Zoning: Pass It & Like It
Good afternoon, everyone. Planning & Zoning rushed through its review of proposed zoning bill amendments on Monday... Geographical limitations in rural D-7 counties could effect early voting... Freddie makes a deal with TPAC... And much more!
Early Voting! The special election to replace Mark Green in U.S. Congressional District 7 falls on December 2 (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving), so you might want to consider getting to the polls early. Find the early voting schedule (November 12-26) here. Find your election day voting location here.
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So Far, the Planning Department Doesn't Seem to Like Any of the New Suggestions Brought Forward to Refine Metro's Four Zoning Bill
From Megan Podsiedlik
During the Planning & Zoning committee meeting on Monday, the Metro Planning Department tried to squeeze its review of all amendments proposed for Metro’s four zoning bills into a 30-minute session. Deputy Director of Planning Lisa Milligan only made it through five amendments: four that have been submitted for the legislation that would add two zoning districts: Residential Neighborhood (RN) and Residential Limited (RL), and one proposed for the bill that simplifies the rules for building duplexes in Single-Family Residential (RS) and One- and Two-Family Residential (R) zoning districts.
The Planning Department disapproved of every single one.
In an attempt to limit the impact of intense density that inevitably disrupts the character of a neighborhood, Councilmember Burkley Allen proposed a limit on how much of a neighborhood block could be rezoned as RN or RL. Milligan advised against writing the limitation into the code and explained that all zoning districts have an innate range of use.
Councilmember Sean Parker suggested that residents simply elect representatives who understand the area’s needs in order to ensure that the character of a neighborhood remains intact.
“For better or worse, councilmanic courtesy is the rule of the road in this body for the most part,” said Parker. “And you know, I think that if members know that they have spots like that where it wouldn't be appropriate, I think we can just kind of count on district council members to do their job there.”
That said, a growing number of Nashvillians have lost trust in their district council members. District 20 Councilmember Rollin Horton, who also happens to chair the Planning & Zoning Committee, is still under scrutiny after passing legislation to upzone the Nations in August.
“Twenty-seven council members voted for R40 to go through,” a Nations resident said during a community presentation on the proposed zoning changes four weeks ago. She pointed out that the council supported Horton’s bill (councilmanic courtesy) despite a petition with 1,000 signatures opposing the change. “How can we trust you?”
Planning also didn’t like the second amendment proposed for the RN/RS zoning bill. In its current form, the legislation allows for anything from a single-family home to a townhouse court to be built if one of the new zoning districts is applied. In an attempt to create transparency, Councilmember Thom Druffel proposed that applicants declare the maximum number of dwelling units they plan to build up front. His amendment would also bind that limitation to the rezoned area “for as long as the zoning district is effective on the property.”
Director Milligan explained how the new zoning districts are merely additions to Metro’s toolbox and that each option has its own tradeoffs. In the case of RN or RS, the district would have restrictions to ensure that the design elements of new developments harmonize with the existing neighborhood. The tradeoff is that the new zoning districts allow for more density, with a larger scope for the number of units that can be built on each parcel.
Councilmember Courtney Johnston suggested that perhaps RN/RS zoning could establish a restriction on the number of units similar to R zoning, such as “RN8 or RN4.” Due to the limited time left in the meeting, Johnston wasn’t able to receive any feedback from Planning. Milligan assured the body that the department was taking notes and would follow up on the matter.
The committee only made it through three more amendments before calling it quits. Chair Horton assured everyone that the Planning & Zoning committee will review the remaining amendments during its next meeting.
Join Us On December 10th for an evening with writer Aaron Renn. Renn's recent book, Life in the Negative World, talks about being a Christian in a culture hostile to Christianity.
At our event, he will discuss this in addition to the crisis of civic leadership plaguing cities like Nashville. Aaron runs a very popular Substack, has written for The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic and was recently profiled in the New York Times. Currently, he's a Senior Fellow at American Reformer.
This is the first in a new series of monthly lectures we'll be hosting. Paying subscribers receive free access to this and future events. (Buy Tickets)
HEADLINES
- 🗳 Geographical limitations could affect early voter turnout in certain D-7 counties. Davidson County, a stronghold for Democrats, has six early voting locations. The next closest county is Williamson, which only has three locations open during early voting. Most of the rural, red-leaning counties participating in the seventh congressional district special election only have one early voting location. (TriStar Daily)
- 🎭 Metro announces agreement with TPAC to relocate theater on East Bank. Mayor Freddie O'Connell, Metro Government, and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center(TPAC) have reached an agreement that gives TPAC a premier location on the East Bank while sharing infrastructure costs with Metro and granting annual access to Metro to use the center for educational opportunities and other needs. (Mayor’s Office)
- ⚖️TN AG seeks to appeal pause on National Guard deployment in Memphis. In a motion filed yesterday, the state indicated that they plan to file an appeal in response to Davidson County Chancellor Patricia Head Moskal’s decision to temporarily block the use of the National Guard in Memphis. For now, the Attorney General’s office is seeking confirmation that filing an appeal will trigger an automatic stay on Moskal’s order. (WREG)
- 🔓 Robin Smith seeks lighter sentence after Casada/Cothren presidential pardons. After agreeing to a plea deal that sentenced her to eight months in prison in the Casada/Cothren corruption case, former state Representative Robin Smith did not receive a presidential pardon. Yesterday, Smith filed a motion seeking a lighter sentence given that former state Speaker of the House Glen Casada and his former top aide Cade Cothren both received pardons. (Chattanoogan)
DEVELOPMENT
- Cledis Burgers & Beer to open third location in the Gulch (NBJ)
- Former SunTrust client contact center building sells for $11M (Post)
- Metro, TPAC reach agreement on East Bank relocation (Post)
- Melrose site eyed for condo building (Post)
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
🎸 Margo Price w/ Rattlesnake Milk @ Ryman Auditorium, 7p, $71+, Info
🎻 Guerrero's Return "A Hero's Life" @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $29+, Info
🎸 The Criticals @ Exit/In, 8p, $25.05, Info
🎸 Abby Jeanne & The Shadowband @ The Basement, 9p, $16.19, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
🎸 Open Mic @ Fox & Locke, 6:30p, Free, Info
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik and Camelia Brennan.