Good morning, Nashville! It’s Tuesday, November 10.
☀️ High temps drop to 50s by Thursday through the weekend. High: 70, Low: 43
📍 New in Nashville’s Neighborhoods: the beginning of a transformative project for Nashville’s East Bank, a $10,000 theft bust, a council member fights new traffic safety infrastructure, Cheekwood’s response to neighbors’ lawsuit, a lower speed limit, and much more.
📰 Also in today’s newsletter: growth in Nashville’s luxury housing market, a new direct flight from BNA, and more.
🗓️ The newsletter won’t publish tomorrow with most government offices closed for Veterans Day. I’m grateful for all of our veterans, including my brother, for their service.
🏠 What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods
Downtown (and nearby)
Groundbreaking: Oracle will break ground today on its new 82-acre campus in the River North neighborhood, The Tennessean reported. The neighborhood stretches from Jefferson Street to I-65 on the East Bank. I shared renderings of Oracle’s plans with nash.news readers in September. The company has an open house scheduled for Thursday and Friday, followed by a “neighborhood block party” on Saturday. More details about those events here.
More than $10,000 in stolen merchandise: Two women from Louisiana were already on Lululemon’s radar — to the point they’ve been banned from stores nationwide. But police say that didn’t stop them. They were caught removing tags from merchandise inside the dressing room of the Gulch location last week, police said. Using a car key fob found in a suspect’s purse, “Organized Retail Crime detectives located more than $10,000 worth of merchandise from Lululemon, Alo, Sephora, Ulta and Carhartt connected to thefts out of state.” The women have theft warrants across the country, according to Metro Police.
Another restaurant closure: I can’t remember any other time in Nashville with so many restaurant closures in such a short period. The latest is Sunda New Asian at 592 12th Avenue South. The owners announced the restaurant will close on Saturday. “After 10 years of bringing Sunda to Nashville, we’ve made the tough decision to not invest further in options to renew, as we shift focus to our restaurants and opportunities in other markets,” it said on Instagram.
Near Belle Meade
Cheekwood responds: I’ve been checking for this filing nearly every day for weeks. Cheekwood asked a judge to throw out part of a lawsuit from neighbors that essentially alleges it’s become a nuisance as it’s grown over the years and that Metro has illegally allowed Cheekwood to break zoning laws as it’s grown. The neighbors want Cheekwood to pay damages, but Cheekwood says all of the plaintiffs “chose within the past 15 years to move into the West Nashville neighborhood where Cheekwood has operated since 1959.” Cheekwood’s attorneys questioned whether some of the plaintiffs are even eligible to make some of the claims because they don’t own their homes, trusts do. Cheekwood also argues Percy Warner Park, not just Cheekwood, has increased the neighborhood’s traffic. Metro also asked the judge to dismiss the case against the city. The case goes back to court on December 18. You can read Cheekwood’s full response here. And here’s the neighborhood group’s website outlining its concerns about Cheekwood.
Antioch
Upset about traffic calming: After NDOT installed delineators on Nashboro Boulevard, Metro Council member Tasha Ellis said she’s “doing everything that I can to get those things taken down.” In a video posted to Facebook, she said “this is not something that we asked for.” A woman who identified herself as a member of Metro’s Vision Zero Advisory Committee invited the council member to an upcoming meeting to “discuss why these are important.” She argued “these delineators are safety improvements meant to keep both drivers safe as well as any cyclists or pedestrians who may use that area of road.”
West End
Cyberattack at Vanderbilt University: The university asked everyone at the university to “shut down university devices, disconnect from university WiFi, and remain extremely vigilant” after what it described as an “active cybersecurity incident.” The school’s newspaper, The Vanderbilt Hustler, reported the ransomware group BYOD appeared to take credit for the attack: More: what the hackers claim to have + some professors choose to cancel class.
West Nashville
Cold case solved after nearly four decades: Forensic genetic genealogy helped Metro Police identify a woman found murdered in a basement of a home on Charlotte Avenue in 1987. A second victim was identified last year. Their killer died in prison in 2004 while serving a life sentence. He confessed to the killings, police said.
Donelson
New multi-way stop: A new multi-way stop is coming to McGavock Pike at Cloverdale Road and Graylynn Drive. Metro Council member Jeff Gregg requested the change, and Metro’s Traffic and Parking Commission approved it yesterday. “With the absence of a crossing guard at McGavock Elementary, the intersection of McGavock Pike and Cloverdale has become increasingly dangerous,” Gregg posted to Facebook. “I’ve personally witnessed drivers speeding down McGavock Pike, narrowly missing young students as they attempt to cross the street.”
Green Hills
New clothing store: A Hill House Home clothing store will take over the Bonobos space in the Hill Center at 4017 Hillsboro Pike, according to a new building permit application. While researching this company, I learned it’s known for the Nap Dress. You can read more about the dress here on the store’s “about us” page.
East Nashville
Lower speed limit: The speed limit for McGavock Pike between Gallatin Pike and Riverwood Drive will be lowered from 35 miles per hour to 30 after approval yesterday from Metro’s Traffic and Parking Commission. The commission also approved a new multi-way stop at North 9th Street and Smiley Street.
Affordable housing: Land next to the East Convenience Center could be turned into affordable housing. In the past month, I’ve reported twice on a pilot program that would allow private developers to build affordable housing on under-utilized Metro property. The first I found was in North Nashville. I shared the second in Wedgewood-Houston yesterday. And now, I’ve confirmed a third in East Nashville on 0.34 acres at 3010 Ambrose Avenue. All together, Metro plans to release five properties over the next six months. Each one will have deed restrictions to make sure it stays affordable when any homes on the properties sell.
Old Hickory
Moving in: The former Regions Bank property at 1404 Robinson Road will become a clinic called Results Physiotherapy, according to a new building permit. The clinic already has several locations around Nashville. Its website outlines some of its services.
North Nashville
Future of former middle school: A proposed rezoning reveals the potential future of 10 acres at 3230 Brick Church Pike. It mentions tearing down a former school that’s used as an inclement weather shelter to make room for a four-phase mixed use development. The first phase includes a recreation center that could still be used as a shelter in bad weather. A library is part of the second phase, followed by park or open space and then apartments. You can read more about the proposal on page 133 of this document for the Metro Planning Commission’s Thursday meeting.
Hermitage
Another chance to give your input: “You have one more chance to come talk about our upcoming renovation,” the Hermitage branch of the Nashville Public Library shared on Facebook ahead of a community meeting today at 4:30 p.m. It’ll be held in the library’s story time room. “What do YOU want our building to look like? What should we change? What should we not change,” the post asked. If you can’t attend the meeting, here’s a link to an online survey. I reported last month the library is expected to close for renovations next year through January 2028.
Madison
Mobile health clinic: Today’s stop for the Metro Health Department’s Mobile Health Clinic is the Madison Regional Community Center at 550 North Dupont Avenue. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Here’s a link to services available.
📰 A few more stories I’m following…
Luxury market growth: I’ve reported recently on a drop in prices for homes sold in Nashville. It’s a different story in the luxury market. The price for the 10% most expensive listings in the Nashville metropolitan area increased 3.6% compared to last year, according to realtor.com. The increase ranks #7 in the country. More: Where in Nashville home teardowns are rising the fastest (often to make room for luxury homes).
New flight: Nashville International Airport announced a new non-stop flight between Nashville and Mexico City. It’ll operate four times per week starting in June 2027. More at this link.
Not funding opposition: The next organization to run Nashville’s tourism marketing and convention sales will essentially be banned from taking actions, including lobbying, that go against Metro’s “official policy positions, legislative agendas, or stated interests.” That language is part of a likely multi-million dollar contract up for bidding right now. Tennessee’s legislature shifted control of Nashville’s excess tourism tax money to a new state board earlier this year. Among the changes that upset some council members: the potential for tax-funded grants to downtown businesses while other parts of town would not be eligible. When I asked Metro’s Finance Department for any background on why the ban is part of the contract, assistant director Mary Jo Wiggins told me, “It’s actually pretty basic, if an entity is receiving tax dollars for marketing and promotion, they should not be lobbying against the city that they are to be promoting.” She didn’t immediately respond when I asked whether something happened to prompt the language.
Poll results: I asked nash.news readers whether they’re satisfied with Metro’s strategy for homelessness. 98% of respondents said no. 2% said yes.
🍽️ Restaurant inspections
Correction, feedback, question? Just reply to this email or email me directly at ryan@nash.news. I’ll be back in your inbox on Thursday. —Ryan