Yards development. Two office towers for an Amazon operations hub are also well under construction.

But most of the site work is now focused on new streets and ground-level infrastructure.

San Diego-based Southwest Value Partners expects to spend $1 billion to create the district in the next few years.

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The entire project, which includes new street designs with pedestrian plazas, stretches from Broadway to Church Street. It will be fronted by a 1.3-acre park along the railroad tracks running through the Gulch.

On Thursday, the Downtown Code Design Review Committee will consider approval of at least eight electronic billboards on the sides of buildings throughout Nashville Yards. Skyline signs announcing major tenants in the buildings and wayfinding signage will also be considered.

Architect Gresham Smith presented the design plans for the committee hearing.

"Graphics extend the brand vocabulary and narrative concepts with type, color, pattern and materiality," the Gresham Smith presentation states. "Create an emphasis on the pedestrian experience, encouraging exploration and inviting guests to linger and connect in various gathering spaces."

The signs are designed to create an "iconic yet appropriate design for the overall site," plans state. Images will be required to be static for a minimum of eight seconds.

New face of downtown

Nashville Yards' glassy skyscrapers and colorful signs will greet visitors entering downtown on the west side.

An upper 10th Avenue will be created for pedestrians to walk along rows of shops and restaurants on the lower levels of the project's various towers. Drivers can access the parking garage and pick-up and drop-off areas at lower 10th Avenue.

"The juxtaposition of the matte (parking) structure and high gloss of the epoxy and painted finishes help to bridge the gap between the various styles of architecture," the design plan states.

Along the avenue, a mixed-use tower with residential lofts and shops will neighbor Grand Hyatt. Residents there will have easy access to the park, a boardwalk connecting Broadway and Church Street, and a private pool deck.

Two towers for "creative offices" and retail shops will stand next to that.

Amazon's office campus is on the other side of Church Street at 10th Avenue. Employees will have access to a dog park and can bring pets to work at the so-called Operations Center of Excellence.

A sprawling entertainment district is planned directly behind the line of 10th Avenue towers.

Entertainment destination

Anschutz Entertainment Group and MGM Resorts International plan to build a 4,000-seat music venue, club, bowling alley, movie theater, hotel and shops.

The entertainment district will match design concepts throughout Nashville Yards with brick and glass facades, according to the design renderings.

"A large pedestrian plaza at the center of the block will accommodate scheduled events as well as pedestrian activation associated with the ground floor retail," the plan states. "The lower two levels will include dense retail with an emphasis on food and beverage."

A second phase of development is planned once the entertainment venues are erected. That will include more high-rise offices and residences.

Sandy Mazza can be reached via email at smazza@tennessean.com, by calling 615-726-5962, or on Twitter @SandyMazza.