Good morning, Nashville! It’s Monday, August 24th. Lots of news in Nashville’s neighborhoods, including a landfill’s future, Piggly Wiggly to high-rise, and an attempt to protect a neighborhood’s character from tall and skinnies. Plus, today’s puzzle and restaurant scores with a 66 at one inspection.
⚡ Quick hits
Weather: ☀️ High: 90, Low: 65. Storm chances return on Wednesday.
Newly released data appears to show how Nashville’s airport police searched Flock’s nationwide network of surveillance devices since 2022. Theft-related searches are the most common in the data released by haveibeenflocked.com, but there’s a wide variety of reasons given for searches, ranging from “other” to “homicide.” You can read my full report here.
Metro Police are looking for a drive-by shooter who killed a 16-year-old boy after a football game at Pearl Cohn High School, WKRN reported. Witnesses said the shooter fired from a white car.
Nashville tourism setback? Canadian tourism to Nashville dropped 20% last year after President Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs, and that trade war reignited over the weekend. $20 billion in new tariffs took effect, which Canada pledged to match dollar-for-dollar starting September 8th. Before the trade wars, Canadian tourism made up about half of Nashville’s international tourism.
ICE in Nashville: The Tennessean found out ICE’s proposed call center could be in an office building on Royal Parkway near Nashville’s airport. Mayor Freddie O’Connell said on Friday city officials “don’t know much” about the proposal.
🏠 What’s new in Nashville’s neighborhoods
Bellevue
Tonight at 5 p.m. - a community meeting to talk about the future of the Buzzard Hollow landfill, which was abandoned in the 1970s. It could become a new convenience center (among other possibilities), Metro Council member Sheri Weiner said in her newsletter. Tonight’s meeting is at the Bellevue Community Center.
East Nashville
Restaurant scores 66 with health inspector: Roy’s Royal Room, a sports bar at 3807 Gallatin Pike, received a 66 in its latest inspection. Among the concerns from the inspector: how food is reheated and a dog in the restaurant. You can read the full inspection here. And here’s a link to all of the restaurant inspections.
Downtown (and nearby)
Piggly Wiggly to high-rise: the site of a former grocery store at 2900 West End Avenue got approval for a height exception from Metro’s Board of Zoning Appeals to build a 15-story tower with a mix of residential and commercial.
And that’s not the only change on West End Avenue: the former Jimmy John’s at 2316 West End Avenue is on track to become a smoothie shop, according to a building permit application. It doesn’t reveal which brand is moving in. Jimmy John’s opened a store on Elliston Place.
I shared last week that construction is about to start on a connection from the Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge to Wasioto Park. Now the Titans have revealed that construction is expected to take about a year, meaning the connector probably won’t be ready for the start of next year’s football season. The team said fans will still be able to use the bridge to walk over to games.
Rivergate
Protecting a neighborhood’s character: the Metro Council approved contextual overlays around Shepherd Hills Drive, Twin Hills Drive, Cumberland Hills Drive, and North Side Drive. Neighbors hope it’ll prevent development like “tall-and-skinny” homes that don’t match the neighborhood. However, the council member noted it will not reduce the density of homes allowed in the neighborhood.
Antioch
Enforcement escalated: Metro Codes calls the property a “repeat” offender, and it just issued a citation for 102 Cherokee Hills Drive over junk and trash and at least one car parked on the grass. It’s part of a wave of enforcement I’ve noticed recently in Antioch, including an “audit” of properties after a request by a member of the Metro Council.
Wedgewood-Houston
Traffic alert: multiple road closures and parking restrictions just started. Here are the details from NDOT.
Wrecking ball: developers plan to demolish properties, including a former church, at 1421 and 1423 4th Avenue South. A filing with Metro doesn’t say what’s planned for the properties other than developers want to create one larger lot that also combines with 1413 4th Avenue South.
Madison
In just a week, I’ve reported on plans for new apartments and townhomes in Madison multiple times, and here’s another! A 114-unit apartment project is moving forward: The Hub @ 607 (607 W. Due West Avenue) received a building permit last week for a four-story building. This Instagram post gives an idea of what it’ll look like.
Donelson
Historic home’s future: after a developer backed off plans to split up the historic Logue Home property (115 Cottage Lane) to build townhomes around the house, Metro Council member Jeff Gregg said the developer would share updated plans at a community meeting on September 29th.
Tonight at 6 p.m. - virtual traffic calming meeting for Revere Place
📰 A few final headlines…
The number of people “experiencing literal homelessness” in Nashville increased by 118 people or 5.4% since last year, according to new data released by Metro’s Office of Homeless Services.
After property tax bills more than quadrupled in some cases at Broadway bars, Nashville’s mayor announced legislation to help small businesses, including a $300,000 grant program for “legacy” businesses open at least 15 years. You can read the mayor’s pitch for the proposal here.
Starbucks laid off 120 corporate employees who refused to move to its new office in Nashville, along with more than 100 others, The Seattle Times reported.
🧠 Today’s puzzle: Odd One Out
How closely did you pay attention to Friday’s newsletter? Three of the four in each round have something in common. Pick the one that doesn’t belong.
Round 1: SweatHouz · Farenheit Yoga · Fifth Third Bank · Cheekwood
Round 2: Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church · Titans stadium · Coca-Cola bottling plant · First Evangelical Lutheran Church
Round 3: 170 · 172 · 174 · 67
🍔 MAP: click here for restaurant inspections across Nashville
Please let me know what you think of today’s updated newsletter format. Just reply to this email or email me directly at ryan@nash.news. -Ryan