Brace for Impact Fees

💸 Councilmembers Want Impact Fees District 29 Councilmember Tasha Ellis wants the state legislature to allow Davidson County to collect impact fees on new builds in order to support local infrastructure.

Co-sponsored by Councilmembers Jennifer Gamble and Jacob Kupin, the resolution also urges the General Assembly to dedicate “a portion of the state real estate transfer tax to local infrastructure, all of which would support affordable housing and senior home repair programs.”

The council will vote on the legislation during tomorrow’s meeting, and, if passed, it seems likely the body will lobby state legislators to support bills that would make these allowances at the local level.

Last week, city planner Greg Claxton explained that the Planning Department is frustrated that Nashville is not allowed to collect impact fees as a means to support infrastructure throughout the city. “We're prohibited from having that by the state, even though all the counties around us are allowed to have it,” said Claxton during Thursday’s presentation on new proposed zoning changes.

✹ THE SOUTHERN REVIVAL SALON

Join us for a classed-up, cowboy-formal type thing with an open bar, music, and the opportunity to meet some of the most talented and influential people in Nashville. Use the discount code PAMPHLETEER to get 25% off your ticket. (Buy Tickets)

🏘️ Companies Subverting Zoning Code In Nashville Are big companies taking advantage of the lack of Metro zoning code enforcement in Nashville? According to one Davidson County resident, that’s what’s happening in her neighborhood. 

During the last community presentation on proposed Metro zoning changes last Thursday, a District 15 resident disparaged Metro’s enforcement of zoning codes, explaining how, despite the rules and regulations, big development companies and corporations rent out units in ways that are supposed to be prohibited by Metro Code.

“What we're seeing is a lot of short-term rentals, because [these companies] say they're living in there,” she explained. “They have people come by, get the mail, etc.”

Councilmember Jeff Eslick (District 11) stepped in and explained that the burden of proof falls upon the neighbors in the area, making it nearly impossible to enforce regulations.

“We've got little kids, we don't have time to do our own enforcement,” concluded the attendee.

Eslick added that, not only do the new proposals not address enforcement issues, they are being rushed through without properly taking the concerns of residents into account.  “If you look at the companies, the departments, the charities, the NGOs, all the people they've surveyed from NashvilleNext to Choose How You Move to the Housing & Infrastructure Study, they are all very similar, and they are all friendly toward the cause,” said Eslick.

“I think the whole ship's been off. The whole time we've asked a question to satisfy the answer. When you look at the people that they surveyed, it doesn't seem to include current homeowners.”

🎓 Does Nashville School Start Too Early? On Friday, Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Director of Metro Nashville Public Schools Adrienne Battle announced a three-phase review of school start and end times. Alongside Nashville's Board of Education, the mayor’s office will be working to collect community input about early start times and the impact it has on student performance.

“Over the next few weeks and months, we'll be working with an expert in this field to review our current transportation network and gather community feedback through surveys, focus groups, and town halls,” said Director Battle. 

You may recall that this was one of Mayor O’Connell’s “15 "fixes” he proposed during his run for office. "Seven a.m. is too early and bad for both student performance and mental health," O'Connell told the Tennessean back in 2023. "As mayor, I will partner with MNPS to solve transportation issues and other obstacles to move back those start times, so students get a better learning environment."

HEADLINES

• ✈️ Staffing shortages among air-traffic controllers at Nashville International Airport led to over 200 flight delays on Sunday, including a ground delay imposed for arriving flights. The ground delay — originally slated to run until around 4 p.m. — was lifted early at 12:41 p.m., with departures averaging about 43 minutes of delay and peaks near 89 minutes.
• 🗳️ Jasmine Crockett, U.S. Rep. from Texas, will campaign in Nashville alongside Aftyn Behn, the Democratic nominee for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, at a town-hall event on November 7 in an effort to boost Behn’s bid in a district the GOP has held since 1983.

DEVELPOMENT

• A new 11-seat Vietnamese restaurant, Eleven11, has opened in East Nashville. (Tennessean)
• Raising Cane's eyes new Nashville location on East side (NBJ)
• Nashville’s most active apartment developer eyes new project (NBJ)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 John Fogerty w/ Hearty Har @ Ryman Auditorium, 7p, $112+, Info

🪕 Kyle Tuttle Bluegrass Monday @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info

🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info

💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 7p, Free, Info

🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik and Camelia Brennan.