Dropping Housing Prices
đď¸ Housing on public lands ¡ Tonight's council meeting ¡ Nashville property values ¡ Repeat offender of the week ¡ Week in streaming ¡ Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone.
Generally, Americans prefer single-family homes. All explanations for why urban populations across the country are collapsing as suburbs swell centering on public safety concerns, lack of schooling options, and rising costs aside, most people genuinely like living in a house with a yard more than they do in an apartment complex. If they can afford it.
Trump campaigned on a vision of building ten new Freedom Cities. Details are scant on Trumpâs plan, but directionally, the Trump administration announced plans yesterday to repurpose underutilized federal lands for the construction of affordable housing.
HUD Secretary Scott Turner and Interior Secretary Doug Burgumâs announcement of the initiative was met with a chorus of negative reactions on Twitter (or X or whatever). âLetâs put Section 8 housing in national parks!â wrote one user.
The desire to transform open public spaces into housing units is not new. In New York City, one mayoral candidate proposes building affordable housing on four of the cityâs twelve municipal golf courses. Here in Nashville, you see debate over rejuvenating the Fairgrounds speedway devolves into a conversation about housing.
Over Trumpâs term, how his administration responds to the housing issue will likely go some of the way to determining how successful his successor is. I mentioned this last week, but Democrats are also moving on the issue. It has wide, bipartisan political support.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Newsweek before the inauguration that banning "mortgages for illegal immigrants who drive up the price of housing, eliminat[ing] federal regulations driving up housing costs, open[ing] portions of federal land with ultra-low taxes and regulations for large-scale housing construction" would also factor into Trump's plan. Overall, an issue to keep any eye on.
In other news, the ABC series 9-1-1 has a new spinoff forthcoming that will be set in Nashville. Chris OâDonnell of NCIS fame will star as Captain Don Sharpe, who is described as âa rugged fire captain and rodeo rider who runs Nashvilleâs busiest firehouse with his beloved son. Donâs a devoted husband and family man but he has his secrets.â
Youâd be wise to wonder how much of the show is going to be firefighters carting around drunk tourists.
Onward.
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đď¸ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.
đď¸ Tonight At Metro Council During this eveningâs meeting, Nashvillians can expect to hear opposition for Councilmember Rollin Hortonâs camera surveillance guidelines during the public comment period and should strap in for an extensive public hearing regarding Councilmember Emily Benedictâs historic zoning bill.
In December, the council voted down the Fusus contract that would have allowed Nashvillians to voluntarily integrate their security cameras into Metro Nashville Police Departmentâs network. Though Hortonâs legislation wouldnât officially establish an agreement between the tech company and MNPD, itâs expected to revive if his bill passes during tonightâs meeting.
As for Benedictâs bill, between the legislationâs rewrite and state pressure, the council seems primed to place the Historic Zoning Commission under the purview of Metroâs Planning Department. Before making their final decision, they will hear from several people for and against the change during third reading. The Coalition For Nashville Neighborhoods plans to show up to oppose the bill. Several developers and residents voiced their support during both special commission meetings held a few weeks ago.
đ Assessing Nashville Property Values Could Nashville switch from reappraising property values every four years to every other year? According to Axios, Mayor OâConnell is considering it. For years, Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower has encouraged counties to increase their reappraisals. Nashvilleâs former finance director Kevin Crumbo told the media outlet that making the change would help "take the guesswork" out of budget projections.
Nashvilleâs current administration is mulling it over. "The mayor is still reviewing this potential change, and he has worked closely with property assessor Wilhoite to gauge its viability," OâConnellâs Press Secretary Alex Apple told Axios. The change could come at a cost: increased workload could require more staffing.
đ Whatâs On The Shelves? Yesterday, the Rutherford County Library Board approved the removal of âmaterial that promotes, encourages, advocates for or normalizes transgenderism or âgender confusionâ in minorsâ from their network of public libraries. According to the Daily Wire, protestors called the members âNazisâ for securing the change with a 5-3 vote.
Cody York, a board member who also serves as the countyâs Chief Information Officer, brought forward the resolution. Encouraged by York, those in support of the measure showed up to the meeting in white. Going forward, the board will review any books flagged by Rutherford Public Library staff.
Though Tennessee has no censorship laws restricting materials in public libraries, the Rutherford County System is following the stateâs lead. Over the last two years, the General Assemblyâs Age-Appropriate Materials Act has been in effect and requires schools to review their library catalogs and remove inappropriate material. So far, Rutherfordâs School Board has removed over 150 books.
DEVELOPMENT
- Florida firm pays $118.5 million for Brentwood shopping center (NBJ)
- Texas chefs debut Curry Boys BBQ (NBJ)
- Permit issued for Green Hills project (Post)
- High-profile Brentwood retail property sells for $118.5M (Post)
âš REPEAT OFFENDER OF THE WEEK
âš THIS WEEK IN STREAMING (March 18th)
Anora (Hulu) This yearâs Oscar darling finally makes its streaming debut nearly five months after it hit theaters. Mikey Madison plays a stripper who goes Pretty Woman when she meets the succubi son of a Russian oligarch and makes a madcap journey through New York City to keep her dreams from falling into shambles. As we said last fall, âThough Anora works largely due to the impeccable casting of Madison and Yuriy Borisov as a put-upon pseudo-hood, [director Sean] Bakerâs choice to anchor his world within the realm of Russian-American strivers and smalltime oligarchs gunning for global respect allows him to rewrite romcom and indie conventions without ever descending into the most obvious strains of white liberal guilt.â
Perry Mason (Peacock and Paramount+) Nearly sixty years on, Raymond Burrâs stint as the legendary primetime defense attorney remains one of the mediumâs all-time great performances. A show that begs for a rewatch and a legion of fans to take it into the next generation.
Buffalo 66 (Prime) Indie provocateur Vincent Gallo triple threats in his firecracker of a debut as an ex-convict who kidnaps Christina Ricci from her tap-dancing class and asks her to impersonate his wife when he is forced to go back home and deal with his Bills-obsessed parents (Anjelica Huston and Ben Gazzara). Thereâre a lot of reasons Gallo never became the next Paul Thomas Anderson. None of them is talent.
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.
đ Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
đ§ On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
đ¨đťâđž Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
đŞ The Borrowed Mules @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info
đ¸ Freak Slug @ The Blue Room, 7p, $19.41, Info
đĽ Kodo @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $30+, Info
đŞ Nefesh Mountain @ 3rd and Lindsley, 7p, $20.64, Info
đ¸ Honky Tonk Tuesday @ Eastside Bowl, 8p, $10, Infoââââââââââââââââââ
+ two-step lessons @ 7p, The Cowpokes @ 8p
đ¸ Cole Ritter and the Night Owls @ The Underdog, 11:30p, Free, Infoââââââââââââââââââ
đ° Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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